52: travel shopping

It's Wednesday. That's been grocery day in the Veit house for as long as I can remember. Going out shopping got me thinking of all of the this-and-thats Joe and I will need to grab before heading to France.

I've created a (still growing) list of things that we need to stock up on to get us started, focusing only on hygiene. We'll deal with any apartment/home needs once we're there. (Not that that is stopping me from bringing my wildflower seeds and sewing kit. A woman can hope.)

We're trying to start of on a very sustainable foot and keep that going for our lives, sharing it with others as much as possible. These are some essentials that were on the list from the beginning:

Okay, so these suitcases are on the wish list rather than the attainable list. They're $340 for not-so-large suitcases, but they're 100 percent post-consumer products, incredibly durable and in gorgeous colors. Of course, my parents step in and remind me to be practical. I guess buying non-recycled suitcases is okay... but that means a lot more traveling to make the investment worth it.

Now for the real essentials: Toms of Maine is my all-time favorite toothpaste, and I want to take loads of it. (Okay, two tubes to last a few months. I have to come to terms with buying a lot while we're their. It's easier for everyone.)

This Burt's Bees sunblock is another wish-ish item at $15/3.5 oz. Confession: I have not been the best at caring for my skin. I always wanted a tan, rarely got one (only that softball tan, with arms and the bit of knee that sticks out between ball socks and sliding shorts). I hated rubbing oily block all over me.

Now that I'm a bit more mature (wearing sunblock and SPF-sporting moisturizer and lip balm), I hate the idea of smearing chemicals and unknown consequences all over my body. I'd love to stick only to the all-natural stuff, but we'll see what happens. I'm looking for a more economical alternative. (Isn't there a vitamin I can swallow that completely blocks UV rays? Come on.)

As I said, I love SPF lip balm, and I have at least four tubes/tubs of Burt's Bees. (I'd be their spokeswoman in a heartbeat. They are, ready for it, the bees' knees. However, I've recently discovered Evolution of Smooth (eos more commonly), and I can't wait to get my hands on their adorable lip balm tubs--price similar to Burts' Bees. They have SPF 15, all natural flavors and neat designs for their product lines.

And, because of the writer in us, I'm making sure we head over their with an Ecosystem Life journal each. We're not shy about our need to write, and I'm not shy about my love of Moleskines... but I'll admit that these have stolen my heart. You can tell that the design was inspired by the Italian original (down to the optional pocket insert), but these manage to be a bit less expensive and sustainably made.