• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • About Mindful Momma
    • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • My Book
    • Privacy Policy
  • Get Started
    • Start Here
    • Mindful Momma Mailing List
    • FREE Sustainable Swaps Guide
    • Resource Library (Subscribers only)
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle Info
    • Healthy Home
    • Zero Waste
    • Reusable Products
    • Sustainable Fashion
  • Food
    • Healthy Food
    • Recipes
    • Health Remedies
  • Products
    • Non-Toxic Product Guides
    • Non-Toxic Beauty
    • Non-Toxic Cleaning
    • Non-Toxic Kitchen
    • Non-Toxic Home
    • Non-Toxic Baby
    • Non-Toxic Mattresses
    • Brand Reviews
  • Do It Yourself
    • DIY Beauty
    • DIY Cleaning
    • Crafts
  • Shop
    • Marketplace
    • Non-Toxic Product Guides
    • Eco-Friendly Brands Guide
    • Green Cleaning Kickstart
    • Easy Home Detox Online Course
    • Mindful Momma Digital Products
  • FREE Resources

Mindful Momma

Simple Inspired Natural Living


Vacation Observations

Tweet
Share
Pin

IMG00109-20110722-1933 As someone who tries to live as practically green as possible, I attempt to take that philosophy on the road with me when I travel. We just got back from a 9 day family vacation. Most of it was spent at a rustic cabin on a private lake in the woods of Wisconsin. Then we road-tripped to the sand dunes of Indiana on Lake Michigan. Here are some observations:

  • It’s possible to travel relatively waste-free if you bring your own water bottles and snacks and eat at sit-down restaurants instead of fast-food places. We had surprisingly little trash – but then again, we weren’t driving across the country like we did last year.
  • Shopping at a rural grocery store can be a challenge, but if you stick to the perimeter and avoid too much junk food, you’ll be OK. (we usually give in to a little bit of junk on vacation anyway!)
  • I’m not sure there’s a big environmental advantage to using an outhouse – but we did it for 6 days and survived!
  • The worst part about hotel breakfast buffets is not the food, it’s the styrofoam. We suffered through it one morning but chose to eat at a different place (with real plates!) the next morning.
  • When you are in the water all day, every day – you go through a ton of sunscreen. I’m a fan of Marie Veronique KidSafe sunscreen and Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stuff but I can’t always afford to buy the pricey sunscreen. I ended up using Water Babies Pure & Simple sunscreen on this trip. It’s the safest mass-market sunscreen product that I have found (it scores a 3 on Skin Deep). What is your favorite affordable sunscreen?
  • Safer sunscreens have their drawbacks. My kids are begging me for the spray kind that “everyone else uses” because they hate how long it takes to rub the sunscreen in. How do your kids handle this?
  • I desperately need to find a non-toxic bug spray that actually works. We were in the woods with some mean bugs and I gave in to the Deet a couple times. Advice, anyone?
  • You can survive a heat wave without air conditioning….if you are at the lake! The temp was in the mid-90’s but we were in the water 2-3 times per day – even me – the one who is a total wimp about cold water. πŸ™‚

Do you have any green, travel tips to share?

(Full disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you purchase something through a link, a teeny, tiny percentage will come back to me. Thank you very much if you do!)

Sustainable Swaps Guide

Related

  • For The Love of Vinegar…Top 15 Ways to Use it in the HomeFor The Love of Vinegar…Top 15 Ways to Use it in the Home
  • How Period-Proof Underwear Help Me and the PlanetHow Period-Proof Underwear Help Me and the Planet
  • The Best Organic Crib Mattress to Protect Your Bundle of JoyThe Best Organic Crib Mattress to Protect Your Bundle of Joy
  • Non-Toxic & Eco-Friendly School Supplies for the Best Year YetNon-Toxic & Eco-Friendly School Supplies for the Best Year Yet
Tweet
Share
Pin

Filed Under: Education, Energy Efficiency, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

About Mindful Momma

Micaela Preston is natural living educator and safe and sustainable product activist. She has spoken at conferences and events, has lobbied for safer chemical laws, and has consulted with many brands and businesses. Her book, Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco Friendly Decision Making was published in 2009.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Sarah Milcetic says

    July 28, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    Hmm… I think my comment disappeared after I signed in. Hopefully this isn’t a duplicate. The last time I stayed at a hotel with breakfast that had disposable plates and utensils, I asked very nicely if I could have a real plate. The hotel worker was very nice and showed me where all the real stuff was hiding in the cabinet under the disposables!

