Before you embark on any type travel, you need to pack, which is sometimes daunting. Deciding what to pack can leave you with a headache, and you ask yourself "which essential items do I need", and "what should I not pack?" 

We have been travelling full time in Asia for over two years, and have perfected the ultimate packing list. Whilst we may not have perfected how to travel light, we certainly know which items we cannot do without.

We have been using this essential international travel packing list for many years, and it’s worked for us so far!

We have stayed in All Inclusive resorts, been on luxury tours, gone camping and now we are backpacking, plus we have stayed in every type of B&B and hotel in between. In other words, we know what we are talking about. Regardless of your age, how you are travelling and where you are going, we know the essential items to pack for worldwide travel.

We cover everyday essentials such as toiletries and electronics, how to travel plastic free,  which medication you should take, anti-theft protection, plus even what bag to take.
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This is Feet Do Travel’s ultimate packing list; all tried and tested! What we carry and why.

Sitting on my balcony in Leyte, listening to the waves gently lapping against the shore, I looked out over Sogod Bay. Somewhere out there are whale sharks. The gentle giant of the ocean and the largest fish in the world.

In the Philippines you can swim with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu where sightings are 100% guaranteed, but as a responsible traveller, we chose to visit Southern Leyte. 

The reason? They offer the best place for whale shark watching in the Philippines in a natural, sustainable way. No feeding, no touching, no ticket numbers, no queuing up on a beach for two hours with hundreds of other people in the blazing sun waiting for your allocated slot, no man with a mega phone yelling that your 30 minute time is up. 
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Swimming and snorkelling with whale sharks in the Philippines is big tourism, and Oslob, Cebu has the most un-natural, circus style experience you can have. In contrast, Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte offered the most sustainable swimming with whale shark experience in the Philippines.

Feet Do Travel show you that it’s possible to swim with whale sharks ethically in the Philippines. 

Do you want to reduce your single use plastic but don’t know where to start? Have you become more aware how much plastic waste is around?  If you need tips for living with less plastic, I’m here to tell you that it’s a lot easier than you think – honestly!

If you are having these thoughts, you have made the first step – you are aware that something needs to be done. 

Recycling plastic is fantastic, but we are producing and using more than our planet can handle. The way forward is to use less plastic in our life, and stop being a single use plastic society.

I'm sure you already know about the Great Garbage Patch, but here are a few more frightening facts for you that are closer to home:

• December 2018, a global study revealed that 100% of sea turtles tested were found with plastics in their stomach.
• November 2018, a dead sperm whale washed onto a beach in Indonesia filled with 1,000 pieces of plastic in its gut.
• October 2018 - a study on human stools found nine different types of plastic in every sample tested. Studies are now being done to find out the impact this has on human health. You read that correctly – humans are eating plastic.

Scary isn’t it - but it’s not too late. Large companies all around the world are taking steps to reduce their single use plastic so you are not alone, and if we all do our bit, we can #beatplasticpollution.

If you don’t know where to start, we will break it down for you. Our aim is give simple ideas for you to switch every day products that will be the most effective. These suggestions are very important for when you travel, because not all overseas countries have effective recycling/waste management systems.

Feet Do Travel share tips for living and travelling with less plastic. 

Palm Oil is the new bad-buzz word right now, and rightfully so. You may have seen the various campaigns about how we are killing Orangutans at an alarming rate.

Palm Oil is the new plastic. It’s a secret killer.

The Palm oil industry is contributing to the extinction of the Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhino and Sumatran Elephant who are all in critical danger. If we don’t act now, these beautiful creatures could be extinct because of us.

Deforestation of Borneo’s rainforests is also escalating climate change. As humans we need trees for a healthy planet.

Palm Oil is in 50% of the products on our supermarket shelves, and in 50% of the green biodiesel in our cars. Not so “green” after all. In some parts of the world, there are no alternatives to buying products that contain palm oil. Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world.

Yes the orang-utans are losing their habitat and have been annihilated, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not palm oil that is killing the Orangutans, it’s the unsustainable methods used.  

So what can we do about it? Why don’t we stop using palm oil completely? Are there sustainable methods? The keywords to remember here are sustainable palm oil, simply boycotting or cutting out palm oil completely causes other issues.

If you care about the Orangutans, if you want to be someone who makes a difference, we explain the various ways in which you can. Feet Do Travel show you palm oil free and sustainable palm oil products for men, women and for when you travel. 

