7 ways I travel sustainably | Earth Angel Travel Tips
Holistic & non-consumption based ways to love the Earth while exploring her
This article was originally published in August 2025 on my blog the passionate wanderer.This article is also available in chatty video format on my Youtube.
So there’s no getting around it. Travel and tourism in the way they exist right now are generally unhealthy for the planet. As many of us have heard since elementary school, fossil fuels are the top polluter of the Earth. From fast fashion garments made with non-organic plastic materials to nonrenewable airplane fuel, fossil fuels are currently intertwined with many of the industries that society uses to function. Specifically regarding travel, transport is the fifth leading cause of greenhouse gas emission (The world’s most polluting industries | Climate Trade). About 60% of those emissions are caused by passenger air travel.
As an avid wanderer and self-described earth angel, I believe everyone deserves to see the world. I also deeply believe in caring for the Earth so one could argue there’s certainly some conflict there.
I see travel as my teacher, lover, and best friend and can’t imagine my life without it. My experiences of traveling and living abroad have completely transformed me, helping me fall in love with myself and the world around me, shaping me into a more confident and empowered woman. Anyone who loves exploring the world knows intimately the rush that comes from setting our feet on new ground, meeting ourselves while absorbing new cultures, places, and people.
While I don’t have all the answers to all of the complexities of the travel industry, I fully believe that black and white approaches rarely solve issues. For this reason, it is my intention to approach them holistically.
When we remember that everything we do is interconnected, I feel the Earth appreciates our efforts no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. And no, it’s not about buying another product to be “green” or even about being perfect in our quest to live more sustainably and aligned with the Earth (for this reason, almost everything on this list is non-consumption related.) It simply begins with our mindset.
Without further ado, 7 earth angel sustainable travel tips await you:
Avoid buying unnecessary items and clothes before a trip
Okay, this can be hard! As someone who likes to have a plan A, B…E, the little travel sized section aisle with miniature bottles of whatever you can think of can be hard to pass up. During my five months of solo travel in South America beginning last August, I had an entire tote bag of toiletries that I didn’t use, which is money, materials/resources, and suitcase space wasted. While you may have a few specialty items you can’t travel without, remember if there’s anything you may happen to need, you can always buy them abroad.
As for clothes, there can be an overwhelming sense of pressure to feel like one needs to refresh their entire wardrobe before a trip. I say to you, stay strong my sistah/brotha/sibby! Personally, I'd say 90-95% of the clothes I wear when traveling were already in my wardrobe before my trip. There’s something really cool about walking down the street in an entirely different country wearing a shirt I thrifted months or even years ago. It makes me feel really at home in my “avatar.” Of course, there may be times when we want or need to purchase a few cute pieces before a trip and that’s completely okay! (I definitely needed summer weather appropiate but modest clothes for Morocco in July). Again, consuming less isn’t about perfection. It’s about intentionality and mindset.
2. Reuse your headphones on long haul flights
You know the free ones the flight attendants hand out like candy before your seven hour flight? You can actually get at least four or five uses out of them before they begin to sound like velcro in your ear and go kaput. I used to be really bad about taking a pair anytime they were offered to me. When something is cheap and low quality, it’s easy to treat them as disposable. Living in a throw away culture doesn’t help either.
I’ve made it a point to be intentional about keeping my headphones in an easy to access place in my backpack so I can easily grab and reuse my headphones with the seat tablet and therefore reduce my consumption. While a small action, when stopping to think about how many of those are used on flights, I think we’re making a bigger impact than we think.
3. Keep that thang on you… I mean pack your tote bag in your carry on
Whenever I’ve failed to pack my tote bag in my carry-on or backpack (or wherever it’s easiest to access), I’VE ALWAYS regretted it. Whether shopping in the airport or wanting to make a quick purchase in the store before having time to unpack, I’ve learned enough times that it comes in handy to have my tote bag ON me and helps me avoid using a plastic or reusable bag that I don’t need. In the words of a good friend of mine, “I’m just a tote bag girl in a Birkin bag world.”
