Scarves are gold!

I talk to Rebecca Blackburn, environmentalist, science writer and light traveler. 

 A childhood in Afghanistan instilled a love of travel and adventure. Since then Rebecca has travelled to over 50 countries and lived on a Pacific Island. Her goal is to travel with a light footprint.

Rebecca Blackburn, interviewed by Slobodanka Graham at Equinox cafe, Canberra

Rebecca and I had an excellent interview, which you can listen to via the link provided - and read the whole transcript.

What was interesting for me was that Rebecca proved you can be chic and travel light. Yes, scarves are gold! Not just their colour, but their value when travelling: light, multi-functional and stylish.

Also valuable is Rebecca's insight and advice for protecting the environment: see her note about travelling with a Kleen Kanteen.

During our conversation, she referenced quite a few products that interested me - particularly the knee-high woollen socks - you'll have to listen to the interview!

Rebecca's travel light tips

• The knee high wool socks were from Marks and Spencer - no longer being sold. [Ed's note: I found some woollen socks at Icebreaker.]
• The sandals were from Ecco - no longer available. I have also used Birkinstocks which are comfy but not as classy.
• Ultralight weight down coat - available from Uniqlo.
• Light travel trench - Sportscraft - no longer available - an alternative is a Japara - mine comes from Kathmandu but any outdoors shop would do.
• Wool tops - I have a Sportscraft fine wool top which I purchased second hand.
• Thermos - Kleen Kanteen - available in many places on line - and some shops in Australia ie Health Food shops - I think this is essential because it's so wasteful buying water in plastic bottles. It can also be used for coffee or tea. It's so effective at keeping drinks hot I have to leave the cap off for a while before I can drink it. The bottle is stainless steel and so is the cap, so its BPA free. If travelling to a developing country you might need to treat the water with a puri pen.
• Ultra light super strong shopping bag - essential for avoiding plastic bag use and useful for laundry or as a beach bag.  The bags are OEKO-TEX certified. There are other quality brands but avoid the cheap $2 shop bags as they just fall apart.

About Rebecca

As well as being an environmentalist, writer and artist, Rebecca is an aspiring minimalist.

Rebecca Blackburn

She is the author of Green is Good – Smart Ways to Live Well and Help the Planet (HarperCollins). Rebecca writes for a number of magazines and newspapers including Australian Women’s Health, Sydney Morning Herald and Adelaide Advertiser. 

Find out more about Rebecca at The Goldilocks Project.

About the author

Slobodanka sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman nature reserve, New Zealand

I'm Slobodanka Graham, blogger, content entrepreneur and nature lover. Let's do what we can to protect our environment by travelling light. If you like and agree with this post, please share it on your social media.