4 Tips to Make Your Beach Vacation More Sustainable

​Everyone loves a vacation to the beach, but it is important to be mindful of your impact on the environment when enjoying the nature at your favorite ocean-side hangout! These tips will help you protect the tropical paradises you visit and keep them beautiful long into the future.

1) ​Reduce your plastic use

Marine plastic pollution is a huge issue facing our oceans and beaches. On islands or in less-developed areas, even if plastic does get thrown away, they may have no choice but to burn it, which isn’t great for the environment (or people) either. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of the amount of plastic waste you produce while visiting your favorite beach destination.

One easy way to cut down on plastic use is to make sure that you keep a reusable water bottle with you – I always make sure to bring my trusty Nalgene bottle! Sometimes, in places without potable water, there’s no way around buying single-use bottles, but many times there are places to fill up your bottle instead of buying. You can also take advantage of the local tropical fruits for some plastic-free snacks!

2) ​Use reef-safe sunscreen

Protect your skin AND coral reefs with this reef-safe sunscreen! Chemical sunscreens can hurt corals and, added on top of stressors like warming oceans and pollution, can have a significant impact on the survival of these vulnerable species. Next time you go to the beach, remember that a mineral-based sunscreen will help you be kind to yourself and to the ocean life. I really like Stream2Sea sunscreen, but you can use any non-nano mineral sunscreen.

(Tip: Stream2Sea also has a sunburn relief gel that works better than any other after-sun product I’ve ever tried, so consider giving that a shot, too, if you’re ordering from this company!)

Another easy way to prevent skin cancer while keeping coral reefs safe is simply to cover up! I find sunscreen to be a losing battle on boats anyway, so I usually wear long-sleeve shirts and even full-length leggings sometimes if I’m going diving. And of course, I can’t go to the beach without my hat and sunglasses!

3) ​Think about what you put down the drain

It makes sense not to wear chemical sunscreens while swimming in the ocean, but what about when you’re going to be on land for the day? Depending on where you are, it’s important to be aware that what you put down the drain is also destined for the ocean. As a result, you might want to look into personal care products like shampoos and soaps containing natural ingredients that are more likely to break down safely and not pollute nearby water bodies.

4) ​Respect the local wildlife

The most important rule of interacting with wildlife is to maintain a respectful distance. If a sea turtle swims by you, great, but don’t chase it for an Instagram photo. In some places, approaching wildlife is against the law, but even if it’s not (or not enforced), you should still maintain a respectful distance.

Some kinds of wildlife might be hiding in plain sight. If you are in the tropics, a “nice rock to stand on” might actually be a coral! Walking on coral reefs does irreversible damage to thousands of tiny organisms that are vital to the health of our oceans and take a veryyy long time to recover, so when in doubt, it’s best to stay in the sand.

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Keeping these tips in mind will help you make your next beach vacation more sustainable and keep our beaches and coastal areas healthy for years to come!

For more sustainable travel tips, check out this list of eco-friendly personal care products for travel.

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