9 of Our Favourite Eco-Friendly Products for an Ocean-Friendly Holiday

Disclaimer: This post is not in any way sponsored, we’re just passionate about wanting to make sustainable travel as easy as possible for you by providing sustainable packing advice.

As our place of work, rest and play, we are all passionate lovers of the ocean here at Yacht Getaways. With this in mind, it makes sense that we are determined to help keep our seas clean by minimising unnecessary waste and harmful products from entering the ocean.

While careful consideration goes into packing for a holiday, the unfortunate thing is that there are often still items in your suitcase that aren’t kind to the environment. Whether they be packed full of harmful chemicals or packaged in single-use plastic, the good news is that all of these things can actually be replaced with ocean-friendly alternatives. And if it’s that simple, then why would you not?

To help give you some direction, we’ve put together a simple guide to an ocean-friendly packing list full of ethical, sustainable and zero-waste products that will make your sailing holiday as sustainable and smooth sailing as possible (pun intended).

Reusable Drink Bottle

They say that 1 million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and less than half of these are recycled. To avoid purchasing unnecessary single-use plastic bottles while exploring local towns, we recommend bringing your own reusable drink bottle instead. This is one of the most simple yet effective changes you can make to do you bit for the seas!

You can find reusable drink bottles all over the place now but a great option we can recommend is the Welly Insulated Bamboo bottle. Made from sustainably harvested bamboo and stainless steel, this bottle is not only strong and functional but also timelessly aesthetic, making it the perfect eco-friendly hydration fix. Welly also donates 3% of their sales to charity: water to help build clean-water wells and other long-lasting clean water solutions in undeveloped communities worldwide.

Eco-Friendly Tote Bag

Another everyday single-use plastic item that has a huge impact on the environment, and is equally unnecessary, is the plastic bag. Do your part to help reduce the impact plastic bags have on our seas by asking for “no bag” when shopping for snacks or souvenirs in local towns and instead take along a tote bag.

Yacht Getaways provide all guests with a canvas tote bag, so you don’t even need to worry about buying or bringing one on holiday – just don’t forget to take it with you on your daily excursions. Our tote bags are ethically sourced, made with environmentally friendly processes and recycled materials and are also compact enough to roll up in your pocket.

Reusable Straws

When stopping at restaurants for an afternoon refreshment or sunset cocktail, take reducing plastic into your own hands by opting for “no straw” in your drink. Single-use plastic straws are another unnecessary plastic item that pollutes our seas and is one of the main items found during beach clean ups. If you do fancy using a straw for your drink, then we recommend bringing a set of reusable straws along with you.

There are plenty of eco-friendly straws on the market now but one we can recommend is the Hali Hali Stainless Steel Straws. These eco-friendly stainless steel straws are a simple alternative to plastic straws. Not only are they reusable and washable but they are also safe under high temperatures – unlike plastic, which can leach toxins into your beverage. They come in a set of 4 with a straw cleaning brush and a cute fabric pouch so they perfectly fit into a purse.

Sustainable Travel Towel

You won’t need to worry too much about bringing a towel on holiday as Yacht Getaways provide two towels for you to use after swims and showers while onboard the catamaran. With this in mind, a small travel towel can be a great option to take with you on your afternoon island excursions – you never know when you might find a secluded bay calling your name!

If you’re looking to take a small travel towel with you on your sailing holiday, Nomadix Ultralight Towels are a great fast-drying, space-efficient and stylish travel towel that easily tuck away into a daypack. These towels are not only made from certified post-consumer recycled materials, but every purchase also contributes to the non-profit environmental organisation 1% For the Planet.

Ocean Friendly Sunscreen

Protecting our skin from the sun is a vital protective step in our daily skincare routine at sea. While protecting our skin is an absolute necessity, not everyone knows that your average sunscreen has tons of harmful chemicals that are affecting not only our bodies but also our coral and fish. We suggest looking out for a high-SPF sunscreen that is free of 2 common ingredients that scientists have linked with reef damage; oxybenzone and octinoxate. You’ll probably find that many sunscreens are not free of these ingredients nor free of plastic-free packaging.

