Although travel is not open to everybody around the world at the moment, it’s important to talk about travel tips now so that when the time comes to book a trip, you’ll have all the information you need! Personally, when I think of travel, something that comes to mind right away is the challenge of being earth conscious. While it can often be easy to be low-waste or plastic free at home, when traveling we often turn to small disposable plastic bottles and excess packaging out of convenience.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are several ways to maintain a sustainable lifestyle when traveling. There are even a few ways to look out for the earth while also saving yourself some space and weight in your suitcase! And that’s by making some toiletry swaps. While this can sound so small, it can make a huge difference over the course of your travels.

I think back to some longer trips I’ve taken where I’ve packed a bottle of lotion, a bottle of shampoo, and a bottle of conditioner… just between those three items I probably added about five pounds to my suitcase! Not to mention took up a huge amount of the space I had. But then I realized there’s a way to take up about a quarter of that space while still having the same amount of product with one simple change…

Using Bars Over Bottles

Every few months we make the decision between liquid hand soap or bar soap, and the same with body wash versus a bar of body soap. But we often don’t consider bars for other bulky toiletry items. Tons of companies are now making lotion bars, as well as shampoo and conditioner bars! This completely eliminates the massive plastic bottles that are used and thrown away every single year.

If you don’t think your hair or lotion needs can be met with a bar, give it a try and see for yourself. These have become incredibly popular due to their effectiveness and what better time to try them out than when you’re packing for a trip and could save a bit of space in your suitcase. You can even buy soap saver bags that will keep the water draining off of your bars to help you use up every ounce!

making swaps

If you’re looking to make more swaps to sustainable, plastic free, or low-waste toiletries, head to my low-waste shopping page to shop some of my absolute favorites! But before buying any new or eco-friendly items, be sure to use up what you have first. The best way to cut back on waste is to use up all of your current items before making the switch.