Sustainable Travel Edit

If you’re heading away for a vacation, we have found the most elegant and sustainable travel essentials for your suitcase. 

Travel is once again an option and if like us you are already planning a getaway, putting together a packing list is nostalgic bliss. So whether you are venturing overseas or vacationing in the UK, you’ll be in need of Summer essentials. However you don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe or a wasteful set of skincare minis. We have discovered the best hacks to keep your suitcase light, and your impact even lighter. From clean sunscreen to the best holiday read and our fave eco friendly flip flops, don’t go anywhere until you’ve read this.

Natural Sun Protection

Sunscreen is a number one must in your summer vacay luggage. This option is a mineral SPF that, unlike the majority of sunscreens, won’t clog your pores. Many of us with acne-prone skin may see rashes once we increase our use of sunscreen (which we should use on a daily basis anyway!). This mattifying sunscreen from Ren has no nasty chemicals, just clean protection for skin and planet. It’s an SPF 30 with UVA/UVB and Blue Light protection. As well as added antioxidants and a vegan, naturally derived formula. Unlike chemical sunscreens, it uses naturally derived Zinc Oxide, which provides protection and sits gently on the skin’s surface as a barrier against sun damage, and won’t clog pores, cause allergies or irritate sensitive skin.

Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30, £32, Ren Clean Skincare

Sustainable Travel Edit Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30 Ren Clean Skincare
Sustainable Travel Edit Arco Linen Towel

Stylish Linen Towel

This beach towel looks so chic it doubles as a blanket for your home during the rest of the year. We’ll also use it for picnics in the park. This summery linen towel is handmade in sunny Lisbon, using lino cut stamping onto natural linen. We love that it’s available made to order, meaning no overproduction and less waste. Allow 2-4 weeks before your item is shipped. It’s not a last minute panic purchase thats for sure. Linen is an environmentally friendly fabric, and the towel is light and yet durable made with 100% medium thickness 185g linen. This makes it an ideal addition to an already tightly packed suitcase.

Arco Linen Towel, £75, Amidst Studios at Sustainable Dept. Store

90’s Style Swimwear

 Hunza G’s crinkle one-piece with thick straps and an angular neckline is simply lovely. It’s also a multi tasker in a small suitcase. We’ll be pairing it with shorts on a trip to the market or while on a hike. Hunza G’s production process begins and ends locally in the UK. They do their best to decrease overproduction within the fashion industry on both a brand and consumer level. Waste is managed using small run-off quantities of headbands and scrunchies to use up fabric cuttings. In order to help you love your swimsuit longer, they also provide a six-month warranty, offering the chance to repair any potential issues. Hunza G Ltd is also a carbon-neutral company!

Square Neck Swimsuit, £130, Hunza G

Sustainable Travel Edit Hunza G Beige Swimsuit
Sustainable Travel Edit Eco Friendly USB C to Lightening Cable UUNIQUE

Travel Charger

Spending more time outdoors means looking for an easy way to charge your phone during the day. If you need a new cable for your portable charger, then opt for an eco-friendly solution. Uunique’s soft to touch eco-friendly USB C to Lightning Cable is biodegradable. Yes thats right – biodegradable. The range of innovative biodegradable phone accessories are made from plants. This sustainable cable is MFi certified, ensuring your Apple devices are charged safely, at their fastest possible speed. 1% of all the sales from their phone cases is contributed to protecting the environment, supporting global Eco-Charities. The materials are 100% biodegradable, containing plastic-free plant and plant elements.

Eco Friendly USB C To Lightning Cable, £19.99, Uunique at Wearth

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Rent Your Holiday Wardrobe

If you like to look your best on holiday, or maybe just treat yourself to a new frock, it can get pricey. Especially if you only wear it on holiday. Why not consider a rental service instead? Imagine your perfect summer fling, but make it fashion. Choose from a plethora of designer options, and you won’t risk wasting money on something you may not wear again. Clothing rental is making fashion more circular by ensuring it gets worn as many times as possible. Rotaro has the perfect it-girl fashion curation and allows you to experiment with styles, discover new brands, and extend the lifespan of a garment without creating waste. Explore a few other great fashion rental platforms that offer a beautiful selection of dresses to wear on holiday.