The world is becoming more conscious about the environment every year, and there should be no exception at Christmas time.

Green is the colour associated with this festive time of year, but we want to show you how you can be green in an environmental way. Implementing just a few of this ideas can make a big impact, remember the saying “it’s only one straw, said eight billion people”, the same is true at Christmas, and all the wastage produced for one day.

Before you think having an eco-friendly Christmas means being “bah humbug” read on! We show you it’s actually the opposite. With just a bit of extra thought and switching to a couple of these suggestions, it will in fact mean you have more fun, and show more thoughtfulness.
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Feet Do Travel share 10 easy tips for a green, eco-friendly Christmas this year … and every year.

Cat and dog lovers of the world take note: Siem Reap Pagoda Cats is better than any cat café you could ever visit!

More than 30 cats and 8 dogs live with monks at this one particular Pagoda, and they would love for you to visit and pet them (the cats and dogs, not the monks, you are not allowed to pet the monks).

These cats and dogs crave attention, they want you to stroke them, pick them up and give them a cuddle. You could have five cats and three dogs around you, all begging to be next in line for your attention. As an animal lover, who doesn’t want that?

All animals are unwanted and were brought to the monks to look after. An unexpected litter, high medical fees, or stray animals found in the street are just a few of the reasons people take cats and dogs to pagodas in Cambodia.
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If you want the most heart-warming, natural animal encounter when you visit Cambodia, a visit to Siem Reap Pagoda Cats is a must!

Plastic Free travel is easier than you think.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past couple of years, you will know our world has a plastic problem.

Sadly plastic pollution is everywhere. No country, no matter how remote has been spared.

When we travel, it’s so easy to forget that many countries don’t have the same facilities we are used to, and consumption of single use plastic creeps into our travel. Despite our well-meaning intentions back home, when we travel, it’s so easy to end up using far more plastic than we would like or need to.

But it’s possible to do something about it. I am here to tell you that it is possible to reduce our single use plastics when we travel.
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Next time you pack, remember these 7 plastic free travel tips.

Greenpeace says “Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our oceans, eaten by our fish and even in our sea salt. Plastic has invaded our natural world”.

The world has a plastic problem. Every day on my Facebook feed I see news reports and graphics showing how devastating and far reaching the effects are. This problem is 100% caused by human activity. It is humans that have done this to our world.

Tens and thousands of animals and seabirds die each year from entanglement, ingestion and suffocation.

If fish are eating plastic particles, chemicals from the plastics remain in the fish, then we eat fish. Humans are inadvertently ingesting plastic particles in the food we eat.

The 2018 World Oceans Day Action Plan is “Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean”

We have lived on the paradise island of Gili Air, Indonesia for over a year, and have seen with our own eyes how plastic has affected our oceans, and our world. 

But all is not lost. I am humbled by the dedication and commitment of islanders and organisations who are trying to make a difference. Trying ... and succeeding. They are proof that if you work together, if you make changes, if you educate (and are prepared to learn) and more sustainable methods are taught, you CAN make a difference.

I love animals, it’s as simple as that. Just like most animal lovers, I enjoy close up animal encounters, however in the tourist industry, this isn’t always in the animal’s best interest.
 
Elephants are a classic example. Finding a true ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand isn’t as easy as you would think. We wanted no riding, no bathing, no mud baths, and all did at least one of these.

During the four months I spent touring Africa, I encountered many elephants in their natural habitat. Aything less than seeing these beautiful, intelligent, high spirited animals roaming free saddens me. 

Everyone knows that elephant tourism in places like Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and even Bali means these gentle giants have suffered for the pleasure of humans. How on earth was I able to get a close-up experience with them, knowing they were not “performing”?

Volunteering was a great place to start, but which out of the plethora of sanctuaries would I choose when I was visiting Thailand?

Elephant Valley Thailand was the one for me!

Our Oceans are incredibly important to our planet, not just for the marine life within in it, but for humans and animals on land. Covering 72% of the earth, did you know oceans produce more than half the oxygen we breath, and absorb the most carbon from our atmosphere. We would, quite simply, not be able to survive without the oceans. 

​A healthy ocean means a healthy planet.

World Ocean’s Day is a global day of ocean celebration to honour, help protect and conserve the world’s Oceans. It’s a day to appreciate how valuable oceans are to the way we live our lives and to show the issues our oceans are facing so we can all do our bit to ensure its health.

Our Oceans, Our Future