{"id":13050,"date":"2015-09-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=13050&preview_id=13050"},"modified":"2021-10-13T21:06:07","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T10:06:07","slug":"bottled-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/bottled-water\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the one thing a traveller can definitely do without"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bottled water is an easy habit to get into, but one that makes absolutely no sense when you sit down and think about it.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a product that you can essentially get for free almost anywhere in the world, and it\u2019s slowly choking the environment many of us travel to see in the first place. 2.7 million tonnes of the stuff a year ends up in landfill and our oceans, endangering wildlife and polluting habitats. The simple act of pumping, packaging, transporting and chilling bottled water uses hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil<\/a> and generates tonnes and tonnes of greenhouse gases. All for a product priced at about 1000x cost price.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve partnered with international NGO TAP (that\u2019s Travellers Against Plastic) <\/a>to stamp out plastic bottle use wherever we find it. Here\u2019s how to kick the plastic habit and travel responsibly.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"steri-pen---gabriel-amadeus\"<\/a>

The steri-pen, making water-drinking 50% more Sci-Fi since 1999. Image Gabriel Amadeus, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Our tips for kicking the bottled water habit<\/h4>\n

1. Buy a Steri-Pen<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Steri-Pen is a small, light-eight device that cleans dirty water with ultraviolet light. These are readily available and only cost between $65 and $140 (which averages out to about .01cents per bottle filtered).<\/p>\n

2. Bring a portable canteen<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to find good quality canteens<\/a> now in most major stores. Look for a solid metal one with good insulation (it\u2019ll keep those drinks colder) or a plastic one that\u2019s fully recyclable. Top it up from local fountains and taps, particularly in Europe, the UK and America.<\/p>\n

3. Try a filtration cup<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going somewhere like India or rural South America, where the water quality is a bit suspect, try a filtration flask<\/a>. They\u2019re like a fancy canteen or coffee press that separates the impurities from the water.<\/p>\n

4. Use water filtration tablets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many outdoor shops stock a big range of water filtration tablets<\/a>. They\u2019re pretty easy to use \u2013 just drop one in your water bottle and wait about 30 minutes \u2013 voila! Clear, fresh, drinkable water.<\/p>\n

5. Recycle. Recycle. Recycle<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you slip up and buy bottled water, that\u2019s okay. We\u2019ll still love you. But just make sure you recycle it when you\u2019re done. Choosing the right bin can be the difference between that bottle being recycled and spending the next 700 years (no joke) floating in our oceans.<\/p>\n

Some stats on using plastic bottles<\/h4>\n