If you're out on the road this holiday season it can be hard to stick to good habits that are second nature at home. Read on for keeping your footprint light on your travels.
It's summer holidays, the sun is shining - it's time to crack out the bathers and explore all our natural landscape has to offer.
MidGreen headed to Tas, joining up with our travelling companions Mon and Cam for a 3-week driving adventure. Coming from the flat state of WA, we were wowed from the get-go on the beautiful scenery and wildlife. However, #Vanlife, just like camping life (and general kid travel) does require you to drag along some stuff.
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows but we've got the tips for finding that balance between packing light and bringing enough stuff to keep it comfortable and eco-conscious -
(if you can) pay that bit extra and get the carbon offset
bring all your standard sustainable essentials
light layers - skip the bulky clothing and layer up
my travel essentials - including some disposable sandwich bags (read on to find out why this item I'd never keep in my house makes it to the packing list)
how to eat sustainably on the road.
From packing to day travels, we've got you covered.
Tip #1 - Offset
Controversial to start here - my normal mantra is avoid, not offset but in this case a little prepurchase goes a long, long way. If you've spent all year avoiding flights (one of the most carbon intensive forms of travel) it can feel a little uncomfortable to be flying the whole fam across country. Forget the guilt factor, enjoy that break, and factor in the cost of offsets - trust me it's going to be minimal compared to your other expenses of travelling.
Most airlines and some hire car places will cost in a carbon offset option or you can add it to your normal offset provider (like Carbon Neutral).
Tip #2 - The sustainability essentials
You'd pack hats and bathers for heading to the beach, so pack your water bottles, keep cups and tote bags for holidays, just like at home. It will cut down on waste and most public parks around Australia will have fresh drinking water available to top up your water bottles.
A travel water bottle needs to be sturdy and light, this is no time for tempered glass! Mon & Cam swear by the Yeti Yonder, lightweight with a chug cap great for gripping and carrying on a multi-hour hike. We had a mix of bottles from home including a Smash sipper and a Decor insulated bottle. The key to a good travel bottle -
sturdy grab handle - silicone handles can be surprisingly durable, but avoid fabric ones or weaker plastic which tend to break and aren't comfortable being held long distances.
lightweight - I noticed the additional weight of my stainless-steel bottle on a long hike, this is one of those times when plastic is better.
capacity - we can get through a 2 to 2.5hr rated hike (with a 9 & 11 yr old) on at least 750mL capacity. Anything less won't see you through (and that's in cooler Tas weather - in WA I'd be recommending 1.5L).
dropability - A bottle that cracks or breaks with every drop ain't for family hiking. The smash bottle and the Decor have both gone the distance and have the dings to prove it. Miss 11's 'motivational bottle' is no good, handle broke and too many fiddly parts in the drinking area to clean easily and last outdoors.
Don't forget the keep cups! You may not be out grabbing coffees every day, but tea, hot choccies, soup or other drinks kept our family's keep cups in regular use.
The humble tote bag. When you're on the road, you'll have to hit up whatever supermarket or general store is available in your travels. All your normal brand options, bulk food supply stores may not be around but one thing you can be in control of is the shopping bag. I packed two totes that were used endlessly over our three weeks.
For shopping at stores or local markets, to taking a change of clothes into bathroom stalls (excellent for hanging off the dirty or wet ground), to carry food or bits and pieces back and forth from camp kitchens - a tote is a must on your travels.
Tip #3 - The sustainability essentials
We all know we should pack light when travelling - its more sustainable, cheaper - no excess baggage! - and easier to lug around the airport too. I'm one of those people who hate the cold, so we employed the tried-and-true layers, layers, layers approach.
Viewing the Bruny Island little penguins coming in to roost after dark, exposed to bracing Antarctic winds - our solution - wear everything! Yup, exercise leggings layered with jeans layered with baggy sleeping trackies on the bottom and a good five layers on top. Warmth! Light layers roll and pack way easier than bulky jackets. Anything too large and heavy (like hiking boots) get worn on the plane. We did stop and buy scarves at a local op shop for added warmth, dollars well spent!
