Travel Light – Five Things to Carry to Go Ecofriendly

Despite my love of travel – stepping into a place I’ve never seen before, sampling its foods and witnessing a culture with habits and assumptions different from mine, I’m a real home body. Plus, I hate to leave the dog. He’s so daggone cute! and just getting the hang of life with us.

So it was with some reluctance that I agreed to join Mr. Hollywood in travel to Norway, where he was to present some of his research. Since we’d be across the Atlantic already, we tacked vacation on to the end of the conference, a vacation we’d spend in Croatia. What a trip it was!

Here’s a shot of lunch at the Frognerseteren restaurant cafe overlooking Oslo’s fjord: classic meatballs (that this Swede admits pretty mighty delish) with creamed cabbage, potatoes, lingonberries, and coffee of course. Thank goodness I had to hike to get to it.

And here’s a shot of pomegranates dangling overhead in a tiny restaurant up the hill from Hvar island‘s harbor in Croatia.

And I’m happy to report, back home again, that the dog didn’t seem to miss us at all.

With  Pretty Good Kitchen on the road, I was reminded how hard it can be to employ the same eco-friendly sensibilities when traveling as when one’s at home. In a word: disposable. From drinks to shopping to cleaning up, it can feel unavoidable that you’re tossing out this and tossing out that, plastics galore.

Here are five things to pack to ease the disposable burden.

1. Travel Essential #1: A Beverage Bottle

Water. Drink up. Travel is dehydrating, from the airplane to the inevitable schlep of stuff. We know we’re supposed to drink plenty of water. Unfortunately, that can mean countless single-use plastic bottles of the sort clogging oceans and threatening environments across the globe. Thankfully, there are some great alternatives. Mr. Hollywood is a fan of the tall, insulated Klean Kanteen, since his drink of choice is iced tea. Did I say iced? That ice stays rattle-worthy for hours. The bottle is equally good for coffee, of course, and with a wide neck, you can easily get it clean. The cap is super water-tight, which is great for when you shove it in your carry-on next to your computer. My brother-in-law carries a mega-sized Nalgene bottle like it’s another appendage, and I just read about a glass version that’s pretty cool.

Point is, there are oodles available out there. Fill ’em up at airport drinking fountains, at the hotel bar, or in a lobby bathroom (ask if it’s potable), and chug away. On the plane, ask flight attendants to pour into what you brought rather than use their disposable cups. (Some airlines will, some won’t – claiming health concerns. ugh. If they don’t it’s an opportunity to reach out to customer service requesting they change such policy.)

2. Reusable Utensils

Plasticware sucks. Consider the spork – that cross between the spoon and fork. Sounds like a good idea until the plastic “tines” break off in your entree or it just won’t work – spoon, fork,… nothing. It doesn’t grab, it doesn’t hold. Your food remains stubbornly out of reach. Enter this stainless steel, foldable, with its own tiny carry sack version. Reusable, folks!

It’s even got a little bracket on the handle to keep it strong and stable when unfolded/extended. I happened to discover it at a music festival last summer, and now Mr. Hollywood and I each keep one close at hand. Unless it’s drying on the rack at home, I’ve got it in my purse. Did I mention it’s tiny? Or, thrift stores have oodles of cheap flatware. Simply toss a few (maybe avoid the knives, if you’re flying) into your snack bag and wash as necessary.

3. Lightweight Sack

Pack into your suitcase a reusable shopping bag. Then, when you reach your destination, carry it with you for whatever you might fetch along the way – gifts for self or others, bread and fruit for the day – to carry your travel journal to log memorable moments or jot haiku, and for your beverage bottle, of course. There a sooooo many lightweight, packable sacks available. Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) has one that’s like a feather and stuffs into its own pocket pouch. We found jazzy fold-ups made from recycled plastic bottles at the gift shop of a Florida hotel some years ago. I toss them in the laundry when we get home, dry, fold, and stash in our suitcases. They’re still going strong.

4. Rubber Bands

Sounds weird, I know. But bear with me. First, appreciate that they take up virtually no space. Plus, you know you have four thousand all tangling up with miscellanea in a drawer somewhere. Well, I do. Let me know if you need some. Sometimes we use plastic bags simply to keep stuff together. Instead, try a rubber band. Fold down the top of any given package from cheese to trinkets, loop a rubber band around it, and you’re done. What’s more, they can help smoosh your clothes and such for more efficient packing. Shoot, throw in a paper clip or two while you’re at it.

5. Bandanas

I love a bandana. For a snazzy pop of color around the neck, to catch the sweat around my brow, to cut down on the raffia hat’s inherent scratchiness. They also make excellent handkerchiefs, napkins, placemats, and hobo-style makeshift containers. What’s more, they fold or roll to nearly nothing and can be washed in any given hotel room bathroom and dry in no time.

Are there things that make your travel more eco-friendly? Share them here!

Bon voyage! ~ even if it’s just a day trip down the road ~