My last trip 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 to their first International Study Hall Conference — a fitting way to mark Earth Month!
As most 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 matters more and more to me to travel as minimally as possible while still packing the essentials to look and feel good.
In January 2018 I flew to Barcelona (via Norwegian). I had to stick to a carry-on and a personal item … unless I wanted to pay a hefty fee. Since I’m equal parts cheap, chic and broke, I traveled light for the first time — and I’ve never gone back!
With only a carry-on, I’ve had to get creative, consciously crafty and resourceful about how I pack!
What to Wear on the Plane
My plane outfits always revolve around layers!
I never fly without a pair of joggers — SATVA’s GOTS Certified organic cotton joggers are my go-to pair.
I also always wear or pack a duster (I own several), and this vintage camel-colored one is my absolute favorite.
A hat (or a few) and a reusable water bottle are among my ride or die accessories that come with me on every flight!
Because I was packing for London in spring … my goal was layers, which for me meant stylishly warm hats, scarves and heat tech turtlenecks. Since the weather shifts constantly, I packed 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 trickiest part of traveling is making sure you have all your self care and beauty essentials. I LOVE reusing old containers, which have become a staple of my travel kit. For instance, this tin was once a Love Notes candle and it’s honestly 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, which 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. And as you can probably tell, I try to travel with as little plastic as possible — even though glass adds a bit more weight, it makes me a happier human to only bring plastic when I truly 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 in my suitcase for this trip… I just wanted to share a few of my favorite essentials. As I keep traveling, I’ll be sharing more and 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 visiting in the dead of summer — is to pack layers! Like New York, London can shift from rainy and dreary to sunny and beautiful in a matter of minutes!
Until next time …
