With the summer holidays fast approaching, many of us will now be making that long list of essentials we obviously can’t holiday without, taking the long journey into town to hastily make our most important of purchases, drawn in by clever marketing and an urge to buy everything in miniature to save on space.

But what if we told you that you could make a few small changes, potentially save yourself some money (more to spend on holiday treats; I can taste that mojito already!) and to top it off, if you are travelling with hand luggage only – get around the faff of see-through bags at security!

Can it be done?! Our experiments show it is possible. Huzzah! Here are our top tips for a plastic-free holiday:

• Reap the numerous benefits of bars over bottles. Currently within the PFG committee family, we are using bars for the following:
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash
• Facial moisturiser
• Body butter
• Deodorant
• Suncream

That’s 7 bottles saved already! If you are worried about space, most bars can be carefully cut down at home to make your packing even easier. We recommend carrying bars in cloth bags to keep everything neat and tidy, these can be washed and reused over and over again. They also have the additional benefit of absorbing any moisture to keep your bars at their best!

• Pack some bamboo utensils; straws, cutlery or a spork. Minimal effort but an impressive impact when you consider all the disposable cutlery usually thrust upon us throughout a journey, in airports, cafes, on planes or boats. The mighty spork is mighty for a reason!

• Reusable bottle – reusable bottles can be taken through security without an issue providing they are empty, most airports now have refill stations in departures, so you can fill up ready for your journey. Remember to always check that the tap water is safe to drink at your destination before filling up once you are there; that being said, most hotels will have a filtered water station which you can use.

• Tote, or a boomerang bag –  we can’t resist a market, particularly when they’re full of the juiciest unpackaged fruit! Be prepared and pack a tote to double the satisfaction of your haul! If you have a boomerang bag, we would love to see the journey it takes, so please feel free to send us a photo.

• Drinks – pack a reusable coffee cup; most brands make a compact size cup, there are even collapsible cups on the market now too. Mads, one of our vice chairs uses her cup to its full potential, for in flight G+T, guilt free gin, what’s not to like!? Cups that aren’t glass can also be used around the pool at hotels, reducing your plastic use even further.

• All inclusive with kids? Take some small snack pots or reusable bags with you to top up on snacks at meal times, this will see you through the day and reduce your reliance on individual packets of treats whilst, with any luck, maintaining at least some of your sanity.

• And finally….. refuse the straw and the plastic drinks stirrer, say no to the plastic spoon in your ice cream cone, resist the hotel miniatures and single use freebies and most importantly, have fun!
  

Dee