Whether you’re planning an action-packed weekend or a gap year of globe trotting, read on for essential info.

Give your gear away

Turn your fashion disaster travel apparel into something good.If you don’t use it anymore or you’ve had it since back in the ‘80s when fluorescent pink and green stripes were in then send it to Gear4Good to make a difference. They will pass it on to those who could make fantastic use out of it. www.gear4good.org

Get screened

We all know that the most essential item to pack for our holidays is sunscreen so keep it green with Green People products. They’ve done away with all unnecessary synthetic ingredients but will protect you from the sun just as well as any others. www.greenpeople.co.uk

Smell’s good

Going away and not sure what perfume will suit your mood? The Bodyshop’s Invent Your Scent fragrance kit contains six little bottles, small enough to be allowed in hand luggage and ideal to prevent breakages. To top it off the packaging is all fully recyclable. Retailing £16.00 they can be bought in store or on line at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Finger on the pulse

Lonely Planet’s annual Travellers’ Pulse survey, which polled over 24,500 people worldwide, showed 70% of travellers said they had purposefully travelled in a low-impact way in the past, and over 90% of people said they would or might do so in the future. The survey also revealed that the majority of travellers are worried about carbon emissions from flying, with only 7% saying that they did not think aircraft carbon emissions were a concern. Do your bit at www.climatecare.org

Charge on

Taking lots of gadgets with you on your trip? Then the last thing you want is to lug around wires, cables and chargers. Instead pack a Solar Technology Freeloader solar charger, which is small, lightweight and has a charging tip for most items. But he best thing of all is that its environmentally friendly using the sun not the mains to give you power. Alternatively you can connect it to a USB port and charge off your computer! www.ecoelectricals.co.uk

Buzz Off

Keep those pesky little mozzies at bay with no environmental impact. MozzyOff has no damaging chemicals buts is still a powerful safeguard against being bitten and it doesn’t smell too bad either! Even the packaging is recyclable. www.mozzyoff.com

Not so babyish

Baby wipes are essential travel packing so be sure to go natural with Natracare’s totally organic wipes, which are biodegradable and as such the most eco friendly ones around. www.natracare.com

Stylish storage

The Clippykit washbag is the perfect solution for stashing all your beauty products neatly away whilst giving you a chance to keep your keepsakes safe. What’s more you can decorate it with reminders of home or trinkets that you pick up along your travels. Cute and practical – could you ask for more? Extra tip – keep a hook at hand so you can hang it up on the bathroom door.

Iron it out

Need to iron something but don’t have an iron? Your hair straighteners might just do the job! Think about it – its like a mini trouser press!

Make-up Magic

For one step to sheer make up perfection be sure to take with you Pixi’s hydrotint duo, a tinted moisturizer, lip & cheek tint, sunscreen and day cream all in one, which is perfect for every skin tone and every washbag! Throw in a mascara and you have all the make up essentials that you will need.

Knotty hair from the surf?

Dry shampoo is the classic solution. It’s ideal for use if you are in the middle of nowhere with no water to give yourself a full wash – helping you to restore your crowning glory, look that little bit more styled and feel fresh and clean. Try Batiste Dry Shampoo

Suitcase Essential!

Essential beauty packing is made easy with L’Occitane’s 100% Shea Butter. This intensive balm can be used to nourish the body, hands and feet or to condition and style hair. It can also be used as a lip balm and cuticle cream and is full of protective agents. It is super rich and so a little goes a long way and as it is a solid product you don’t need to worry about messy spills.

Magical Mitts

The Magic Mitt is truly that, a magical mitt that easily and gently removes every trace of dirt and make up from your face, without damaging your skin. In fact it gives you a glowing and healthy complexion in just seconds! Small and light and with no need for face-ash it is ideal for space saving.

Shot in the dark

If you’re asthmatic you should definitely pick up a glowcap, a fantastic little device that will help you find your inhaler in the dark. After just eight minutes of exposure to natural sunlight it will glow for up to 12 hours and so you will have no problems finding your inhaler in dark moments of emergency.

One for all

The Infinity Dress is an absolute God-send to the traveller. This one dress can be twisted and turned to create a limitless number of different looks – perfect for daytime or evening wear, it is light, non-creasing and sheer genius! And the essential accompanying item is the Multiplunge bra from Wonderbra, which can be worn more than 100 ways! You simply adjust the straps to suit your outfit and voila!

E-Travel Guide

Don’t waste paper and lug heavy loads – download your travel guides right to your MP3. Lonelyplanet has a great choice of travel casts which are free to download. You can even choose to read some of your favourite books on your Ipod so you don’t have to carry them either. Audible have over 10,000 to choose from so you will never run out of reading material!

Recharge your batteries

Forget having to carry loads of spare batteries, instead opt for the USBCELL – a revolutionary and environmentally friendly rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port.

Flare Up

An essential item to keep you safe on your trips is the Flare Safe, a super cool product designed to keep you protected from possible fire.

Stay safe

Though you may not think you need it, this genius smoke detector doubles up as a torch and so seen as you would need to take a torch anyway – why not take one that also has the potential to save your life.

Words: Amy Clarke