Blog: Plastic-free Holiday? There’s a challenge.

Plastic-free holiday? There’s a challenge.
Do you remember when the word “Gay” meant something different? How about the word “sick”? My daughters have different definitions for these words compared to me. How about the question, “Do you take plastic?”

A diving friend of mine was recently doing a seabed litter-pick in 20 metres of water and picked up a credit card issued in the 1950’s: it hadn’t degenerated at all.

Times change; Laissez-faire holiday attitudes change. And I’ve been asked to create a holiday, anywhere in the world, which is 100% free of single use plastic (Excluding the international flights which are a disgraceful plastic-litter producing machine). I’m really struggling!

Here are some things you CAN do:

Airports: equip yourself with a quality reusable bottle before you travel. Nothing ticks you off more than having to dispose of water at airport security. Really? Surely this law needs re-visiting. Anyway, check out the excellent wateratairports.com for re-fills ‘air-side’.

Re-fills overseas: don’t assume the local tap water is undrinkable: check, because you’ll be surprised how many countries do actually have safe drinking water. And if you can’t drink from the tap, buy a filtering or purifying water bottle, or a UV water purifying pen. SteriPEN https://www.steripen.com and Katadyn filtres https://www.katadyn.com Another thing that I swear by is https://www.watertogo.eu/ which is a water bottle with a filter incorporated into the cap. Brillinat.

Water … safe to drink?

Soap: Remember soap? Forget the liquid ‘hand cleanser’ and buy a bar of soap! Simple.

Hotel toiletries: If we all tell the hotel we just don’t want them anymore, they will stop giving them.

Packed lunches: this is one of the things I’ve struggled with, particularly on the riding treks. Hotels, farmhouses and lodges often provide a packed lunch to carry in saddle bags, which is a service I really appreciate as a tour operator, but they are always shrouded in Clingfilm, complete with plastic knife and spoon. Why not take your own lunch box and camping KFS (knife, fork, spoon combo). My kids have recently done the D of E series and they used “sporks” which is a single utensil with spoon one end, sharp edge one side and fork t’other end. That’s all you require for a picnic lunch. We’ll even wash it for you each evening!

Bamboo: what an amazing wood this is! Toothbrush, soap dish and check this site https://www.bambuhome.com/?view=outdoor

And finally, a bit naff, but drinking straws: treat yourself to a stainless steel straw which makes drinks taste cooler and they look cooler!