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Even if you are ultra eco-conscious and NEVER use plastic water bottles, when you travel out of the country, it’s a different story. You have to drink filtered water or you can get really sick. Trust me, I know. I’ve had Giardia and you don’t want it! This usually usually means that you have to go through dozens of plastic water bottles on a single trip.
Lots of the countries that I travel to don’t have trash collection like we do here in the states. If you are close to the ocean there’s a good chance that your plastic bottle could end up there. There’s already so much plastic in the ocean. Just the other day ANOTHER whale beached that died of thirst and starvation from the large amount of plastic found in its stomach.
So what can you do? You have to drink clean water, but you don’t want to contribute to the massive plastic problem. That is why I was so happy to discover SteriPEN. I learned about the SteriPEN from the travel health clinic I visited to make sure I was up to date on my vaccinations. The travel doctor recommended I get one before I went on my Mount Kenya expedition. I love it so much now I never travel internationally without it.
The SteriPEN is like a mini light saber that kills bacteria and viruses (including the awful Giardia that I had). All you do is press the buttons and then hold it in your Nalgene bottle (or other receptacle) until the UV lights go off. This indicates that it is done. Now when I travel, I love knowing that I don’t have to worry about buying water and that I am not contributing to our massive plastic problem.
If you are traveling to Mexico or anywhere else by the beach for spring break, please consider buying a SteriPEN! I traveled all throughout Kenya, Mexico, and Colombia with my SteriPEN and I never got sick. I will never go back to plastic water bottles.
This video explains how easy it is to use a SteriPEN:
For more on how you can help the planet by making better purchases, check out “5 Easy Changes to Your Diet to Help the Planet.”
