I have been in Europe for 8 days now. At this exact moment I am sitting on a big comfy couch in the living room of an apartment that my cousin, her friend and I rented in the 11th Arrondissement in Paris. Our balcony (Yes, balcony) overlooks the Eiffel Tower. I just ate Organic cheese. I’m dreaming.
BUT… and there is a but… this trip did not come without a challenge, and a big one at that. Eleven days of travel, and Zero Waste.
Guess what. Eight days and going strong!!!! How did I do this? It all started at home…
Packing. I only pack in a carry on, I never check luggage. To achieve this and still feel like I have outfit choices, I packed with care.
Clothing. I packed all black, versatile clothing that could be layered and worn over and over again. This takes preparation so I definitely thought out outfits beforehand. Here are some of the outfits that I wore. I also brought laundry detergent to wash between wears.
A pair of leather leggings, a blouse, blazer and I brought a scarf and heels in a reusable tote.
(Right) was a pair of trousers, a cropped top, the same blazer as the other outfit and I had my hair in a different style to change up the look. The shoes were the same as the outfit on the left. I also brought my breakfast in hand.
Supplies. Toiletries. I packed my toiletries very carefully and only brought exactly what I needed. I packed bulk shampoo and conditioner in glass, homemade body and face lotion, contact solution, a lens case, and my glasses, a face and body cleansing bar, apple cider vinegar for blemishes, some meds and vitamins, a couple of hair ties, my homemade deodorant, toothbrush, and homemade toothpaste.
Supplies. Travel. I also brought a mason jar, a cotton napkin, a metal straw and my Life Without Plastic spork to eliminate the need for plastic cutlery.
Food. To ensure that I would have food during traveling, I brought a bunch of Organic apples that I ate for breakfast while in Switzerland my first few days, some peanut butter, and a reusable bag full of nuts, dried fruit, and energy cubes that I bought in bulk the day I left. Once I arrived in paris, I used the Organic and Fair Trade cotton bag to buy cookies and pastries so I didn’t have to use a paper bag.
(Left) some cookies I bought from an Algerian pastry shop in Paris, it is my absolute favorite and they were so sweet and let me put all of the cookies that I bought in my cotton bag!
(Left) Me on the electric train in Basel, Switzerland eating one of the Organic apples I brought from home. They were such life savers as the food in Basel was super expensive, i’m talking 12 dollar fries, guys!
(Left) me on the train eating some of the bulk snacks that I brought from home that are in my cotton bag and some wine in my jar.
32 comments
Oh my gosh, you are so cute and impressive. Good job!
Thanks so much!! :)))
This is truly inspiring. Thank you!
Hi Kasey! Thank you, that really means a lot to me 🙂 Have a great day!
I miss bague de kenza! Have to pick up one of those nifty bags
ME TOO!
My only question is how to pack the GLASS. I, too, travel to Europe yearly to visit family, and I would love to do this without plastic. HOW did you get by the TSA without a quart-sized plastic bag? And how did you fit your Mason jar in? I know this post is old, but I just found your site and I am dying to know how you've done it! Thanks, I hope you'll answer soon! 🙂 –Jen in Kansas City
Hi – I use a plastic bag. I've used the same one for 7 trips or so. I just take care to keep it clean so I don't need a new one. If the mason jar doesn't have liquid in it, I don't have to put it in a plastic bag. I just put it in my carry on and i'm good to go 🙂
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Lauren
Girl, YOU ARE THE BEST. 🙂 Thank you so much for replying. I use a heavy-duty, permanent one that actually snaps into my carry-on. I was looking at your containers in the post again, and it looks like you have several TINY glass containers. As luck would have it, we have a Container Store opening across the street in a few months! 🙂 They carry these. Is that where you procured yours? And congrats on your Kickstarter success! I donated $25. 🙂
That's awesome! You can definitely find so many good containers there. Also, thank you SO much for donating to my Kickstarter! ! ! ! :)))
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for your blog which has been such an inspiration and has really started me on this journey. I live in London and have already started to find some alternatives to supermarkets, such as agreat organic, fair trade and local veg and fruit box scheme and bulk shop. I also started using your tips about cleaning house and body naturally and decluttering!
I was wondering if you have any tips about zero waste and natural alternatives to:
-freezer bags
-lip balm
-spunges for cleaning kitchen and house surfaces
-shaving cream
-nail polish remover
-face and body moisturiser
-dental floss
-intimate wash
Thank you so much! Good luck with your new company! Gaia
I would love your input on dental floss as well- I can't find any that doesn't come in those silly plastic cartridges.
I have some ideas though on the other items, if I may 🙂
Freezer bags- mason jars and Pyrex storage containers work great for a lot of foods
Lip balm- make your own by melting beeswax with coconut oil or other oils, you can refill the little tubes
Sponges- use cloths, you can launder and reuse
Shaving cream- coconut oil and hair conditioner both work
Moisturizers can also be made, diy recipes are everywhere (I worry about sun protection factor, though, and still purchase dedicated facial moisturizer)
Dear Gaia, I am moving to London in a few weeks and looking for organic markets and fair trade shops, it would be great if you could share some tips about living a zero waste life in London! (:
As far as intimate wash goes, warm water is really all you need! If you've got a bit of funk going on, you can use buttermilk or yogurt as a soak/mask/wash, add apple cider vinegar to a bath, or dab a bit of (diluted!) tea tree or lavender oil down there with a cotton pad. I can't stress the diluting in a carrier oil step enough– tea tree can burn, especially if you're sensitive like me!
Hello, your blog can gives good ideas but I think you're not totaly zero waste and no so honest
when you pretend to be . The clothes you wear doesn't look at all like second hand, the leather leggins ! your sneakers and high heels… It seems that you like to follow the trends and that you want to wear trendy clothes that are not avaible in second hand stores.
Thank you for calling me trendy. I pride myself on my ability to spot a needle in a haystack so to speak. All of my clothing is secondhand 🙂
Do you have any tips on hot oil treatments for hair? I mean, when I use a spray bottle it's plastic. Is there an alternative to a plastic spray bottle? Thanks!
Do you have a recipe for body lotion and face soap?
Hi, I am curious, when you are in a country where it's not safe to drink tapwater, what's your solution? Kelly
Wonderful what you are doing. I would like to know how you composted your organic waste in Paris (where I live). In general, what is your solution for toilet paper?
As long as everybody understands it does nothing long-term, and it is just a hobby, I'm fine with it. Capitalism is unsustainable, and these no trash people are capitalists so they are huge hypocrites. It's called "lifestyle-ism," it's a huge joke in Marxist circles because these clowns think they are somehow saving the environment.
They can read what they want. The blogger's a capitalist so none of what she is doing means anything in terms of sustainability.
Hi Lauren! I found your blog a few days ago and have been enjoying it. I aim to travel with only a carry-on as well, and I'd like to take reusable containers. How did you get around the liquids restrictions? The glass jars don't look like they would pack well…
Hi Lauren, I know this is an older post…but just the same I wanted to say bravo! Thanks for inspiring us to live simpler, healthier, more abundantly by being better stewards of this beautiful planet we call home.
really nice post. Thank you.
really nice post. Thank you.