Your eco suitcase

Travelling in an eco-responsible way starts with packing your suitcase or rucksack. It’s never easy to pack because we tend to want to take everything with us, but in most cases, we use very little once we’re there.

When you pack your eco-responsible suitcase, the idea is to pack light, taking only the essentials with you. Would you like to know how to pack your eco-responsible suitcase and what to put in it? We’ll explain everything.

To begin with, you need to choose between a suitcase or a backpack, depending on the type of trip you want to make.

Suitcase or backpack?

Choosing a suitcase or rucksack will depend on the type of trip you are going to make. A rucksack is more commonly used for backpacker-style trips, and they are very often used for stays of several months or for a round-the-world trip. They can also be used for short and medium stays, although suitcases are best for 15-day holidays.

If you opt for an eco-responsible suitcase, choose a hard-shell suitcase, as they are more rigid and last longer over the long term than those made of fabric.

If you opt for a rucksack, choose one with a capacity of at least 50 or 60 liters, as this will allow you to fit a lot of stuff inside. The advantage of rucksacks is that they have lots of pockets. However, the main disadvantage is that your clothes will get wrinkled, so if you have nice clothes, a rucksack is not ideal.

Your solid soaps

Solid soaps are very practical to take with you because they don’t take up any space. What’s more, they’re economical and environmentally friendly because they last a long time. When it comes to solid soaps, you can take one for your body and the second for your hair and put them both in a carrying net, which is usually sold separately or with the soap.

You’ll find various soaps on the market, such as Petit Olivier solid soaps and Klorane solid shampoos, to give a few examples.

This way, you don’t have to carry your bottles of shampoo and shower gel in your toiletries, which take up a lot of space and weigh down your suitcase or backpack.

Your travel kit

If you prefer to take your liquid shampoo or shower gel with you, why not put them in small containers? This is the idea behind the travel kit, which allows you to pack just the right amount for your trip. Then it’s just a question of using as little shower gel and shampoo as possible, so that you have as much as possible for as long as possible. Can it be done? Yes, it’s perfectly feasible, you just need to use a very small amount of product. And you can always take a solid soap with you to alternate and, above all, to make sure you have enough to wash yourself.

The travel kit is really useful for people who want to continue using their liquid products. It allows you to take just the essentials in small quantities so as not to weigh down your suitcase.

Your eco products

In an eco-suitcase, there are bound to be some useful eco products. But what are they?

Ecological products include toiletries, but also other items that you can take with you. We look in this section.

As far as toiletries are concerned, you can take the following with you:

• Solid soaps,
• Mineral filter sun cream,
• natural toothpaste,
• a natural moisturizer that contains no chemicals,
• natural deodorant,
• a mosquito repellent spray with essential oils,
• For women: panties or a menstrual cup,
• for men: a soap for shaving your beard

Other eco-friendly products you can take with you include:

• a hairbrush or wooden comb,
• a wooden toothbrush
• fabric make-up remover squares that you can wash by hand, so you don’t have to use cotton pads.
• sheets of washing powder

Your laundry bag

During your holiday, you may want to have your clothes washed or wash them yourself.

If so, take a canvas bag with you so you can put your dirty clothes in it and have them washed in local launderettes, which are much cheaper than hotel launderettes. What’s more, having a canvas bag means that the launderette won’t have to put your clothes in a plastic bag.

If there are things you prefer to wash by hand, there are washing-up liquid sheets you can take with you.

Your clothes and shoes

There’s always a tendency to pack far too much clothing, half of which won’t be worn.  The idea is to pack just the essentials to keep your suitcase as light as possible. As far as footwear is concerned, taking two extra pairs should suffice, i.e. a pair of flip-flops and a pair of sandals for warm destinations. For colder destinations, one extra pair of shoes should be enough. However, footwear depends very much on the type of trip you’re planning. If you’re planning to go hiking, you’ll need a pair of shoes suitable for this type of activity.

Your accessories

Here are a few ideas for eco-friendly accessories:

• A stainless-steel water bottle,
• An external battery charger,
• A travel kit with a stainless steel or bamboo knife, fork and spoon, and a wooden or glass straw,
• Rechargeable batteries for your equipment,
• A waterproof bag in which you can do your washing (especially if you’re going hiking),…
• Microfiber bath towels (for the beach, pool or shower)
• A canvas bag for dry waste such as plastic or cardboard packaging, or empty bottles if there are no bins where you are. This avoids using plastic bags.

Travelling in an eco-responsible way starts with your suitcase and the things you put inside it. It’s obvious that if we want to be ecologically aware, we need to change our travel habits too, and that starts with the basics when it comes to clothes, using products that are environmentally friendly, reusable and as natural as possible.

By doing this, not only are we respecting nature, but we’re also learning how to use the resources it provides us with by using natural products that don’t pollute the environment and therefore don’t pollute us.