Over the years at home, I’ve been working on living ‘greener’ especially when it comes to plastics. But when I’d travel, I’d revert back to bottled water and too many plastic bags. Not anymore! To my surprise, the transition to greener options was easier than I thought. I already had all of the items in my kitchen, with my hiking gear, or in my bag of reusable shopping bags. Here are some of the changes I’ve made:

Water Filter and Bottle – I rarely drink anything except water, so the taste of it and what’s in it matters to me. I filter water at home and although most of the places I travel have had safe drinking water, I would use bottled water when I traveled. This meant I had to find a place to buy bottled water, make sure I had enough until I could get back to the store, and accumulate a mountain of empty plastic bottles.

In my hiking gear I have a perfectly good Grayl bottle that is an amazing water filter. Because I mostly day hike, the Grayl bottle was gathering dust in the closet. Now it’s one of the first things to go in my travel bag. Previously I always made room for my Kleen Kanteen stainless bottle (that I use daily). The Grayl bottle is only slightly larger. I can drink directly from the Grayl bottle or if I have the room, I can decant the water into one of my collapsible water bottles. Three I use are Nomader (rolls up, but is very sturdy when in use),  Vapur (rolls up) and Hydrapak (collapses). Now instead of worrying about purchasing all that bottled water and generating all that plastic waste, I simply fill up my Grayl bottle from the bathroom sink and seconds later I have clean and tasteless water.

Shopping Bags – For years I have used reusable grocery shopping bags and now use reusable vegetable and bulk bags as well. I also have several lightweight bags that stuff down to little packets and are easy to keep in my purse for smaller purchases. I take one of these with me when I travel. They’re great to use when doing light shopping while traveling.

Reusable Utensils – As an alternative to eating at restaurants, I often grab something at the grocery store or take out place that requires a fork or spoon. Instead of picking up a plastic fork or spoon, I use the reusable combination fork/spoon that I keep in my purse. Other options are reusable bamboo silverware sets or regular silverware from home. Some people also carry reusable straws.

Small Containers – When I’m sightseeing I like to have small snacks like nuts, trail mix, or peanut M&Ms with me to keep my energy up. I used to travel with a handful of snack-size plastic bags to fill each day from the stash I’d keep in my hostel or hotel room. Instead now I use a small ½ cup plastic container with a screw on lid. I fill it every morning and wash it out at the end of the day.

Wax Wraps – I’ve started using Abeego cloth wax wraps at home instead of plastic wrap and they work great for travel too. They take up little room and are great for a handful of nuts, fruit, a sandwich, cookies and similar items. You just rinse them out after use and they’re ready to reuse. Eventually the wax wears out, but they are recyclable, and last a while before this happens.

I’ll admit that carrying these extra items seems to work against the concept of traveling light, but for me the extra bulk and weight is worth it. By carrying my own filtered water and small amounts of food with me when I’m roaming around, I don’t have to stop and find a restaurant every time I’m hungry or thirsty. Plus, I feel like a more responsible tourist by not contributing to the plastic trash pile in the places I visit.