As a passionate environmentalist, I often feel hypocritical or discouraged having a passion for travel. Travel means transportation, which means the burning of fossil fuels, leading to a growing market for fossil fuels, and, consequently, more greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Travel also encourages more single use plastics as people are constantly on the go. As someone who was deep in the plastic-free lifestyle, I decided to combat the issue of single-use waste when booking my trip to Mexico and Boston for a back-to-back wedding adventure. Turns out, it’s not very hard removing plastic from your travel habits. All it takes is attention and intention.

If you want to reduce your footprint while enjoying what our beautiful world has to offer, experiment with these tips:

1. BYOC (Bring Your Own Container)

This is probably the toughest part of being plastic-free while traveling. But if you have a strong desire to prove to yourself that you don’t have to use waste while traveling, then it is absolutely possible. And quite easy actually.

I already have a collection of reusable bags and bulk bags, as well as a favorite jar or two. I picked out what I felt I would actually use and cushioned my jar with clothes or socks in my bag. In my case, I decided on a few bulk bags, my reusable bag, and my favorite jar. And then, of course, I brought my reusable cutlery. You might think that bringing a glass jar overseas or adding reusable bags is a waste of space, but if the environment matters to you, it really isn’t. The extra space it takes is very minimal. I think of it as, Do I want to bring that extra dress, or do I want to slip in my jar? I know from past experience that I tend to use less than half of the clothes I bring anyway, so I opt for the jar.

Lastly, bring your reusable water bottle. The bigger, the better. That can easily come with you on your carry on. Whenever you find a place that supplies drinking water, whether you’re at an airport, a restaurant, or at your accommodations, fill that bottle up. You can easily avoid buying plastic water bottles. If you are going somewhere where clean water may be scarce, there are plenty of water bottles that have their own filtration systems that you may purchase and take with you. I used the GRAYL filtered water bottle while trekking in Nepal.

2. Say NO to Airline Plastics

Unfortunately, airlines have an affinity for plastics and single-use waste. As a consumer, you have the power to say no when offered a plastic cup, a plastic-wrapped snack, or a blanket packaged in plastic. When flight attendants come around with refreshments, ask them to fill your water bottle with water, rather than a plastic cup. If you want to enjoy a soda or juice, opt for a canned drink (I go for Bloody Mary mix in a can because it’s yummy), and ask for only the can, not a plastic cup for it to be dumped into. If you expect to get hungry on the plane, bring your own dry snack in one of your reusable bags (for example, I packed almonds and trail mix). Lastly, you can supply yourself with your own blanket. Of course, you don’t want to bring a thick blanket that is going to take up half your baggage. I always travel with a sarong, which acts as a cover-up, a towel, and a blanket all in one. It’s lightweight and dries quickly, making it one of the best travel hacks out there.

3. Look for Open-Air Markets

Most countries, whether it’s Europe, Asia, or South America, have open-air markets. Not only are these great places to explore local crafts and cuisine, but it’s the perfect place for you to buy in bulk. Most of the time, these markets will display baskets or buckets of items in bulk, rather than individualized packaging that you’ll see at a conventional grocery store.

While traveling in Mexico, I use my bulk bags to buy unpackaged almonds and fruit, which I later took back to my Airbnb and assorted into a healthy snack in my jar. Rather than grabbing a bag of chips on the street, I now I had a healthy snack to indulge in that produced no waste whatsoever. This also served me well for my return flight to the U.S. I cut up mangoes from the market and put them in my jar to snack on at the airport. As you’ll see, almost every snack or meal offered at airports are packaged in plastic. It will blow your mind. If you prepack some local fruit or snack from the market, you will have the luxury to enjoy an edible souvenir while avoiding plastic waste.

4. Use Your Reusables

Street food is an affordable and fun way to experience culture wherever you go. Unfortunately, street food usually goes hand in hand with single use waste. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Given that you brought your own cutlery and jar, you can use those whenever you can. For example, in Mexico they sell corn in a cup, or esquite, mixed with mayo and seasonings. Rather than taking the Styrofoam cup they serve it in, you can easily offer your own jar, and notify them that you already have your own cutlery. The same goes with getting juice or a smoothie. Use that jar!

5. Look for Plastic-Free Opportunities

There are plenty of communities out in the world who are on the environmental train. Keep a lookout for places that create an environment that encourages less waste. While visiting San Miguel de Allende, my friend and I found an eco-friendly market where all the vendors served food on ceramic dishes that were then returned after the customer finished their food.

If you’re unable to find eco-minded places, use a plastic-free lense when purchasing food or souvenirs. For example, if I didn’t have my jar on me while roaming the streets of Mexico, I chose to get esquite on the cobb rather than in a cup, to avoid creating waste.

While it may be harder to solve the issue of fossil fuels – except for choosing to never travel at all – you do have plenty of control when it comes to your waste production. I hope you find these tips helpful, and if you have any of your own sustainable travel tips, feel free to comment below!

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