10 Top Tips for Traveling Without Electricity - Part 2
So, lets get straight back to it………
6) Keep It Clean:
You can easily buy multi-purpose eco friendly detergents for washing clothes and dishes - and yourself AND without polluting local waterways. However, differing materials can have very different requirements.
Certain materials are much easier to keep clean or to remove odors from - so make sure you talk to your outdoor specialists to find the best options for your adventure and needs! Also, make sure you talk to the locals where you are staying as they know all the conditions and - as we found out in Costa Rica - $1 wellington boots were 10 times better than $100 walking boots!
7) And Yourself:
Depending on the conditions where you are staying - and the temperature of local rivers and lakes - you can invest in a smart solar shower. You just fill up the bag, hoist up onto a post and allow to warm in the sun. Then simply let out the water when you are ready!
Make sure that you are sensitive to the area though and try to use the smallest amount of toiletries necessary and/or use bio-degradable shower gels and shampoos! And don’t forget that what you are washing off can also cause damage - so limit the perfumes and hair products too!
Dinner Time:
Depending on the length of your stay away, you may need to cook food. Obviously the more ready-to-eat food you can carry in the better so you don’t use any excess resources in the open, but when you do need heat - then a portable stove is the best.
You can use it anywhere without the worry of setting fire to brush or nearby vegetation - and you don’t need to collect up natural resources to burn. Even dead wood and fallen branches are part of the eco-system and many animals depend on them, so take your own fuel!
9) Waterproof Power:
Make sure that you take water-proof matches with you so that when you need light or a flame you are almost 100% guaranteed of it!
Normal matches or even your lighter can stop working if it gets wet or broken - and of course the gas in your lighter won’t last for ever. Whereas these matches are coated in wax that you scratch off to light. So as long as you don’t lose them……
10) Extra Lighting:
If you need extra light around the camp overnight or while you are eating or relaxing, then why not take solar-powered lamps with you.
Lightweight versions or these are available in many stores and you would just leave them in the sun while there was daylight, and switch them on after dusk. No need to worry about wasting candles, watching a fire or pumping your dynamo torch through the evening!
Just sit back and relax!
Obviously, once you get in the habit of these things - you might find that you can save energy back home by doing exactly the same thing - although you’ll have a lovely comfy bed to end up in!

