Although travel should have a big impact on your life, it shouldn’t have a big impact on the planet. The good news is that it’s entirely possible to enjoy your holidays while maintaining a sustainable ethos, embodying the principles of eco-friendly travel.
With a bit of forethought and the help of some unique apps and gadgets, you can plan your trips and experiences while staying mindful of your carbon footprint.
Here are 10 helpful apps and gadgets for eco-friendly travel:
1. Water filtration
Water is a must, wherever you find yourself. Unfortunately, not every locale has access to clean drinking water. A portable water filtration bottle like the Grayl Ultrapress will ensure that you can filter and drink the water where you’re visiting, keeping hydrated without supporting water privatization by resorting to bottled water.
2. Water refill locations
Built on the belief that access to clean water is a human right, the Tap app’s mission is to eliminate single use plastic water bottles by providing a map of every location in which a traveller can refill their reusable bottle.
3. Too Good To Go
The Too Good To Go app combats the global tragedy of food waste by linking users with restaurants or grocery stores. Shoppers can “rescue” food for one third of the regular price by purchasing surprise items that would otherwise be unnecessarily disposed of.
4. Fair Trip app
Leave a positive impact on local communities and their regional environment with the Fair Trip app, which allows you to discover eco-friendly accommodations, activities, and tours. With your AloSIM eSIM, you can install the app and use it while en route without worrying about roaming charges or paying for extra data.
5. Campsuds
A biodegradable multi-purpose cleaner that has been in production since 1968, Campsuds allows you to clean anything (even yourself!) anywhere without introducing harmful chemicals into the environment.
6. Reef safe sunscreen
Stream2Sea is a mineral-based sunscreen that is safe for fish (both freshwater and saltwater) and coral larvae. Meaning you can protect yourself from the sun on your beach vacation without harming any important marine life.
7. Charger
The ultra compact, fast charging Nimble charger is produced with 90% post-consumer plastic and is packaged in post-consumer scrap paper, boasting -7.4lbs of C02 compared to conventional chargers.
8. Travel towel
The hyper-absorbent Calama microfiber towel is crafted from 100% recycled materials, including 85% recycled polyester and 15% recycled polyamide.
9. Carbon footprint tracker
Calculate, offset, and reduce your carbon impact with the Klima app, which encourages individual action for a collective impact. With three action areas: planting trees, solar energy, and clean cookstoves, the app focuses on natural, technological and social issues for a holistic approach to climate action.
10. Tote bag
This one might seem obvious but the benefits of having a dedicated cloth bag available while travelling cannot be understated. Take it along for excursions, use it to separate your dirty and clean clothing, wrap your dirty shoes, use it as a lunch sack or a beach bag—the possibilities are endless and each use prevents having to grab a single-use plastic bag. Bonus: reusable bags are inexpensive, easy to find for purchase, and available in every colour or sassy design you can imagine.
