Travel toiletries: pack light, pack green

Let's start by considering how to pack.  We all use a range of toiletry products when we are at home.  What do we need to consider to choose the best items to pack for a long trip?  Apply these four basic principles to pack travel toiletries which are lightweight, hassle-free and relatively eco-friendly.

Imagine a shampoo that lasts more than 6 months, weighs 50 grams and takes up less than 20 cubic centimetres.  For convenience when travelling shampoo bars are hard to beat (unless you go without shampoo altogether).  Use it as a body soap and even a laundry soap and you’ve covered most of your cleaning in a 50 gram tin!

For the serious eco-warriers out there and anyone who finds themselves stuck without shampoo keep in mind that one of the best 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioners in existence can usually be found wherever you find human settlement.  I’m talking about egg yolk.  Sounds messy and more than a little mad but don’t diss it until you’ve tried.  It leaves your hair feeling super clean and silky. It’s been working for centuries!

I was dubious about these for years.  Then I tried them and guess what?  They really do work.  In all climates.  (It’s hotter than 35 degrees Celsius and 80% humidity where I lived last year).  I find that a single crystal can last up to 2 years of daily use.  Again, no liquids, no leaks, no confiscations, minimal packaging.  And you don’t want scented products anyway – they attract mosquitoes.

A small tin of bicarb soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda or baking soda) is probably the most versatile toiletry item you could ever pack.  It serves as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, exfoliant, mouth wash… the list goes on.  Bicarb soda is the ultimate non-toxic, all-purpose cleaner and it’s antibacterial.  It can be easily purchased in most destinations where you find a few basic western products.  I brush my teeth with the stuff everyday – it leaves them super-smooth and super-fresh.

A comb and a toothbrush are pretty standard items that will form part of almost everyone's travel toiletry kit.  There are plenty of plastic-fantastic folding and compact "travel" versions but my preference is to choose items made from bamboo.  They are lightweight, yet strong and durable and made from a wholly renewable and biodegradable material to boot.  On the light and green travel credentials, bamboo items are hard to beat!

Microfibre travel towels do the job but a sarong (or local equivalent) will also get you dry and is a far more multipurpose item.  A simple rectangular piece of cotton cloth, the sarong can do almost anything.  Use it as a sheet when the bed doesn’t appear so clean.  Pyjamas if you find yourself sharing a room.  An evaporative cooler when the fan just isn’t enough.  A preserver of modesty if you ever find yourself needing to shower in public or go to the toilet on the side of the road (it happens!)  A dress or skirt when everything else is dirty.  A headscarf when you enter temples.  A bag, curtain, tablecloth, picnic rug, baby carrier… I could go on and on.  Take one with you or, better yet, buy it at your destination and you’ll almost certainly find many uses for it throughout your journey.

Depending on where I am going and what I am doing I often extend my basic travel toiletry kit.  If I'm backpacking in Asia for 3 months I may take nothing more than the above items.  If I'm popping over to Paris for a weekend then vanity may be more of a concern and weight and space less so - I might add a little make-up or even a hair straightener!  There are many other products you may want to include in your travel toiletry kit.  Here are some other smart choices which follow my pack light, pack green principles: