Normally when we travel we think about where to go, how much it costs, the best restaurant, the best tour, etc.
However, we left aside one of the main costs and potential problems on your trip, water.
Nowadays, even when we are at home we buy bottled water and when we go on vacation we do the same.
We generally don’t give it much importance, because we have it in good condition, but depending on where you are traveling this can be quite a problem.
A friend went to India and was hospitalized for 15 days due to drinking contaminated water.
Certainly having clean, safe drinking water is absolutely critical to our survival and well-being on the road.
Even slightly impure water can contain cumulative toxins that can gradually build up in our bodies over time, causing long-term damage to our physical health.
What are the water quality conditions?
Potable water
Unfortunately, in many places around the world we can no longer take clean water for granted.
When we travel, especially to developing places with poor sanitation, the water supply is even more suspect.
Water contamination.
Furthermore, we often see reports of contamination of rivers and water sources.
A few days ago we had a report about an industry that threw products into the river and 3 tons of dead fish were removed.
What is the solution for most people?
Buying bottled water is the solution that most travelers adopt to resolve the issue of (drinking) water safety.
However, as we saw in the film, (Slumdog Millionaire?), this choice is very fragile.
In the film Slumdog Millionaire (Slumdog Millionaire?) the character Jamal is working in a restaurant where he fills the bottles with tap water and his partner seals the bottles with a quality seal.
A man in the city of Xinqiao, China, was arrested some time ago after making $22,000 selling tap water to residents.
The pretext is that he was selling famous brands of bottled water, such as Nestlé and Nongfu Spring.
Bottled water is often more expensive than tap water.
Furthermore, it also contributes to the huge global problem of growing plastic waste.
We will eventually be buried under a mountain of self-produced plastic if we don’t do something to stop this environmental catastrophe.
They cause a lot of damage, both to your pocket and especially to the environment.
Problems manufacturing bottles?
In addition to harming the environment after being discarded, the 1-liter plastic bottle consumes 2 to 3 liters of water during its manufacture.
However, we cannot forget that plastic is made from petroleum derivatives, that is, fossil, non-renewable material.
Another factor is the emission of 200 g of carbon (CO₂) per 1-liter bottle manufactured.
So what can we travelers do?
The most practical, efficient and rational thing is not to use disposable plastic bottles.
Of course, we won’t be able to reduce usage to zero, but we can reduce it to almost zero.
With a few simple steps we can reduce a lot.
1 – Obtain low-cost drinking water.
For this, the solution is to have a reliable, easy-to-use water filter that filters 99.999% of impurities, bacteria, etc.
There are many options out there, but the best ones have been tested to the testing standard used by the US military.
With the aim of removing viruses, bacteria, protozoa and sediment from water conditions in the “worst case scenario”
If you are in a hotel, a friend’s house, city or even in nature, you get water from anywhere that is available, free of charge, filter it and you can drink it now.
My choice is MSR filters
2 – Use reusable, durable, BPA-free bottles that are multi-use.
Since you’re traveling, you can’t take everything with you, so a bottle that can be used for different situations is essential, as well as saving space and money.
My companion is Nalgene bottles.
Its characteristics are.
- Extremely durable: My oldest is over 15 years old.
- Leak proof: I carry water or other liquid inside my backpack and it has never leaked.
- Multi-use: Can be used with hot liquid up to 80 degrees and freeze in the freezer, just be careful with the amount of liquid, as the ice expands when freezing.
- Does not taste: Even with different liquids, the taste does not transfer. I use mine for water, juice, wine and coffee.
The MSR filter already connects to the Nalgene bottle so you don’t need to spend money on buying water, you have extremely safe water and there are no plastic bottles to throw away.
How does this strategy work in practice?
On my trip to Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and the Balkan countries in 45 days, I didn’t buy a single bottle of water.
During this period I used 225 liters of water, everywhere I filtered enough water for my daily consumption.
On average, 1 liter of water costs US 1.00 in supermarkets and around US 2.5 in tourist places.
So I saved at least US$225.00 if I bought them all in supermarkets and US$562.50 if I bought them in tourist places.
In addition, there were 225 fewer plastic bottles in the trash and a saving of 675 liters of water by NOT manufacturing these 225 bottles.
But what about when we are not traveling? What to do?
Continue NOT buying bottled water.
Many people, even here in São Paulo, buy bottled water.
That’s why supermarkets are full of bottled water in addition to many distributors offering home delivery.
When I used to buy water the average for 4 people was 2 gallons of 20 liters per week, or 104 gallons, or 2,080 liters per year.
Depending on the container, delivery or collection method, prices may vary, but on average the cost of 1 liter is R$2.00
So, just talking about money, my annual cost was R$4,160.00.
At this time, July 2024, the cost of the 21 to 50 m³ range of Sabesp’s tariff is R$6.32 per m³.
What are my advantages by not buying bottled water?
- Savings are R$4,133.70 per year.
- Living on a sustainable planet and leaving it better for my descendants.
- Reduce global warming and not suffer its consequences.
What are the benefits for the planet?
- Not having 2,080 plastic bottles in the trash.
- As manufacturing a bottle uses 3 liters of water, it saves 6,240 liters.
- Lots of fossil fuel savings when transporting these bottles
- Prevents the emission of approximately 4.16 kilos of CO₂.
Conclusion:
Just with small changes in habits we can save a lot of money and, in addition, save our planet.
See the 12 urgent actions to save the planet.
So let’s save and save the planet?
