How to travel sustainably

How to travel sustainably

Do you like to travel? At Core Merino we love to travel as it allows us to have new experiences as well as learning and discovering something new. Unfortunately, traveling also means that we cause some form of extra carbon emissions as we embark on planes or travel long distances across the country by car. However, there are some ways to make our travel more sustainable with a little bit of extra planning in advance. 

Here are our favorites to make our travel as sustainable as possible: 

Reusable water bottle

Instead of buying bottled water throughout your trip, bring along a reusable water bottle. Many restaurants will fill up the bottle for you when you ask nicely and most of the international airports provide water fountains to fill you up with tap water. We really like the water bottles from Dopper as they come along with a cup and so many wonderful colours and designs.  

Reusable coffee cups

Just like the water bottles, it is also more sustainable to bring along your reusable coffee cup to ensure you get your daily dose of caffeine. Some coffee shops even reward you for bringing your own cup with a little discount. 

Reusable straw

If you are traveling with young children you could bring along a pack of reusable straws to make drinking easier and more fun for your little ones. Many restaurants have joined the pledge to ban plastic straws, show your support by bringing your own non-plastic ones. 

Shopping bags

Another item that can be easily packed is a reusable shopping bag. We do end up buying groceries or some souvenirs during our trip and the shopping bag will, therefore, come in handy. Anyways, bringing your own bag might also save you some money as many shops now charge extra for their plastic bags. 

Plastic containers

One of the pleasures of traveling is enjoying new restaurants and different cuisines. Portions are often too large to finish or our eyes were hungrier than our stomach when ordering. Instead of asking for a doggy bag, ask if the waiter can save your leftovers in your own plastic container. This way you avoid a lot of single-use plastic which just ends up overflowing your garbage can. 

Less wardrobe

Last but not least, you can travel more sustainably by packing less. Each kilogram of your suitcase weight which you can save also saves fuel and energy during transport. To save on weight in your suitcase, consider packing merino wool garments. Merino wool garments can be worn multiple times before they need washing, which means you can bring fewer clothes which you wear multiple times. This is due to the fact that wool does not take up sweat and bacteria which is the cause of building up the bad smell. Real-life tests show that wool can be worn up to three times before needing a wash. We wrote about it in one of our last blog posts here. Can’t get to a laundry or no time to wash in a sink, just fresh air is enough to get another wear out of this nifty fibre. This also means that packing lightly also helps save water, detergents and energy as you wash fewer items.  

Bring your own toiletries

One of the perks of staying in hotels is the nice toiletry products offered. However, these little servings of shampoo, shower gel, and body lotion come with a downside: a lot of plastic waste. To travel more sustainably bring your own toiletries and enjoy the luxury of a good conscious. 

Hike and bike locally

When we explore new places, we tend to want to cover long distances and see as many sights as possible. This often means we need to go everywhere by car. If you want to travel a bit more sustainably, consider hiking and biking around the area you are staying at instead. You might not get to see all the touristic spots in one day but you for sure will find the hidden gems of the locals which no tourist guide can offer. 

Hopefully, this was a little inspiration to help you reduce your environmental impact during your next holiday.