The Altruistic Traveller
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Africa
    • Cambodia
    • Colombia
    • Europe
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Mexico
    • Nepal
    • Philippines
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
  • Travel Resources
    • What is Responsible Tourism?
    • How to be a Sustainable Traveller
    • What is Community-based Tourism
    • Responsible Volunteering
    • The Rise of Impact Travel
    • Ethical Animal Encounters
    • The Importance of Fair Trade
    • Responsible Travel Websites
    • Sustainable Tourism Organisations & Experiences
    • Sustainable Tourism Podcasts
    • Travel Insurance (that covers COVID-19)
  • About
    • Bianca’s Story
    • The Altruistic Traveller Story
    • Personal Stories
    • Podcast Interviews
    • Bee Designs Co
    • SustainAffiliate
  • Media
    • Featured In
    • Work with me
    • Book a Podcast Interview
  • Contribute
    • List a Sustainable Tourism Organisation or Experience
  • Contact Me

The Altruistic Traveller

Banner
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Africa
    • Cambodia
    • Colombia
    • Europe
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Mexico
    • Nepal
    • Philippines
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
  • Travel Resources
    • What is Responsible Tourism?
    • How to be a Sustainable Traveller
    • What is Community-based Tourism
    • Responsible Volunteering
    • The Rise of Impact Travel
    • Ethical Animal Encounters
    • The Importance of Fair Trade
    • Responsible Travel Websites
    • Sustainable Tourism Organisations & Experiences
    • Sustainable Tourism Podcasts
    • Travel Insurance (that covers COVID-19)
  • About
    • Bianca’s Story
    • The Altruistic Traveller Story
    • Personal Stories
    • Podcast Interviews
    • Bee Designs Co
    • SustainAffiliate
  • Media
    • Featured In
    • Work with me
    • Book a Podcast Interview
  • Contribute
    • List a Sustainable Tourism Organisation or Experience
  • Contact Me
Sustainable Travel

How to travel with contact lenses while practising sustainable tourism

by Guest Submission April 19, 2021April 25, 2021
written by Guest Submission April 19, 2021April 25, 2021
travel-with-contact-lenses-sustainable

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

Travelling with contact lenses is challenging enough as it is, but travelling with contact lenses while doing your best to follow sustainable tourism practices? For many people, that seems almost impossible.

The good news is that it isn’t impossible—it just takes a little bit of research, planning, and effort. If you want to travel with contact lenses while being a responsible traveller, here are five things you can do.

Wear bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses

When travelling, it’s common for contact lens wearers to bring and wear daily disposable (dailies) contact lenses. Wearing dailies is easy and convenient because you remove them at night and start with a fresh pair the next morning. With dailies, there’s no cleaning and storage to worry about.

However, dailies are the least sustainable type of contact lenses. Contact lenses are made of non-biodegradable plastic materials, which means they make a significant contribution to the world’s already huge plastic pollution problem. Wearing dailies adds to plastic pollution because you have to replace and dispose of your contact lenses every day.

The more responsible way to travel with contact lenses is to wear bi-weekly or monthly lenses on your trip. You’ll have to follow a strict cleaning and storage regimen, but you won’t have to replace your contact lenses every day. The less plastic you have to throw away during your trip, the better it will be for the environment.

If you currently wear dailies, consult with your eye care professional about switching over to bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses before going on your trip. You can also choose to continue wearing bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses permanently and be a much more responsible consumer.

Pack a screw-on contact lens case

A screw-on contact lens case is the ideal container for bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses. We recommend packing two for your trip. It’s always a good idea to have a spare contact lens case available just in case something happens to the one you’re using.

High-quality screw-on contact lenses are made using durable materials, which means they’re able to withstand the rigours of travel and being inside your bag or backpack for hours on end. Another benefit of screw-on contact lenses is that they’re watertight. As long as you properly close the lid, the disinfecting solution won’t leak out.

Bring travel-sized bottles of contact lens solution

International travel restrictions make it all but impossible to bring large bottles of contact lens solution. Transferring the solution from large bottles to smaller bottles isn’t the answer either because you risk contaminating the solution.

When it comes to bringing contact lens solution for a trip, the best thing you can do is buy travel-sized bottles of contact lens solution that come in 2-ounce or 4-ounce variants. A 2-ounce bottle of contact lens solution lasts one to two weeks. If you’re planning a two-week trip, then it’s safe to buy a 4-ounce.

While buying travel-sized bottles of contact lens solution may not seem economical, it’s the only option you have considering that there’s virtually no way for you to bring your large bottles of contact lens solution with you.

You can recycle your bottles of contact lens solution once you’ve emptied them. That way, you minimize the impact of plastic pollution on the environment.

