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Part of the joy of traveling is to let go of our normal routines and habits that we maintain at home. But some of these “home” practices are good for the world and we want to keep them on the way. This article gives you an opportunity to see how we can reduce, reuse and recycle our way around the world, saving money, traveling green and being a responsible tourist. Water bottles, plastic bags, and extra clothes are the biggest culprits in the backpack world, and we’re going to cover these three things here.
Reduce waste from plastic water bottles
My Nalgene bottle is my best friend both at home and on the go. Combined with the cleansing water “magic wand” I have no excuse to dehydrate or create excess waste with bottled water. I admit that in many parts of the world it is not safe to drink tap water and it is a real shame to get sick from questionable drinking water while traveling. But I had no problems refilling the water with boiled water from the tea and coffee table during the breakfast buffet or purifying the water by filtering it through a shawl or T-shirt and then using cleansing tablets or my Steri-Pen.
In developing countries, recycling facilities and even organized garbage collection are not available. The result is that most people burn their trash. It is enough for so many plastic bags (see next section) to be thrown away this way without putting our water bottles on the fire and creating more toxic fumes. However, if you do find yourself in an emergency, a water bottle can often be ‘donated’ to rural communities who can reuse the bottles to carry water, detergent, paraffin or other fluids.
Reuse plastic bags
In Europe and Australia, taking canvas or canvas bags to the supermarket has become second nature; not so in africa. The exception is Rwanda, where plastic bags can no longer be purchased, and Uganda is making significant progress in this direction. But in other countries, you may end up with more bags than products when you leave the supermarket! Where do these bags end up? In those toxic flames mentioned above.
On the other hand, it cannot be denied that a few plastic bags in a backpack can be extremely handy when packing – dirty shoes, dirty laundry, shampoo and other liquids that can explode in transit all use a plastic bag. But I also carry a few canvas bags in my backpack so I don’t buy any extra plastic bags when I travel. Taking fabric bags (for food and souvenirs) to the market means I don’t have to throw more plastic waste into my surroundings.
Recycle old clothes
In 2007, my friend and I traveled by land (and sea) from Tokyo to Helsinki, buying a lot of souvenirs along the way. Attempts to ship our gadgets from Russia were thwarted by a difficult postal worker, so we carried our package all the way to London before developing another strategy. This strategy was to get rid of all my clothes and fill my backpack with souvenirs (I was flying home anyway and had a lot more clothes to welcome when I returned). I have seen many other travelers who have bought special “safari clothes” for their trip that they do not want to wear home – for some reason khaki cargo pants seem like a must on safari even though you have never worn such pants on a home safari and never there will be no more
Charity baskets and thrift stores are often the first choice when cleaning your wardrobe at home, but what about going overseas? I often see travelers throwing their clothes into the trash! Instead, you can ask your tour operator, hotel reception, or other friendly resident if they know an organization or group that would benefit from second-hand clothing. There will always be someone to gain a second life from your old clothes, no matter how ugly they are to you – tailors are similar to magicians in Kenya and coupled with good cleaning, you won’t recognize your own shirt after healing them!
With these three basic ideas, it’s not hard to go green on the road. There are of course many other ways to reduce the impact, for example by using accommodation, transport and tour operators who subscribe to sustainable practices. But these three ideas will have a big impact and will apply to travel anytime, anywhere, no excuses. Leave only traces and travel well!
Share your ideas on how we can travel sustainably. I would like to hear from you!
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Source by Tracey A Bell