An eco-friendly sunscreen that’s as good for you as it is for the sea is Raw Elements Certified Natural Sunscreen. This cruelty-free sunscreen is perfect for the face and body, containing 97% certified organic ingredients and is 100% certified natural, featuring non nano Zinc Oxide (making it totally ocean-friendly). It protects against UV-A and UV-B rays and also comes in a reusable, recyclable, plastic-free tin!

Reusable Makeup Wipes

Makeup wipes can be a super handy thing to have with you on a sailing holiday but as they are composed mainly of polyester, they also are the environments worst enemy. With a 400% rise in wet wipes found on beaches and much-loved marine life such as the turtle digesting wipes mistaken for jellyfish; this makes them a huge cause for concern.

Lucky for you, eco-friendly reusable makeup pads are a perfect sustainable alternative that can be used over and over again. We recommend trying something like this 14-set of Bamboo Reusable Makeup Remover Pads made out of organic bamboo fibers. Great for the environment and great for the wallet as you can avoid buying cotton ones over and over again, they also come with a high-quality laundry bag to wash them in.

Bamboo Toothbrush

They say 5 billion plastic toothbrushes are produced worldwide that can never biodegrade, instead polluting the ocean and taking up unnecessary landfill space. With this in mind, making the switch to a natural toothbrush will not only positively impact our ocean but also your health, as chemicals and carcinogens are leached into our blood and tissue on a daily basis.

The Mother’s Vault Mao Bamboo Toothbrush is made entirely from sustainable bamboo with a 100% biodegradable handle, BPA-free bristles and plastic-free compostable packaging. Something like this lets you look after your teeth while looking after the environment at the same time with a portion of every sale donated to nonprofit environmental organization, EarthJustice. It also comes in a pack of four, so you’ve got one for the whole family.

To top off your ocean-friendly dental routine, we recommend trying a zero-waste solid toothpaste like the Miles of Smiles Toothy Tabs by Lush. These tooth tabs are perfect for travelling and easy to use as you simply nibble one tablet between your teeth and start brushing. Using solid toothpaste like this that comes in 100% certified post-consumer material eliminates the unnecessary number of plastic toothpaste tubes causing pollution.

Solid Soap and Hair Care

Avoid the harmful chemicals and plastic packaging of your everyday shampoo and conditioners and opt for a more sustainable option. Solid toiletries are the perfect eco-friendly option and are a great way to eliminate the stress of separating and measuring your liquids for a holiday. They are also super light and take up little to no space in your suitcase. Who wants to be lugging around huge plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner anyway?

Ethique is a New Zealand brand that offers a whole array of eco-friendly solid toiletries from shampoo and conditioner to soap bars. All of their products are vegan, containing sustainably sourced and biodegradable ingredients and packaging. Not only are there products zero-waste but they are also super economical with one shampoo bar equating to 3 standard sized bottles and 1 conditioner bar equating to the same as 5 bottles! And because they are made from natural ingredients, they are super nourishing for your hair, skin and scalp which is exactly what you need when preparing for a week of sun, sea and sand.

Packing Cubes

Want an awesome eco-friendly way to organise all of your new sustainable products? Packing cubes are a game-changer and are the perfect way to create more space in your bag while keeping your suitcase organize. No more scrambling around for ages as you look for your swimming outfit or sunglasses!

Some great environmental cubes we can recommend are Florious Packing Cubes which are made from recycled water bottles. They are reusable, heavy-duty and come in packs of four. Their mesh top is also super helpful for being able to see what’s in each cube during quick repack sessions. Bonus: These can also be perfect to use instead of a plastic bag when separately dirty clothes from the clean.

So, there you have it – there really is a sustainable option for everything you might need for your upcoming sailing holiday. Let your dollar be your voice and reflection of your value for the sea by helping to keep our seas clean with your sustainable product purchases.

We can’t wait to join you for a zero-waste sailing vacation at sea!