Always travel with up-to-date prescription eyeglasses

Avoid the temptation of leaving your eyeglasses at home, even if you don’t think you’ll be wearing them on your trip. It’s always good to have a contingency when you’re travelling because you can never be sure of what might happen. You might suffer an eye allergy or infection during your trip that makes wearing contact lenses difficult.

Travelling with your prescription eyeglasses means that your vision stays sharp and clear even without contact lenses.

In case you don’t have up-to-date prescription eyeglasses, visit your eye care professional before your trip. That way, you’ll be able to bring these eyeglasses with you on your trip. Just make sure that you protect your eyeglasses by storing them in a hard and sturdy case. You don’t want your eyeglasses breaking during a trip.

Bring a copy of your updated prescription

Always have a copy of your updated eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions handy when taking trips. This way, you can easily purchase eyeglasses or contact lenses in cases of emergency where you need to replace lost, damaged, or defective eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The values listed on your prescription are universal, meaning they will be understood by any eye care professional, pharmacy, or eyewear retailer anywhere in the world. 

Ensure that your prescription is up-to-date by getting an eye exam one or two weeks before you leave for your trip. In light of the pandemic, the most convenient way to get an eye exam right now is to take them online. 

Online vision tests are accurate and simple. They’re also 100% safe and convenient since you take them from the comfort of your home. Online vision tests function just like the tests that eye care professionals perform in their offices. When you’re done with your online vision test, a licensed eye care professional will review your results and provide you with an updated copy of your prescription.

Travelling with contact lenses while being a responsible traveller and following sustainable tourism practices may require some effort, but all that effort is worth it. By taking a little time and effort, you help protect your destination’s environment and minimise the waste that naturally comes with travelling and tourism.


This post was contributed by Jericho Gonzales, a Content Marketing Specialist at Lens.com. Writing is his passion, and he specialises in tech-based and consumer product-based writing. His other passions lie in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. When he isn’t busy with wordcraft, he loves to immerse himself in those worlds through novels, video games, TV shows, or movies.

0 comment
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinRedditStumbleuponEmail
previous post
Where to buy fair trade products in Sydney, Australia
next post
Where to find a beach clean-up in Sydney, Australia

You may also like

Travel Bloggers Share Their Off-Season Travel Experiences

May 24, 2019

Visiting the Maldives Most Eco-friendly Local Island |...

October 25, 2018

The one Experiencing Rural Tourism in India at...

December 28, 2018

6 things to ponder if you’re looking to...

January 31, 2019

Helping to Rebuild Nepal | Volunteering with Conscious...

April 7, 2019

How to Say “No Straw Please” in 40...

April 3, 2019

These Organisations Will Inspire You To Save Our...

June 4, 2019

How to Talk to Your Friends About Sustainability...

July 9, 2019

A Flying Shame – My Thoughts On The...

August 10, 2019

The Reusable Items Packing List Every Traveller Needs

August 9, 2019

About Bianca

About Bianca

The Altruistic Traveller

I am an Australian-Maltese freelance journalist, blogger & podcast host specialising in stories that ignite thoughts surrounding compassion, ethics and the happiness of all beings. Through my work, I aim to promote ethical values and give a voice to those who are making the world a better place.

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Linkedin Spotify

Sign up for the Newsletter

Subscribe my newsletter for new blog posts, tips & travel advice.

Listen to The Altruistic Traveller Podcast

Get Travel Insurance

incurance-that-covers-covid-19

Offset Your Travel with Offsetra

Offset Your Travel with Offsetra

Save $$$ on your currency conversion while you travel

Transfer-wise

House Sit & Travel The World

trusted-housesitters

Learn a language online with Live Lingua

Responsible Travel (Virtually) with I Like Local

I-like-local

Browse Sustainable Travel experiences on the Greener Act App

Greener Act App Button

JOIN THE IMPACT TRAVEL ALLIANCE MEDIA NETWORK

Are you a content creator specialising in sustainable travel? Join the ITA media network.

Meet local heroes and find local experiences with LocalsFromZero

LocalsFromZero Network

Book Travel with Kiwi


Learn how to become location independent

Use code thealtruistictraveller10 for 10% off courses

NomadsSkillshare

Dine with Locals on EatWith

eat-with-coupon-7B728BBE

Find Ethical Food Venues Nearest to you with Fair Food Forager

fair-food-forager

LATEST TRAVEL TIPS

Subscribe my newsletter for new blog posts, tips & travel advice.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Email
  • Soundcloud
  • Spotify
  • RSS

@2021 - The Altruistic Traveller. Developed by Cybernite Technologies.
The Altruistic Traveller uses affiliate links. If you make a purchase using a link we may receive a commission. Such revenue helps keep this website running, and allows us to keep the content free for readers like you.
This website uses cookies. To learn more or opt-out please visit our Privacy Policy.


Back To Top