10 Zero Waste Travel Essentials

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If you want to reduce your impact on the planet while still visiting far off destinations, consider incorporating these zero waste travel essentials into your travel routine.

Whether you’re already on the path towards zero waste, or you’re completely new to the zero waste lifestyle, these zero waste travel essentials are easy enough for anyone.

In fact, you are probably already doing some of the things suggested below. Which is awesome if you are, please keep going.

But whether you’re just a beginner, or maybe more advanced, hopefully you can find something new on this list to incorporate into your travel routine and lifestyle.

Let’s get to it.

10 Zero Waste Travel Essentials

In this guide I’m sharing my favorite zero waste travel essentials to hopefully inspire you to give a few of these items a try.

Small actions can have a big impact, so don’t shy away from these small changes.

I’ve included links to the specific products I use below to make these changes quick and easy to try out.

Each of these products also has excellent reviews, so be sure to read those before purchase if you have questions or are unsure if the product is right for you.

My zero waste kit is always changing as I try to incorporate new ideas for plastic free travel and zero waste travel items. I’ll try to update this post as often as possible.

If you would like to continue reading you can find more of my travel tips here.

1. Reusable Water Bottle

One of the most common zero waste travel essentials is a reusable water bottle. I use this one and have it in a few different colors.

In my opinion, carrying a reusable water bottle is one of the most impactful things anyone can do right now.

We all know there is too much plastic waste in the world. So individually eliminating single use plastic bottles is an excellent way for anyone to make a big impact.

Using a reusable water bottle not only reduces the amount of plastic waste we create, we’re also saving a ton of money.

This is especially true at the airport where bottles of water can cost anywhere from $2 to $7. Yes, I’ve seen bottles of water at the airport priced at $7.

Which is completely ridiculous by the way, but we’ll save that rant for another post.

But back to reusable water bottles. They are easy to find and are affordable items to purchase.

So I think switching to a reusable water bottle is one of the easiest first steps for anyone looking to inch towards a low waste or zero waste lifestyle.

2. Use Reusable Straws

Another of the easy to implement zero waste travel essentials is a reusable metal straw. This also helps to reduce one’s overall plastic consumption.

Fortunately, many businesses both big and small, have already begun to make changes away from plastic drinking straws.

In fact, you’ll often find restaurants and bars serving drinks with recycled paper straws or even bamboo straws. Some businesses have even opted to go straw free.

Reusable straws are naturally compact, so they are easy to pack and keep with you in your bag when traveling around. Just be sure to bring your straw cleaner so you can clean it when you need to.

3. Switch to Shampoo Bars

Switching to shampoo and conditioner bars instead of bottled products is an excellent way to reduce waste. This goes for everyday use too, not just for travel days.

There are many innovative companies and brands making some very high quality shampoo and conditioner bars these days.

I recently made the switch to a shampoo bar myself and use one from Lush. You can also find shampoo bars from Amazon here.

Lush also has some great body wash bars for sensitive skin as well.

Since these products come with no additional packaging, they are far more sustainable than traditional plastic bottled shampoo and conditioner.

I urge you to give these a try if you’ve been curious. I was skeptical myself, but finally took the plunge. In the end I’m really happy I did and these are now part of my regular hair care routine.

I carry my shampoo bars in a stainless steel box to keep it clean and separate from my other products.

As an added benefit for us travelers, we’ll have fewer liquids to deal with going through security. They are also lighter in weight, which is awesome for saving on those hefty bag fees.

4. Use Reusable Containers

Another great way to incorporate zero waste travel essentials into your life is to invest in reusable and refillable travel containers.

Preferably these would be either a small glass jar or silicone tube, but don’t throw away the ones you have just because they are plastic. Use them until you can’t use them anymore.

Then recycle them if possible.

But if you don’t already have some reusable travel containers, pick up some to use for your next trip.

You can use these in place of purchasing single use plastic travel size toiletries, thus reducing your carbon footprint even more.

Just fill up your reusable bottles with the products you already have at home. Honestly, this has saved me a ton of money. Those single use travel products are way over priced.

I recommend getting a pack with several different colors. Sometimes our products all look the same, so it will be easier to tell them apart.

I may or may not have confused my tanning lotion for shampoo during my trip to Morocco. It was an interesting experience, that’s for sure.

