6 essentials for your ecological vacation

When you’re on holiday, packing your bags and leaving the house, even if it’s just for a day, is important to relax and unwind. But what are the essentials you should take with you for an eco-friendly holiday?

Going to the beach, the pool or the countryside means taking some essentials for hygiene and protection on these hot days. When children and pets are on board, these essentials become even more important.

What to take on vacation?

Have you already chosen your destination and are you now thinking about it or even packing your bags? Find out what you absolutely must remember for an eco-friendly holiday, without leaving a negative impact on the places you visit.

Hygiene essentials

Vacation suitcase: what to pack? Hygiene, of course. There are already several sustainable options for various items that you should take with you:

• Deodorant: there are those from Ben&Anna, with raw materials of natural origin and vegan ingredients, and Nuud, which neutralizes odor for 3 to 7 days with a single application without containing aluminum or fragrances;
• Solid shampoo: you can, for example, opt for Shaeco shampoos, produced with sustainable raw materials and ecological packaging, and PlantBase, with 100% plant-based ingredients;
• Shower gel: Ben&Anna also has solid shower gel tablets. Practical for traveling, right?
• The toothbrush and toothpaste are missing: you can choose a toothbrush with a removable head and even toothpaste in tablet form (for example, from Smyle).

Your water bottle, but reusable

Drinking water throughout the day, especially on hot days, is important for your health and well-being. According to SNS24 , you should drink at least one and a half liters of water every day.

And if you’re not at home, are you going to buy a 1.5-liter plastic bottle of water every day? In addition to the environmental impact, it will also have an impact on your wallet.

How can you avoid these impacts? There are now reusable water bottles in all sizes, shapes and materials. Some are for children and there are several with filters.

Bring at least one reusable cloth

Reusable cloth? What for? If you need to buy food or even souvenirs, you don't need to always ask for disposable bags.

The scale of the plastic problem is easy to understand when we know that the world population uses five billion plastic bags per year.

Protect your skin

It's not just in winter that your skin needs to be looked after. It should be looked after daily, but especially when you're exposed to the sun for a few hours, as excess UV radiation can cause serious problems.

Some organic UV filters used in sunscreens have been the subject of attention due to the possible environmental impacts they may have on water.

There is an alternative: you can choose to take your own sustainable sunscreen . There are some brands such as Acorelle, Amazinc, Sol de Ibiza and Nuura.

Don't forget your conscious swimsuit

If you don’t need a new bikini or swimsuit, you can skip this step. It’s always more sustainable to reuse what you already have at home if it’s still in good condition.

However, if you really need a new one, you can opt for sustainable swim shorts, bikinis and bathing suits that you can find in stores with conscious certifications or productions, such as Conscious The Label, Drope Clothing and Cleome.

Eco-friendly holidays are also synonymous with fun

If you have children in your family, when you ask yourself “what to take on summer vacation?” do you automatically think of toys?

You should also know that it is possible to have sustainable beach toys that can be handmade and made with non-toxic materials.

Once you have all of these eco-friendly vacation essentials, don't forget to have your favorite detergents ready for when you arrive and have clothes and surfaces to clean.

Author: Daniela Matos