Road-Tripping Vacations - Limit Your Environmental Footprint

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We have always spent a lot of our holidays road-tripping and getting out in nature. There is nothing quite like exploring the great open roads, and seeking out remote locations to set up camp… we love it so much that recently we both traded our home base and life as we know it to experience ‘life on the road’.  It’s been an eye-opening experience and has shifted our mindset in more ways than one.

But let’s just talk about our impact on Mother Earth for now.

We have always been conscious of our waste and reducing toxins in everyday life where we can. Since our lifestyle changed significantly and we find ourselves spending the majority of our time in nature, it is something we have continued to become increasingly aware of.

We have visited some pretty amazing remote places, and have seen the incredible (not the good kind of incredible) amount rubbish and pollution us humans create. It’s pretty disappointing. We’ve seen beautiful Australian beaches and scenery with tonnes of rubbish washed up from the other side of the world or people dumping rubbish in the middle of “nowhere”. But even nowhere is somewhere to Mother Earth.

Next time you are road-tripping, limit your environmental footprint with 5 of our simple tips:

NATURAL SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

Not only should we be conscious of what we are putting onto our skin but also what we wash off into the environment.  Choose to use chemical free skin care products such as body wash, hand sanitizer, sunblock, bug spray, etc where possible. Also consider what laundry detergent you wash your clothes in, as it not comes in contact with your precious skin, but washes into the earth too.

PURE ESSENTIAL OILS

Very convenient to travel with and safe substitutes in your first aid kit for things like bites, cuts, bellyaches and headaches but also for cleaning and cooking. 

SWAP YOUR SINGLE USE ITEMS

We live in such a ‘plastic-world’ and it’s taking its toll on our health and mother nature. Swap your single-use plastic products for things like a bamboo toothbrush, reusable coffee cups and drink bottles, reusable food wraps and canvas produce/shopping bags.

GO DIGITAL

As much as we love holding a beautiful hardcover book in our hands, when space is limited we can’t carry a library with us and ebooks are a much more conscious choice. Rather than collecting brochures of places to visit (which end up in the bin), take photos of them on your phone. 

TAKE YOUR RUBBISH HOME

Particularly when going to remote locations or areas that do not have a good waste system, take your rubbish home with you. When packing your items try to remove excess packaging so to limit your rubbish when travelling.

We are by no means perfect, it’s definitely a work in progress and sometimes we don’t have options, but we can all choose to live consciously. It’s the things you do often that make a difference. 

Conscious Living is one of the 5 Pillars that make up the Holistically Living Lifestyle Program. We understand that wellness is more than “get fit, eat well”, it is the bigger picture of connecting body, mind, soul that contributes to your overall health.