In our everyday work and play, it’s become much more second nature to make choices that minimize our negative impact on the environment, like carrying a stainless insulated water bottle and tucking a reusable market bag into our pack. But there’s something about travel that can suspend our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, causing us to opt for convenience over conservation. This travel season, recharge your resolve to keep more single use plastics out of the oceans and landfills with these holiday travel tips.
A Be Bottle is an excellent travel companion.
PACK A NO-PLASTIC TRAVEL KIT
As the Great Pacific garbage patch proves, big polluters come in small packages, like pint-sized plastic water bottles, plastic sporks, and the uber-egregious plastic straw. A small carryall, like a shaving kit, inside your carry-on luggage is perfect for keeping your own tools at the ready when you’re on the road. Opt for a pair of chopsticks, bamboo spoon, and a glass or metal straw. Avoid the soul-crushing amount of packaging of airport grab-n-go salads and sandwiches by packing your own, slipping in a wholesome avocado and juicy orange, ready to eat and earth friendly in their own biodegradable containers. Round out your equipment with a sharp looking vacuum insulated water bottle from Be Bottle, a leak proof water bottle that keeps your beverage cold for 24 hours, and doubles as a tea bottle that’ll keep your infusion hot for 12. Because when you think about it, when’s the last time you said to yourself, Gee, remember that great meal we had on the airplane? Never, exactly.
SKIP THE COMPLIMENTARY HOTEL SWAG
That free bottle of water next to the TV remote in your hotel room may look like a nice gesture. After all, you’ve been traveling, you’re parched, and the management would like to welcome you with some refreshment. Those single-use containers, however, are no friend to wildlife or our planet’s ecosystems, and are best left right where they are. No worries. As a conscientious traveler, you’re prepared with your own BPA-free water bottle. Your insulated stainless steel water bottle from Be Bottle comes completely apart for easy cleaning, and the built-in infuser can be packed with ice to bring tap water to the perfect temperature. Whether you choose to go minimalist with Just Black or Red Velvet from the Classic Collection, or opt for a bottle with a cool, stylish design, you’ll step out properly hydrated and perfectly dressed.
STAY AWARE WHEN YOU’RE ABROAD
Headed out of the country this holiday season? Avoiding single use plastics can be tricky overseas, but local commitment and global conservation initiatives to foster more eco-friendly tourism are making headway across the globe. Potable water is always a primary concern, and the lack of it can cause even the most dedicated conservationist to reach for a disposable bottle. Here’s how to avoid it:
- Use an in-room kettle to boil water, or ask your host to do it for you, and leave it to sit and cool overnight. Boiling will eliminate harmful bacteria, and you’ll have a potable supply for the next day.
- Invest in a Steripen, a device that uses UV to purify water, or a filtering device made specifically for the job.
- In Southeast Asia, get the RefillMyBottle app, which connects you to an online map that lists 750 locations in nine countries where you can safely fill up.
- In London and throughout the UK, many business owners put signs in their shop windows inviting tourists to fill up for free inside.
- Domestically, airports from Seattle Washington to Reagan National in DC feature water refill stations so flyers can stay hydrated and generate less plastic waste.
For your other favorite beverages, skip the to-go cup and take a seat at a cafe to sip an espresso and get the local low-down, or ask the proprietor to make you a cup of hot tea in your infuser water bottle. Be prepared for whatever your holiday itinerary brings with a sleek, flight-friendly insulated water bottle from Be Bottle.