{Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels!

Calling all travelers out there! We hope you’ll join us in making an impact through your travels!

You see, we realized many years back that when we open those little toiletries we get at hotels, they get discarded when we check out even if we did not use them! So, we brought them back with us. We’re also guilty of  taking some unopened ones home with us because we figured we could use some of them for our camping trips! Admit it, some of you take them just because the bottles are just so cute, right?! Jeremy and I have a ton of “little toiletries” from planes and hotels that we’ve accumulated over the years.

Anyhow, we were chatting to a good friend of ours who volunteers at the food bank and she was mentioning how they were putting together little care packages (e.g. soap, toothbrush, toothpaste etc…) because those are essentials that homeless people need too.

That’s when it struck us! If each and everyone of us can bring back those little toiletries we get from our travels and donate them to a local food bank, Goodwill or any charities that help the homeless, these toiletries can be put to good use! All this at no extra cost to travelers!

The care packages we put together to donate to the food bank our friend volunteers at includes: unused airline socks (e.g. Cathay Pacific gives us socks on international flights), little toiletries from hotels, little perfumes (those we get from cosmetic stores etc… for free), toothbrushes & toothpaste (the ones we get from hotels as well as airlines) etc… We are not encouraging that you take everything provided in the hotels (if you dont use them, they will reuse them for the next guest); We’re saying, donate the ones that you already have or for the ones that you’ve opened and just maybe used a little bit, bring those home and donate it.

Image of toiletries to donate

We hope you’ll join us in this initiative and make a little impact in your local community too!

This is our way of making a small difference in this world. What are some other ways you help make a difference through your travels? Do share!

26 Comments

  1. Lauren Norris
    March 9, 2013, 4:59 pm

    I don’t usually stay in places that do this, but when I travel with my family I will definitely think to do this next time. Thank you for taking an initiative to do this! We hope you’ll give this concept a go too! I hate to see things wasted so this is also good from an environmental perspective as well.
    Lauren Norris recently posted..Heather PenkoMy Profile

    • April 14, 2013, 8:43 pm

      Great to hear you’ll give this a go! Every little bit helps!

  2. August 17, 2011, 6:05 pm

    hey Shirls, this is a great idea! Will have to find out where in KL we can pass it on to :-)
    cheers!

  3. June 21, 2011, 6:21 am

    {Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels! http://t.co/EO6EtxV

  4. June 17, 2011, 3:23 pm

    When I was in college a few of the student groups would collect these kinds of items and put together little kits for folks who were homeless and/or at the local women’s shelters. It’s a fantastic use for all those little bottles most of us have, but don’t really know what to do with! :)
    Christy recently posted..We’re heading to London!My Profile

  5. June 16, 2011, 8:22 pm

    What a great idea! I don’t usually stay in places that do this, but when I travel with my family I will definitely think to do this next time. Thanks for the post!
    Matt Hope recently posted..Europe Itinerary Part 1 (Spain and Portugal)My Profile

  6. June 16, 2011, 8:21 pm

    {Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels! http://t.co/Wn5ytIa

  7. June 16, 2011, 3:52 pm

    {Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels! http://t.co/4OiJotV

  8. June 16, 2011, 3:51 pm

    Great idea! Someone, a long time ago, said the same thing but I keep forgetting. Thanks for the reminder. I will try to do a better job. This is so simple and yet can help so much.
    Debbie Beardsley recently posted..Rococo – Flirty & DecadentMy Profile

  9. June 16, 2011, 4:43 am

    That’s a really great idea. And yes, I always steal the leftover toiletries in hotels for my travels. I paid for the room, therefore, I paid for the toiletries :-)
    The Travel Chica recently posted..The Most Gluttonous Night of My Life… So FarMy Profile

  10. June 16, 2011, 3:44 am

    Such a simple yet effective way to help. I hate to see things wasted so this is also good from an environmental perspective as well. Count me in!
    Laurel recently posted..Hiking in KananaskisMy Profile

  11. Jim
    June 15, 2011, 8:12 pm

    Been doing this for many years. Collect as much as we can, then drop of to an orphange somewhere, particularly the smaller underfunded ones. I noted a large well organised one in Phnom Pehn didn’t seem to think they were enough, rather wanted a cash donation.
    Jim recently posted..BALLET PAS DE DEUX – GIRAFFE STYLE. A PHOTO ESSAY.My Profile

    • June 15, 2011, 10:43 pm

      That’s awesome to hear! It’s great to know that there are others making a difference through their travels! Good point about donating to the smaller underfunded charities/orphanages. We’ll keep that in mind for our next round of donations! Keep up your good work :)
      Idelish (Jeremy & Shirlene) recently posted..{USA} Modern Twist to Camping at Rolling HutsMy Profile

  12. June 15, 2011, 6:55 pm

    This is a great idea and reminder. I should be bringing these back home more often.
    adventureswithben recently posted..33 Must-Read Adventures From adventures with benMy Profile

  13. June 14, 2011, 7:18 am

    What a great idea!

  14. June 13, 2011, 2:54 am

    http://t.co/NWbcqYK A novel concept !

  15. June 12, 2011, 11:32 am

    {Worldwide} Make a difference through your travels! http://goo.gl/fb/wiZOJ

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