4. Reusable period products: Menstrual cups & period underwear
I love!!! talking about!!! periods!!! I like to refer to my period as my moon and genuinely love the relationship I’ve built with it/her over the years. I know for many reasons this isn’t the case for everyone so however you choose to feel or talk about periods based on your own experiences are completely valid.
This is the only tip on this list that relates to possibly buying a physical product and I feel like it needs its own article. I began using period underwear (underwear that are able to collect menstrual blood like a pad but without wearing a pad) in 2019 and menstrual cups (small vessels usually made of silicon that are placed inside the body to collect the menstrual blood) in 2021. Menstrual cups have become my favorite. They’ve given me so much freedom and allowed me to know my body in a deeper, more intimate way which I find beautiful. There is definitely a learning curve of about 1-2 periods, but for me, it has been completely worth it. My current menstrual cup has been with me to 12 countries so far so we’re pretty committed at this point.
Menstrual cups and other reusable products may not be for everyone but if you are at all curious, there are a myriad of resources online that can guide you on your journey like Period Nirvana on YouTube. Also feel free to ask me as well!
5. Be mindful of souvenir purchases
Disclaimer: I love my friends and family and getting the perfect gift for someone is actually one of my favorite things ever and one of my love languages. I’m the type of person who has to stop myself from revealing the gift I got someone because I feel so excited about giving it.
With that being said, I’ve been reflecting on souvenir purchases specifically, the super cheap, generic ones you may buy in bulk for loved ones back home. I’ve started to realize moving forward, I don’t plan on buying these anymore. Instead, I want to focus on buying souvenirs that feel specific and unique to my loved ones. This may mean not everyone gets a gift every single time but I think that’s okay because quality over quantity. With my recent travels, my favorite gifts to give were Colombian coffee beans to my grandfather, a Rio tote bag to my friend who gave us the quote above, and heart shaped crystal necklaces from the south of Brazil while visiting old friends in Miami. <3
6. And on the eighth day, god created public transportation
* holds back tears * If you live in the American suburbs, you’re aware that public transportation almost does not exist and that the infrastructure requires cars for almost every daily life task. Walking to a grocery store is unheard of unless you happen to live right next to one or have no other way to get there. Our car dependent land(hell)scapes are the result of extensive lobbying done by car companies beginning in the 1930s, mutilating once vibrant bustling communities and neighborhoods (The Demise of American Public Transportation | Smart Cities Dive). Oftentimes when a city decided to build a highway it was right through a Black or POC neighborhood (A Brief History Of How Racism Shaped Interstate Highways | NPR).
If you’ve never had the chance to use public transportation such as a city bus or metro, it can definitely be intimidating! This is why I recommend the Moovit app. It’s an app specifically made for public transportation, showing you the routes, bus times, bus stops, platforms and more. It also vibrates and notifies you as your stop gets closer and when it’s time to get off. This app was so helpful for me when I first moved to Spain straight out of university with bambi legs navigating public transportation for the first time. I’ve used it in multiple countries and it’s always done the job. Honorary mention to Google Maps as well whose public transportation information has made a lot of improvements over the past years.
7. Offset your carbon footprint through non-profit Sustainable Travel International
I prefer odd numbers so we’re ending with lucky number 7! Sustainable Travel International is a non-profit that allows you to offset your carbon footprint through your own personal donation/purchase. On their website you can calculate your carbon footprint based on your travels and it will present a sum to donate. Your donations will be invested in a “mix of high-quality forestry, energy, blue/teal carbon, and innovative climate tech projects” that work directly to offset carbon emissions. On their website you can see how these projects have a dynamic impact on the places and communities they support, including improving gender equality and providing leadership roles for women in countries around the world.
Let me know what resonates with you the most as well as any tips you have. I’d love to learn more! My ears and heart are open. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time my friend. <3