Most of the waste we create on holiday isn't planned. It's the bottle of water bought at the airport, the plastic bag from a corner shop, the tiny hotel shampoo we open once. None of it feels like much on its own, but over a week away it adds up.

The good news is that most of it can be avoided before you even leave home.

Pack a small low-waste kit

Keep a few reusables together so they go into every bag without thinking:

• A refillable water bottle (fill it after security at the airport)
• A folded cotton tote for shopping, beach days and markets
• A cutlery set or a spork, and a cloth napkin
• Solid shampoo and soap bars, which need no plastic bottle and no liquids bag

Choose the slower option when you can

For shorter distances in Europe, the train is often a realistic alternative to flying, and you arrive in the centre of town rather than at an airport outside it. A good holdall that fits in the luggage rack makes it easy.

Say no to the small extras

Hang up your hotel towel so it isn't changed every day, skip the single-use toiletries, and refuse the bag at the till when you can carry things yourself. Small refusals are the easiest wins.

Support the place you're visiting

Eat where locals eat, buy from markets rather than chains, and take a bag of your own when you do. Food from a market stall usually comes with far less packaging than a supermarket meal deal.

Take only memories, leave only footprints.

None of this needs to be perfect. Pick two or three habits that suit the way you travel and let them become routine.

Find a bag for your next trip