How can you vacation while producing less waste?

If there’s ever a time when we don’t feel like worrying about reducing waste, it’s most likely on vacation. Vacation means unplugging; it’s a time when we can finally take a break from our everyday worries. And that’s exactly how it should be! That’s precisely why we at Rifuzlar put our heads together and decided to share our best tips with you on how to create as little trash as possible while keeping your brain on “off.”

To reduce waste on vacation, it’s important to do at least a little planning. The downside is that most of us don’t like planning.

The good news is that you basically do all the planning before you go on vacation, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

This guide is for anyone who needs a little help with planning. It’s also for those of us who end up bringing too many unnecessary things on vacation, while forgetting the essentials—which we then end up buying on the fly at the first store we come across. Are you ready? … (Yeah, I know—not yet, right?)

How to get started?

Before you start writing your list, it’s important to answer the following questions:

• Where am I even going? (Mountains, beach)
• How many of us are going?
• How are we getting there? (Bike, car, plane)
• Will I be cooking? (Will you bring meals with you, mostly eat out, or cook as you go?)
• What will I do on vacation?
• How long will we be there?
• How much space do I have for luggage? (A full suitcase or a carry-on bag?)

These questions might seem funny to you, but by asking them directly like this, you’ll get very clear guidelines to follow if you want to prepare for your vacation as best as possible. At the same time, they also serve as the basis for your packing list.

Since we know that making a list can be a real nightmare—after all, we usually start packing five minutes before we leave—we at Rifuz have put together a list of essential items for you that you should bring along, no matter where you’re going. Yay!!! You can download it by clicking the button below ??:

Of course, you’ll need to adjust the list based on your answers to the questions above. And we won’t leave you empty-handed here either! Here are our suggestions, and I’d be thrilled if you shared your own in the comments below ?:

• Sports Vacation
• Family vacation in an apartment
• Exotic vacation by plane
• A Few More General Tips

Active vacation

FOOD:

• Mimy almond milk base (+ hand whisk): Instead of carrying 8L of milk with you, just pack a small jar: mix some of the base with water using the whisk, and your drink is ready.
• If you’re sailing with a group, bring along huge canisters to fill up at the dock instead of buying lots of small plastic bottles.
• Chocolate-covered raisins —because they’re really good.
• Granola or Mul’c —something simple for breakfast that you can bring along in any container and doesn’t need to be kept cold.
• Lentil or chickpea pasta is a quick meal with a higher protein content.

COSMETICS:

• Toothie toothpaste tablets —they take up very little space. By the way, you can now get ones with fluoride at Rifuzl too!
• Solid shampoo and body soap —extremely handy if you have to carry all your toiletries in a backpack and are worried about spills.
• One4all organic ointment —great for chapped, damaged, or itchy hands.

OTHER:

• Cotton cloth—for quickly wiping something up or wrapping something.
• Small towel—great for a quick touch-up or to freshen up.
• Headlamp.
• Knife.

Family vacation in an apartment

FOOD:

• Check what you already have at home and plan your vacation menu using those ingredients.
• You can bring all your dry foods in jars or small containers (rice, lentils, bulgur, oatmeal, seeds, nuts). Don’t forget to pack snacks like Mr. Fibre’s crackers or less-sweet Fržek cookies for munching on the beach.
• Transfer basic ingredients like coffee, tea, oil, vinegar, and salt into smaller containers or bottles. You can also bring a mix of Mediterranean spices or herb-infused salt to make cooking even easier.
• If an oven is available, you can bring all the ingredients you need to make bread (dry yeast, flour).

SUPPLIES:

• Hand dishwashing gel or dishwasher tablets with a special biodegradable wrapper if you have access to a dishwasher + a cleaning cloth.
• Baking paper, if you have an oven.
• A dish sponge —it’ll probably be hard to find an eco-friendly one while on vacation, so it’s best to bring your own.
• Cotton cloths—absolutely essential (just check out the post by Zerowaste Mom)
• All-purpose cleaner —in case you need to clean up a mess along the way or if you need to clean the apartment at the end of your vacation.

COSMETICS:

If you’re staying in an apartment and have your own transportation, you’ll likely have fewer luggage restrictions, so in addition to everything on the basic list, you’ll also want to pack:

• Cocoa butter for after-sun care.
• Hydrosol to refresh your skin.
• Toilet paper —since it’s hard to find any that isn’t in a plastic bag.

OTHER:

• A beach bag that can double as a shopping bag
• If you’re on vacation in Slovenia or Croatia for more than 3 days and you normally receive a newspaper at home, you can suspend your subscription for those days—they can send it to your vacation location or provide access to the digital version during that time.

Exotic vacation by plane

FOOD:

• Pack your own meal for the trip—don’t forget that you’re not allowed to bring large amounts of liquid on the plane (so don’t pack soup or minestrone), but you can pack a small container of pasta, risotto, or even bring a slice of pizza…
• Bring an empty water bottle to fill up after security.
• Bring some tea with you: if the water doesn’t taste good on vacation, you can boil it and use the tea to improve the flavor.

COSMETICS:

• Mosquito repellent in an infusible bottle is especially handy for air travel, since you can take an amount that fits in your carry-on luggage.
• Instead of liquid versions, you can bring solid shampoo and body soap on vacation.
• All deodorants available at Rifuzl are also suitable for carry-on luggage (they’re all under 100 ml).

OTHER ITEMS:

• A beach bag can double as a shopping bag.
• Diving mask.
• Power adapter—if you’re traveling somewhere with different electrical outlets
• Water filter—great if the water where you’re vacationing isn’t safe to drink.
• Reuse hotel towels—don’t use them just once
• If you don’t need all the towels provided by the hotel, leave them folded on the shelf and leave a note saying you didn’t use them. You also don’t need to use the bottles of lotion, shower gel, and shampoo usually found in hotels—just use the ones you brought with you.
• Check if you can show your flight ticket on your phone instead of printing it out.
• Avoid buying countless souvenirs for yourself and your 50 closest relatives, since they often just end up gathering dust. Instead, pick one that really means a lot to you—or better yet, remember your vacation through the countless photos you’ve taken.

Finally, a few general tips…

1. Check what you already have at home and don’t buy new items unnecessarily—bring along the shower gel you already use or that open box of cereal.
2. For items you can’t bring with you and that spoil quickly, try to use them up in your meals before you leave, freeze them, or give them away.
3. When you leave home, unplug electrical appliances that don’t need to be left on (TV, microwave, computer, etc.). This will also prevent anything from “burning out” if there’s a lightning strike or a spark that could start a fire while you’re away.
4. If you’re traveling by car and have some extra space, offer a ride on prevoz.org—not only is this better for the environment, but you’ll have company and lower fuel costs.
5. Choose local food—this way, you’ll experience the environment where you’re vacationing more authentically, and at the same time, the food won’t have to travel thousands of kilometers to end up on your plate.
6. Once you’re there, walk as much as possible, ride a bike, or use public transportation.
7. Say no to what you don’t need—like straws in cocktails or plastic bags at stores.

Now there’s just one last dilemma left—have you booked your vacation yet? ?