    Reply
  2. Ruth Pfeiffer says

    July 29, 2011 at 8:03 am

    We all use to many disposables these days. Our life styles are in such a hurry that we don’t take the time to “smell the roses”. We want convenience which means quick and disposable. Disposable means bigger land fills and more toxicants. We need to slow down and take the time to wash our own clothes, baby diapers, dishes, etc. and not buy something new every week and then throw it away. Reuseing will also save you money. If you add up all the money you spend on disposables it would shock you. Keep that in mind when you go to the store.

    Reply
  3. Micaela says

    August 1, 2011 at 7:59 am

    I agree Ruth – I try hard to buy reusable instead of disposable. Of course, it isn’t always possible but if you do it as often as you can, you’ll make a big difference in the long run!
    Thanks for your comment!

    Reply
  4. haleystrahan says

    August 2, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    I really like the All Terrain Kidsport Spray sunscreen. I can’t stand smearing gooey natural sunscreen on squirmy kids. We recently got back from Jackson Hole, WY where we hiked around water a lot and the mosquitos were BRUTAL. I brought along Bite Blocker Xtreme-worked like a charm and I even converted some DEET devotees.

    Reply
  5. shannon says

    August 3, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    i really appreciate your posts on what you do try to live as green as possible when you’re on vacation. i find the posts very helpful! πŸ™‚ re: sunscreen. we’ve kinda just stuck to the “expensive” “safer” sunscreens. my kids learned a good lesson this summer when they were with relatives all day at the beach (my husband and i weren’t there), and their auntie used that “spray” sunscreen on them. according to relatives, they kept reapplying sunscreen on the kids all day. but, i was horrified in the evening when we saw our kids and they were VERY sunburned! the worst i have seen on them. kids were in pain for a couple days, they peeled, etc. now when i tell them to get the badger sunscreen (which has worked very well for us–all day at the beach in water), they just get it, don’t complain, put it on, and reapply when necessary.

    re: bugs. once in a while i sign my children up for a “nature” program during intersession sessions from school. there are mosquitos and children are told to bring some sort of protection from the mosquitos. i was looking for a natural bug spray at a health food store a few years back and the person working there told me to use lavender oil. she said she used it deep in the mountains where there were a lot of mosquitos and she didn’t get any bites. so, i tried it on my kids (tested it on myself as well), and it worked! just rub a few drops of the oil over the body and done. not sure how it would work for other bugs, but it worked for the mosquitos. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  6. shannon says

    August 3, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    oh…re: the sunscreen…i don’t mean anyone should have their kids get burned to learn a lesson on using sunscreen! yikes! i was just sharing my experience of how my kids have stopped complaining about the sunscreen. πŸ˜€

    Reply
  7. Micaela says

    August 5, 2011 at 8:13 am

    Haley – thanks so much for your suggestions on the sunscreen and bug spray. I’ve got them on my shopping list!

    Reply
  8. Micaela says

    August 5, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Shannon – sorry to hear about your kids sunburn experience – that’s no fun at all. I’m glad to hear that lavender oil worked as a bug repellent for you. I’ll give it a go again….

    Reply
  9. Fran says

    August 16, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    I just found this blog. For bugs, I use Repel by Canyon Creek Soap Company. (I think it is Canyoncreeksoapcompany.com, but you can google the name.)

    Reply
  10. Micaela says

    August 18, 2011 at 8:10 am

    Hi Fran – Thanks for tip about the Canyon Creek Soap Co. product – I’ll keep my eye out for it! πŸ™‚

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi there – I’m Micaela!

Micaela Preston I'm here to help you make lifestyle and product choices that are better for your health & the planet!
Read More…

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Sustainable Swaps Guide

Don’t Miss These Popular Posts:

Non-Toxic Laundry Fresheners & Scent Boosters
Natural Baby Products
Non-Toxic Shampoo Brands

Footer

Work With Me

Click here for more information about working with me.

Categories

Archives

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© 2022 · Mindful Momma · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT