My time living abroad during college really taught me the value in packing efficiently and sparked my interest in sustainable travel. I realized I would much rather travel with less things that worked in multiple ways than over pack and not end up wearing or using half the things I brought.
I definitely have the travel bug and recently returned from a trip away to Thailand! Here are some ways I kept it low waste during my time away.
1. Pick a colour scheme for your outfits for the trip, this will help most of your pieces mix and match to create the maximum amount of outfits for your trip.
2. Take photos of all your outfits as you pack them so you're able to refer back to the photos when digging through your suitcase that will no doubt get mixed together as you go about your travels.
3. Don't bring anything that you wouldn't wear at home. If you don't wear it at home, you're not likely to wear it while travelling (as much as you think you might).
4. Try to avoid buying travel sized items. Opt for refillable containers that you can put your favourite items into while you travel. I personally love to travel with solid shampoo/conditioner/bar soap while travelling because I know the liquid versions can tend to leak and this also helps make more space in my carry-on liquids bag.
5. Bring a reusable water bottle. Most airports have bottle refill stations and most airlines will offer to refill your water bottle on the flight, this helps save you money as well as the waste of all the single use plastic bottles.
- this one is a little tricky, in Thailand you can't drink the tap water and refill stations are few and far between. Sometimes you have no choice but to buy plastic water bottles!
There is no perfect way to travel and we all have our preferences. One of my biggest struggles is not over packing clothing, but having a system in place helps me try my best. Plus you can always bring along a powder or solid laundry detergent and wash some items in a sink to help you get through with less pieces in your suitcase!
Great travel packing tips Christina. Thanks