How do you pack enough layers? We asked Mon & Cam roughly how often they were hitting up a washing machine on their round Aus trip - generally every 8 days. So that's 8 pairs of underwear and halve that to get the general number of tops and bottoms each to take, plus pack a thermal singlet (even for warmer weather places to avoid nighttime chills), a mix of short and long-sleeved tshirts / shirts, a lightweight but windproof jacket / raincoat, plenty of socks, sturdy closed toe shoes / boots and thongs / slip-ons for campsites, beaches and bathrooms. Done.
Tip #4 - My travel essentials
Most of these might be obvious, but here are some hands down travel essentials you should not hit the road without -
a few containers and food or binder clips (binder clips work wonders as the multi tool of camping) - a small number of lightweight storage containers for snacks, also great to save that half-eaten lunch (kids!). Binder clips can keep an open box of crackers fresh and avoid the need for individual packaging.
a roll of toilet paper, it speaks for itself but you'd be surprised how many people forget this. Always have with you - in the car, in your daypack etc.
First aid kit again a captain obvious one, but I find that travelling with kids the most commonly used items can be boiled down to -
a roll of fixomull & nail scissors - your repair kit for grazes, scrapes and burns
an anti-itch cream (like Soov bite which is easy to carry) - mozzies, sandflies etc
some antiseptic - I spilt Betadine all throughout my toiletry bag so note to carry this in a sealed bag or opt for a cream - I do not wish this mess on you 🤦♀️
paracetamol - kinder on stomachs and can be given without food
a flannel / large hankie - for general washing, wiping of faces, wounds, feet.
OK so after recommending sustainable tote bags, water bottles and keep cups I'm now going to recommend you bring plastic sandwich bags. What!!!! I prefer a reusable silicone bag at home but on the road, the need for a bush wee will arise. It's the Australian reality. You mustn't leave behind toilet paper in our natural environment and this is where a sealable plastic bag tucked into the pocket works wonder. Sure you can opt for your silicone here, but that clean-up is not for me.
Emergency natural confectionary company snakes - on a good long hike (particularly uphill), the lolly snake is quite often the difference between children motivated to reach the summit / waterfall / rock formation or not. Note: our rule is walks must go for at least one hour to warrant a snake. If you're going to reuse the sandwich bags - which of course we do - choose the right order of use. Snakes (or other snacks), then toilet wipes (or dirty hankies) and not the other way around!!!
Tip #5 - Eating
If you're truly on the road - camping, caravanning or #vanlife, you will be at the mercy of what is available when it comes to eating and cooking choices. However, most of the normal sustainable eating tips can still translate to travels -
Eat in! And relish the opportunity to chat to some locals. Breweries, wineries, cafes are all great opportunities to eat in.
Make a picnic - grab your ingredients and head to the park, making the most of the reusable containers and food clips you bought. Preparing sandwiches rather than buying them will cut down on packaging and your budget!
Hit up the local farmers markets and roadside stalls. You'll need to remember to carry a little cash as many roadside sellers operate on an honour system but this is a great way to grab fresh produce without the packaging (and no transport costs too!).
Bits and pieces meals. Mon & Cam introduced us to okonomiyaki as a great camping way to use up the veges getting a little sad. This Japanese savoury pancake is easy to whip up, can use any number of different ingredients (mainly cabbage and carrot for us) and cook on BBQ's or in a pan. Just keep the okonomiyaki sauce and a little mayo on hand and serve up - delicious!
Carry your rubbish around. In many places we had to cart our rubbish to the next place with us. Not desirable but it did mean we could occasionally wait until we came across a town with separate recycling and general waste bins. I'm surprised how much I missed composting on the road, it just felt weird to throw veg peels in the garbage bag with everything else.
Holiday regrets
Did we regret anything we took? Of course! Miss 11 packed way too many activities she never touched (like a bracelet making kit?!) and I packed too many books (is there such a thing?) but generally we got it pretty right.
So that's our wrap on a few good tips for your driving, camping or other travelling adventures! Layers, tote bags and a few key items from home can keep it comfortable and help you reduce your waste footprint this holidays. Jump on the chat and let us know what sustainable travelling tips you have!
Comentarios