Halterneck Dress, rent from £29, Raey at Rotaro

Celebrating Chinese New Year By Supporting Sustainable Chinese Brands Caroline Hu
Sustainable Travel Edit Bolt Beauty Mad About Moisture Home Jar

Travel Skincare Without The Unnecessary Packaging

We know that travel size skincare products often end up in a pile of unnecessary plastic in your bathroom cabinet. Bolt Beauty was specifically designed to counter this problem by providing capsule based products, housed in a handy travel stacker. The Home Jar includes 100 biodegradable capsules of nourishing moisturiser to hydrate, plump, and soothe. Perfect as an after-beach treat for your skin when it feels dehydrated by seawater, wind and sun exposure. The fragrance-free, milky-coloured moisturising lotion is super hydrating, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth. Just add as many capsules as you need to your handy travel stacker and off you go.

Mad About Moisture Home Jar, £30, Bolt Beauty 

Retro Sunglasses

A sometimes forgotten but totally essential addition to your vacation wardrobe is a statement pair of sunnies. Of course, we like to choose ours from a brand dedicated to social impact. Bôhten operates locally across Africa, supporting environmental and social projects. Their moto ‘Being Better Everyday’ ensures they concentrate their processes in ways that tread lightly on the planet by reducing their CO2 output across their supply chain. In addition to this they support planting projects in Kenya, are developing eyecare services and hiring unemployed youths. We also love their eye catching, retro styles in a selection of earthy and warm tones. 

Legend Orange Tortoiseshell, £141.29, Bôhten

Sustainable Travel Edit You Will Get Through This Night By Daniel Howell

Essential Holiday Read

Vacations are the perfect moment to press pause and take care of yourself. It’s been a tough year for everyone, with each person experiencing their own stresses. For your beach read, we recommend ‘You Will Get Through This Night’ by Daniel Howell. It’s a handy guide on how to take care of your mental health, filled with a much needed dose of compassion and humour. Reading this book will allow you to take control of your mental health, with practical advice for every stage of the journey. Split into three chapters for each stage: ‘This Night’, ‘How To Get Through Your Toughest Moments’ and ‘Be Prepared To Face Anything; Tomorrow’. A truly uplifting read for your dedicated down time.

You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell, £12.99 at Waterstones

Flip Flops – From Beach To Street

Flip flops are often made purely out of plastic, and they also don’t last long. Have you ever had a pair break before the end of your holiday? Leaving you with a pair of unwearable sandals and a bad taste in your mouth. Indosole source the best alternative materials they can find, like natural rubber and vegan uppers. Combined with their signature recycled tire sole technology and an affordable price, their ESSNTLS range is a valid alternative to traditional plastic flip flops. Each pair is very hardwearing, perfect for hot sandy beaches or a bit of pavement pounding. They are of course waterproof and cruelty free too.

Flip Flops, €45, Indosole

Sustainable Travel Edit Vegan Flip Flops Indosole
Sustainable Travel Edit Oroton x Hemp Black Belt Bag

Elegant Belt Bag

When travelling, multi functional items are a must in order to keep your baggage weight down along with your sanity. This timeless belt bag by Oroton in collaboration with Hemp Black is just the ticket. Use it as a travel purse in order to have your passport, money and mask within easy reach. Then take it to the beach or on the town to cut down on the amount you carry around. It combines elegant black vegan leather which was made with 90% less water and energy than regular vegan leathers. It’s paired with hemp, infused with Hemp Black’s nano technology making it antibacterial. The collection features totes and backpacks, as well as the belt bag in a solid black colour way. 

Belt Bag, £229, Oroton x Hemp Black

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