How to go green: The best eco-friendly travel products

Have you ever walked past a strange-looking gallery and realised it was a bit odd because everything was made out of recycled plastic? Kudos to those places for turning rubbish into treasure, but if you found yourself wishing recycled products could blend in a bit more, American Tourister is the brand for you. 

Looking at its products, you would never guess that the inner and outer fabric of this collection is made from recycled plastic bottles. Each bag saves at least 27 plastic bottles (depending on its size), but this doesn't mean that practicality suffers.

This bag is crafted to be durable, flexible, and sustainable. It also features new ball wheels to make your trip even more comfortable.  

At this point, everyone knows that single use plastic is essentially evil. It's wreaking havoc on our planet and ditching it is the absolute bare minimum that you can do.

While all reusable bottles are obviously eco-friendly, this is the be-all and end-all. Not only is it plastic-free, but this pH Hydrate does exactly what its name suggests. It includes an alkaline water filter that removes heavy metals, chlorine, and fluoride but also increases pH and adds minerals including zinc, magnesium, selenium, and iron to your water. However, it makes no claims about removing bacteria or other pathogens, so this is more of a supplementary bottle.

Just keep in mind, since the bottle is glass, it weighs about 0.77 kilograms, which is definitely a good amount more than the average water bottle.

You don't always have time for a full sit-down meal when travelling, which is why snacking is (quite literally) life-saving. 

Snack bags come in handy when you want the ability to bring your own fruit or nuts instead of buying them. However, these bags can waste a lot of space and plastic if you choose to pack a different bag for each food item. 

These Hirundo bags have a breathable mesh design that's more eco-friendly than normal plastic bags. The bags are made of degradable polyester, and can be washed and reused as many times as you want.

Transferring your shampoo and conditioner to those small but somehow always bulky plastic travel bottles is possibly one of the most annoying parts about packing. Not only are they taking up precious space but they also waste plastic, but there is a solution: Ditch the packaging altogether.

This Body & Earth shampoo bar retains hair moisture, and keeps your hair soft and shiny. Each bar is made from natural ingredients and can be used up to 50 times, reducing the need for plastic bottles.

The only downside to using these when you're travelling may be the messy storage situation. This bar does come with a reusable tin case though, so that should keep things a little tidier.

If you're all for helping the Earth but don't want to give up your shampoo and conditioner set, at least switch to silicone bottles. 

You may be wondering what exactly the big deal is and why we keep raving when something is BPA-free. Now's the perfect time to really break it down since this product comes from HumanGear, which is all about reusable products. From bowls to silverware, they aim to get rid of plastic in every way possible. When plastic breaks down, it turns into tiny microplastics that can harm wildlife when ingested. In addition, these tiny evil bits contain toxins like Bisphenol A, or BPA. 

Besides helping the Earth be free of those kind of toxins, our bodies will also be at a lower risk of certain issues that BPA has been linked to, such as fertility problems, male impotence, and heart disease.

There are two types of travelers. Those who choose to lounge at a five-star resort with every service at the tip of their fingers and those who search for the adrenaline rush of climbing the highest mountains and crossing the toughest rivers, even if that means being far away from a laundromat. 

If you're the latter, the Scrubba Wash Bag may be exactly what you've been waiting for. Fill the bag with your dirty travel clothes, pour in water and detergent, get rid of any excess air through the valve, and start scrubbing away. Scrubbing for just 30 seconds is considered a "quick traveller wash" while a three-minute scrub will give you a machine quality wash. 

You may consider this method even if you don't plan on finding yourself too far from civilisation considering the cost of hotel laundry services. Plus, besides the personal benefits it brings you, it helps save water and energy.  

Commonly found in sunscreens the world over, ingredients like octinoxate and oxybenzone are now on the naughty list, and have even been banned in Hawaii.

We don't blame you for spraying your sunscreen and jumping in the water. After all, with skin cancer being so prevalent, you're just trying to care for your skin. But while your skin is being protected, marine life is being harmed. As some top-brand sunscreens wash off our bodies into the water, it isn't just disappearing. It is seeping into any nearby coral reefs and hastening bleaching and deterioration.

That's why Sun Bum has come out with this "reef friendly" sunscreen that took out the bad and kept the good. Not only will it keep the corals thriving, but this oil-free formula will keep your skin safe from harmful rays.  

If you find yourself taking trips to the woods more than to the beach, we have another product you need to know about — and another word you need to learn. 

Deet is an insect and tick repellent found in most bug sprays. While it is successful in the prevention of bites, it also has the power to contaminate water and kill fish and beneficial insects.

THEYE has completely nixed this problem ingredient from its formula. Instead, its spray is 100% plant-based and leaves you feeling cool and smelling fresh. This also gets rid of that gross greasy feeling that comes from most other sprays.  

We know you love your electric toothbrush and no one's trying to take that away from you. You're most likely not going to want to bring it with you on any trips, though. 

You'll stop at the airport shop and grab a pack of those plastic toothbrushes that you'll toss as you go. Stop right there.Order a pack of eco and vegan friendly charcoal toothbrushes instead.

These brushes get the job done but won't fill up landfills with sticks of plastic. Instead, these are 100% biodegradable — yes, even the box that they come in — and will stop you from leaving behind any bad marks on whichever beautiful new place you decided to visit.