My last visit to London was back in the 6th grade — so honestly, it felt like my very first time there!
This April I traveled for work with the Slow Factory for their first International Study Hall Conference — a perfect way to honor Earth Month!
As many of you already know … I LOVE to travel. So far, I’ve visited Ghana, Sri Lanka, Delhi (India), Barcelona, Morocco, Paris, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cozumel (Mexico) and Belize, just to name a few. As a sustainably minded explorer, it’s become increasingly important to me to travel as minimally as possible while still packing the necessities to look good and feel good.
In January 2018, I flew to Barcelona (via Norwegian). I was forced to travel with just a carry-on and personal item … unless I wanted to pay a hefty extra fee. Well … since I’m a mix of cheap, chic and broke — I traveled light for the first time and I haven’t looked back!
With only a carry-on, I’ve had to get creative, consciously crafty and resourceful about how I pack!
Plane Attire
Plane attire is always focused on layers!
I always bring a pair of joggers - SATVA’s GOTS Certified organic cotton joggers are my Go To’s.
Additionally, I will always wear or bring a duster (I have several) and this vintage camel-colored one is my absolute favorite.
A hat (or several) and reusable water bottle are amongst my Ride or Die accessories that always accompany me on the plane!
Since I was packing for London in the spring … my goal was layers, which for me meant stylishly warm hats, scarves and heat-tech turtlenecks. Because the weather shifts so much, I brought several pairs of shoes, including a versatile pair of slides!
A few sustainable brands I wore in London:
Tencel Burnt Orange Ankle Length Skirt - Mimi Miller
Bamboo Jumpsuit - Free Label
Floral Dress and Floral top - Mara Hoffman
My outfits looked so good against the London scenery — I loved it!!!
That said, I think the hardest part of traveling is sometimes making sure you have all your self-care and beauty essentials. For me, I LOVE reusing old containers that have become travel staples. For example, this tin container was once a Love Notes candle and it’s literally my favorite jewelry holder. I’ve had it since 2017 …
The absolute essentials are moisturizer, tooth brush and soap. I hate using the hotel/air bnb soap and lotion because it usually is terrible for my skin. So I always bring my own moisturizers, a little goes a long way. Eugenia Shea makes the perfect travel sized shea butter - it’s only 2 ounces! Additionally - I love bringing bar soap instead of liquid because it’s so much more compact and I simply try to bring the least amount of liquids as possible. My favorite soap bar is palm oil and coconut oil free - and it’s by Terra Tory. And of course, I travel with my bamboo toothbrush by Simplified!
For the rest of my toiletries, I again keep things super small and super simple. I use a soap that doubles as a face wash. I use the AMAZING-smelling Sanre eye cream as my face moisturizer. I use a variety of oils that also come in compact containers. I have a conditioner by Happy Place that I believe was a sample size and has been a great travel container since I don’t have much hair LOL. Also, as I’m sure you can tell, I try to travel with the least amount of plastic — although glass adds a little more weight, it just makes me a happier human being to only bring plastic when I absolutely need it.
MINIMIZE
SINGLE
USE
PLASTIC
Last but not least — I always bring a reusable set of utensils. I have a beautiful bamboo set made in Bali by Yasminida that I love! Food is probably my favorite part of traveling lol — so whenever I can, I minimize single-use plastic because I eat on the go pretty often.
I didn’t cover EVERYTHING I packed for this trip… I just wanted to share a few of my favorite essentials. As I keep traveling, I’ll keep sharing more of my sustainability tips!
Overall, I had an exceptionally great week-long trip. London was amazing, with beautiful backdrops and bomb fish and chips. The most important thing to remember about London — unless you’re traveling in the dead of summer — is to pack layers! Like New York, London can go from rainy and dreary to sunny and beautiful in a matter of minutes!
Until next time …
