This is how we travel the world without buying plastic bottles of water
We’ve chosen to travel without plastic waterbottles during our world trip. Yes really! Not even in India or Indonesia. How we manage to do this? We get this question often on social media. So it’s time to share our little secret with you…but only when you promise me you will try to do the same on your next trip. It’s really not that difficult, and you do make a big difference – for both the environment and for the people in the country you visit.
Two bottles a day
Let’s assume we all need to drink 2 litres of water per day, just to stay hydrated, that means the average traveller uses around 2 bottles of mineral water per person per day. For a trip of 3 weeks with 2 people that adds up to 84 bottles per holiday. 84 pieces of plastic! Frankly, I find that pretty shocking. Especially when you realise that most countries do not have the means to recycle plastic waste or even get rid of it in an acceptable manner. Most bottles get dumped in landfills in nature, buried underground, or dropped in a river and eventually end up at the bottom of the sea. In the best-case scenario, the bottles are burnt somewhere in a poor neighbourhood. Even if you throw your bottle in a trash bin, where it belongs, it will most likely end up in one of these places. Neither option is particularly good for the environment. I firmly believe we need to change our water consumption.
Snorkelling amongst waste
We can all just sit and wait until waste management improves at these exotic holiday destinations. But sadly, I believe that in about 10 years there won’t be any fish to admire during a snorkelling trip. So stop sitting around and take action. We can do this! On your next holiday, you won’t be buying any more plastic bottles of water once you’ve read our tips on travelling without plastic bottles. If you manage to do that, you will save an average of 14 single-use bottles per week. How about that? On top of that, it will also save you some money which you can spend on your next snorkelling trip. Because let’s be honest; travelling is expensive enough as it is.
Refillable bottle
Put this one on top of your packing list when you want to travel without plastic bottles: a refillable water bottle. I myself travel with a well-designed bottle made by the Dutch brand Dopper. Not only does it look nice, but the Dopper is made of 100% recyclable material and is free from harmful substances and toxic plasticizers. (Plasticizers are released into the water and have been proven to be very bad for your health.) Even better; 5% of Dopper’s net profit goes to the Dopper Foundation. The foundation works together with local partners on drinking water and sanitation projects in Nepal. Did you know one out of ten people does not have access to safe drinking water? By buying this cool bottle, you can help these people access healthy drinking water. Great news for all you non-Dutchies out there! The cool Dopper bottle can be delivered internationally!
Travel without plastic bottles using UV-light
Of course, the most important question here is; where do I safe tapwater that is drinkable? The fact is, tap water in most countries is contaminated and not safe for consumption. But then there is SteriPen. With UV technology, this futuristic device kills all bacteria and viruses that may be present in the water, without using chemical agents or changing the taste. Much better and healthier than, for example, a chlorine solution or purification tablets. All you have to do is activate the UV light and stir it through the water for about one minute. The duration of stirring depends on the amount of water. There you go! The water is purified and safe to drink. The SteriPen is battery powered and can be used indefinitely – provided you have full batteries, of course.
How can that be safe?
The first time we used the SteriPen, I have to admit, we were a bit sceptical. I mean, how can such a small, luminous stick really purify contaminated drinking water? That can only be magic. The SteriPen uses the same technology as big water purification companies. SteriPen guarantees to kill 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and infectious diseases that can be present in tap water. No worries for diseases like e.coli, salmonella, cholera and legionella. We’ve now been on the road for 7 months and have used the SteriPen without any problems so far – even in India! A country that is notorious for having poor quality drinking water, and we didn’t get ill once. Okay, now I’m lying. We did get ill, but it wasn’t the water and was instead the food in this cosy looking local restaurant in Agra.
Tried and tested
The SteriPen is really a godsend. At the time of writing this article, we have been on the road for 239 days. A simple calculation shows that we have NOT bought at least 956 plastic bottles of water. We take our little purifier everywhere. We have used the SteriPen successfully in the following countries: Iran, Sri Lanka, India (north and south), Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. There is no limit on countries you can travel without plastic bottles.
Water bottles with built-in filter
Other good solutions for safe drinking water when travelling are the LifeStraw Go and Water-to-Go. These are both refillable water bottles with built-in filters. Just fill the bottle with tap water. You can drink from it straight away through the nozzle in the cap. The water first flows through the filter and purifies 99.99% of the bacteria and micro-organisms that could be present in the water. With this bottle, you can drink water from a polluted water source, such as a stream or even a puddle! The LifeStraw Go filters up to 1,000 litres of water. After that, the filter will be blocked and you won’t be able to drink through the nozzle anymore. You never have the risk of drinking impure water. When the filter is used up, you just order a new one. You can, of course, continue to use the bottle. We find the LifeStraw-Go and Water-to-Go especially useful on the road or during a long hike. You can order the Lifestraw Go online easily. If you would like to know more about Water-to-go, follow this link.
Read more: We tested several different systems during our trip and wrote a blog about our favourite ones. Find out who’s the winner here!
Extra tips
Even with the SteriPen and a refillable bottle at hand, there will be times when you end up in a situation where you don’t have a choice other than to buy a plastic bottle of water. We had packed 2 litres of purified water for a 13-hour train journey in India, but we suffered a major delay and ended up being stuck in one train for no less than 26 hours! We could never have anticipated that. Our filtered water was running out, and I surely wasn’t going to refill my bottle in the filthy toilets with water smelling of bodily fluids! We did not have any choice but to buy a plastic bottle from the vendor. So for those unforeseen moments when it’s hard to travel without plastic bottles, I have a few extra tips:
- If you do buy plastic bottles of water, get the largest packaging. One 2 litre bottle produces less plastic waste than 4 x 500ml bottles.
- Most hotels and hostels nowadays offer purified water. They make it easy to travel without plastic bottles. Just fill your own bottle before you head out.
- You can always ask for boiled water.
- The SteriPen is a bit pricey, but if you handle the device with good care, you can use it for years and easily earn back the money you’ve spent.
Will you accept the challenge and travel without plastic bottles?
Did you enjoy this article? Then you will also like this:
1. Why we choose to travel around the world without flying
2. Why volunteering at an orphanage abroad is just not done!
3. How to filter tap water while travelling? We test and compare 4 options
4. How a small gesture leads to an inspiring story in Thailand
5. Why I regret my volunteer work in India
- 2 April 2018
- 2 Comments
- 1
Ryan and Kate Bour
3 February 2019Hey Daisy and Patrick. It was so nice crossing paths with you in Moni! Your blog is really insightful. During our next travels, we hope to use one of these devices to reduce our plastic waste. Safe travels to Australia!
Daisy
3 February 2019Hi Ryan and Kate, it was so lovely to meet you guys too and have such lovely and inspiring conversations with like-minded people :-) I hope you'll have a great time in Indonesia and safe travels back to China!