5. Switch to a Bamboo Toothbrush

Switching to a bamboo toothbrush over a plastic toothbrush isn’t exactly zero waste, but it is low waste, so I’ll mention it here anyway.

Using a bamboo toothbrush is a simple switch anyone can make. They are all the rage these days, so you can also find these just about everywhere.

These are just as affordable as any other toothbrush, but they are recyclable and not made from plastic. Once you make the switch, you’ll hardly notice a difference.

You can get bamboo toothbrushes with a variety of different bristles. So if you prefer a medium or soft bristle, both will be available to you.

Don’t forget to recycle these when you change them out.

6. Carry Bamboo Utensils

Bamboo utensils have also become very popular as zero waste travel essentials become more mainstream.

With their popularity, comes wide availability. You can pretty much find these anywhere.

Once you have a set, bamboo utensils are easy to take with you. They are light weight and easy to pack. After use, they are also easy to clean.

Be sure to select a reusable cutlery set with a carrier. This will keep your utensils clean when you’re carrying them around.

You don’t want anything dirty or unsanitary in your bag rubbing up on your fork.

7. Choose Photos over Souvenirs

One of my favorite zero waste travel essentials is not something you buy, but something you don’t have to buy.

I encourage every one of you out there, please stop buying souvenirs.

When I say this, I am referring to the souvenirs we buy that have no meaning for us, or the person we bought them for.

I am referring to the keychains, magnets, figurines, snow globes, and pens. These are the things you buy last minute at the airport. Just stop buying these things.

I promise you, no one is going to be upset if you don’t bring them a piece of plastic trash molded into the shape of a starfish from your trip to Florida. Not one person.

Let’s all collectively stop buying these cheap, wasteful souvenirs. They are over priced and completely unnecessary.

Now if you want to buy a pound of coffee from the coffee tour you took in Guatemala, do that. Or the handmade Moroccan rug from Marrakech, yes do that too.

Save your souvenir purchases for things that matter, things that are special. If you’re looking for it at the airport, it’s neither of those things.

What you’ll remember most about your trip are the fun things you did. So take lots of pictures. You can keep those for a lifetime. And guess what… They’re zero waste.

8. Bring a Reusable Coffee Cup

While it’s a bit bulkier than some of the other zero waste travel essentials on this list, a reusable coffee cup is a great addition to your travel kit if you’re a daily coffee drinker.

You’ll save the planet from a lot of unnecessary cups, and many coffee shops and cafes will even give you a small discount for bringing your own container.

Also, once you get in the habit of bringing your own cup, you’ll find this it beneficial in other instances too.

9. Switch to Toothpaste Tablets

This is one of the zero waste travel essentials for the more advanced and ambitious traveler.

Toothpaste tablets, instead of toothpaste, can be used when brushing your teeth in order to eliminate the plastic waste that is the tube that regular toothpaste comes in.

Toothpaste tablets work by just popping one in your mouth and chewing it until it foams up and becomes like a paste. You then use that foamy paste to brush your teeth.

The toothpaste tablets come in a glass mason jar that can then be reused or recycled.

10. Carry a Reusable Bag

A list of zero waste travel essentials would not be complete without mentioning the most obvious, a reusable bag.

Reusable bags can help eliminate a significant amount of waste, especially plastic bags.

Just about everybody who is traveling ends up making a purchase at some point or another, whether that be take out food from a local restaurant or something we forgot to pack.

So having a reusable plastic free bag on you will prevent you from having to use a single use plastic one .

Don’t overthink your reusable bag, just pick something you will actually use. This can even just be a regular tote bag. Be sure to pick something sturdy with handles on it.

If you are planning a long term trip, you can even consider bringing reusable produce bags as well.

Produce bags will come in handy if you need to do grocery shopping during your trip. These are also very light weight and usually come in multiples when purchased online.

Having a reusable bag with you will come in handy more often than you think. Plus, they weigh almost nothing and can fit just about anywhere.

You don’t even need to buy one. Just look around your house, I know you’ve got one laying around somewhere.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these 10 Zero Waste Travel Essentials and that you’ve found at least one thing from this list you can implement into your own routine. If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it. It really helps me a lot. Thanks for reading.