How to Travel with a Waste Free Focus

Our values don’t go on vacation when we do. And while it can be difficult to stay true to all of our waste free values when we leave home, travelling is a huge privilege and therefore an amazing opportunity to act upon those values. We can and should explore from a place of respect. How can we take our values on vacation and make a positive impact in a system where the cheap, easy, and wasteful is very accessible? Let’s explore a few ways we can travel with a waste free focus, and some of the consequences for not doing so.

TRAVEL TO EXPERIENCE A DIFFERENT CULTURE – WITH DIFFERENT WASTE PRACTICES

While people travel for many reasons, one of the top is to experience a city or culture unique to our own. What many travellers might not consider is that these differences include their waste practices and policies as well. Two easy examples for travellers from Edmonton are the bottle deposit system and residential organic waste collection that are not present or look a lot different in other areas of the world – and even within our own country. You might also find a difference in acceptance of reusables at local businesses or local cuisine with less vegan or vegetarian options. It’s important to be respectful of these local ways, and remain as flexible as possible. If it’s more important to you to adhere to your customs that cannot be accommodated in certain locations, then perhaps choosing a different location is appropriate.

Travelling to a location where the waste practices are different from your own is still rewarding and fun! All it takes is a bit of patience and preparation. Planning ahead, knowing the local customs and policies will allow you to be ready for whatever differences you encounter. “Plan ahead and prepare” is also the first tip in the very popular Leave No Trace Principles for waste free travelling.

LEAVE NO TRACE PRINCIPLES FOR WASTE FREE TRAVEL

The seven Leave No Trace Principles offer guidance when enjoying the outdoors, or camping specifically. But this framework can easily be expanded to include other types of travel and recreation.

1. Plan ahead and prepare
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces
3. Dispose of waste properly
4. Leave what you find
5. Minimise campfire impacts
6. Respect wildlife
7. Be considerate of others

Add these seven principles to your notes app, or take a quick screenshot and save it in your travel folder. The next time you make plans to travel, or need a quick refresher in the airport, you can pull out the list and ensure your trip aligns with this framework.

BLACKOUT TRAVEL ZONES

There are of course consequences for not following these principles while travelling. In fact, there are some popular holiday destinations across the world that are asking tourists to stay away, or are downright banning them because of the negative impact of waste and disrespectful travel caused by tourism and tourists. Many of these locations were forced to experience a visitor-free year during the covid lockdowns and recognised that the benefit to their natural environment outweighed the lost income. Or are working on fine-tuning that balance. Two of the most publicised locations to have grappled with this are Hawaii and Thailand. In Hawaii, the Indigenous islanders have asked tourists to stay away due to water scarcity and rising costs of living for locals. (source) The Thailand government has mandated the closures of some very popular beaches during specific months of the year to allow the natural environment time to recover. (source) They have also implemented strategies to reduce the volume of visitors while still sustaining the tourist industry in these locations.

There was a lot of research and observations completed during the covid lockdowns where all tourist locations – big or small – were suddenly devoid of people for months at a time. Environmental degradation was obvious, extensive, and reversible. Local governments and residents obviously have the final say in what they do with that incredible knowledge, but travellers play an important role. We can each prepare accordingly for visiting locations where waste is a problem, and use the Leave No Trace principles as a framework for how we interact with a destination and its residents. Consider if your priority is to visit that beach, or ensure the flourishing of an ecosystem. Many folks will choose the latter. As for those locations across the globe that now “depend on tourism” it is important that we consider why and how that happened. Often the answer involves colonialism, economic racism, and corruption. These systems still have people at the heart, and while it might seem inconsequential, our travel decisions can have a lasting impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND TRAVEL

Considering the bigger picture can seem daunting when all we want is a relaxing time away from our day-to-day life. But thankfully our waste free habits and choices connect to a bigger web of actions and people working toward justice in and for their own communities. It’s exciting to think that making a choice to benefit our family and honour our values can have a positive effect on someone you haven’t even met!

This article offers a few ideas to consider for travelling with respect for the environment and for people at your destination. As well as applying your waste free values to the amazing opportunity to travel and experience cultures and locations different from our own. Travel continues to be a privilege, one that is impacted by economic and racial justice alongside environmental justice.

TAKE ACTION

No matter where you are in your waste free journey, applying your values to travel can become overwhelming. There are many levels of impact to consider, and with everything happening in our world, the impact of a stress relieving holiday has become even more relevant. But now that we know better, we can make better choices while still enjoying the basic need that travel fulfils: getting out of our regular routine and exploring new sites. Here is a short list of actions you can take while planning your next vacation, ranked from low to high effort. What would you add to our list? Leave it in the comments!

Low effort:

Pack a reusable water bottle
If you need to buy supplies before you leave, choose second hand instead of buying new. Thrift stores and Buy Nothing groups are a great choice, as is borrowing from friends and family.

Mid effort:

Pack a reusable plate, bowl, and cutlery to avoid takeout containers or other unwanted single use items.
Don’t bring single use items with you, and remove any packaging from items in your suitcase to prevent putting strain on the waste system of your hosts.

High effort:

Use and buy local services at your destination, including transportation, restaurants, tour companies, etc.