So, plastic-free holidays. Sounds a bit intense, right? I kinda stumbled into trying this, wasn’t exactly a grand plan from the get-go. I’d seen some pictures online, you know, beaches just buried in plastic crap, and it properly got to me. Then, I was on this little weekend trip, nothing fancy, and the amount of plastic bottles and wrappers just lying about near this otherwise lovely spot was depressing. I thought, “Right, next proper holiday, I’m gonna try and do something about my own plastic mountain.”
My Brilliant Plan (and the immediate panic)
First thing I did, obviously, was dive into the internet. Typed in “plastic-free travel” and whoa, avalanche of information. Some folks make it sound like you need a degree in environmental science just to pack your bags. I’m just a regular person, you know? I just want to not leave a trail of plastic everywhere I go.
So, I started simple. Packing was the first big hurdle. My usual travel miniatures for shampoo and stuff? All plastic. Out they went. I got myself a shampoo bar – felt a bit weird at first, like washing my hair with a fancy soap. Then a bamboo toothbrush. Reusable water bottle, of course. That was a no-brainer. I also stuffed a load of reusable shopping bags and some smaller cloth bags for, like, fruit or bread if I found any loose. My suitcase looked a bit like I was prepping for some kind of eco-warrior mission, not a relaxing break.
- Shampoo bar instead of bottles.
- Bamboo toothbrush.
- My trusty reusable water bottle.
- A bunch of cloth bags, big and small.
- Solid deodorant too, that was a new one for me.
The Real Test: Out in the Wild
Getting to the destination was fine. But then you’ve got to, you know, live without grabbing the convenient plastic thing. Food was a big one. I tried to hit up local markets as much as possible. That was actually pretty cool, finding fresh stuff not wrapped in five layers of plastic. Some stallholders looked at me a bit funny when I handed over my cloth bag for fruit, but most were alright with it. Restaurants were mostly okay, just had to remember to say “no straw, please” a million times.
Drinks, though. My water bottle was my best mate. I was constantly looking for places to refill it. Some cafes were great about it, others looked at me like I’d asked to siphon their profits. The hardest part was when I was out and about, super thirsty, and there was nowhere obvious to refill. I caved once, I admit. Bought a plastic bottle of water because I thought I was going to dry up and blow away. Felt like a total failure for about an hour.
Why I Even Bothered This Much
You know, this whole plastic thing, it really ramped up for me a while back. It wasn’t even about holidays initially. I was trying to sort out my recycling at home, being all good and proper, and my recycling bin was still overflowing every single week. It was nuts. I’d be separating everything meticulously, washing it out, and still, just mountains of plastic. Felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Then my mate, Sarah, she’s one of those super-dedicated eco people, always has her own cutlery and a coffee cup, the works. We were having a coffee – she had her reusable cup, I had a disposable one, feeling a bit sheepish – and she was talking about her recent trip. She basically said, “If you think home recycling is tough, try going on holiday without plastic.” It wasn’t a dare, not really, but it sort of stuck in my head. Like, if I could crack it on holiday, maybe I could get a better handle on it at home too. So, it became a bit of a personal challenge, spurred on by Sarah’s quiet eco-smugness, bless her.
The Ups and Downs
There were definitely good moments. Finding a little bakery that sold bread in paper bags – I practically danced out of there. Or discovering a shop that refilled laundry detergent into my own container (though I didn’t need laundry detergent on this holiday, it was just cool to see). Those little wins felt amazing.
But yeah, there were frustrations. Souvenirs were tricky. So much of it is just cheap plastic tat. I ended up buying a locally made ceramic thing and some postcards. Way better, but it took some searching. And sometimes, especially when I was tired or in a rush, it was just hard. The easy option is always the plastic one.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Was it a 100% perfect, zero-plastic holiday? Absolutely not. I’m not going to pretend it was. There were a few slip-ups, a few moments where convenience won, or I just couldn’t find an alternative. But did I drastically reduce my plastic footprint compared to my usual trips? Definitely.
I learned a ton. Mostly, that it’s about planning a bit more. And not beating yourself up if you’re not perfect. Every little bit helps, right? It made me more aware, that’s for sure. And some of the plastic-free alternatives, like the shampoo bar, I actually prefer now. Might even keep using it at home. It’s a journey, I guess. And I’m definitely going to try and do even better on the next trip. Maybe I’ll even bring my own cutlery next time, go full Sarah-mode. We’ll see.
