eco friendly vegan fashion Archives • Cook the Beans

The best Vegan boots for intrepid travellers (USA)

Veganism is more than a diet, is a lifestyle, where we try to avoid all forms of animal exploitation, including contributing to the destruction of ecosystems.

So covers all the choices we make daily, in order to contribute for a greener planet and a more compassionate world.

Shoes are one of those items that are sometimes difficult to find.

You want your shoes to be good for your feet and back, comfortable, good quality and durable, adding to that they should also be stylish, breathable, vegan and the price should be fair.

Vegan shoes

Because I’ve received so many messages about what kind of boots I use and which ones I recommend that are both vegan and suitable for travel, I will leave here my honest opinion, so you don’t need to go through the experience of trial and error.

When travelling you need reliable travel shoes to get you through the day without any pain or blisters.

Vegan travelling boots

Lems Shoes sell my favourite boots to travel, although not all range is vegan they have options.

I find LEMS shoes really really comfortable is like you’re not wearing anything at all. A feeling that I can only find with this brand. The Lems boots are incredibly lightweight I would say they are light as a feather 🙂

Before I started to use these boots I honestly didn’t realize how squished my toes were in my other boots. The only problem is that they are not waterproof, but it’s easy to waterproof them before you go somewhere where is likely to be raining or snowing.

At LEMs shoes, they focus on promoting healthy foot development, better balance, increased mobility in the feet, legs, and back.

They fit the natural shape of the foot, unlike other footwear products that squeeze the toes together. They are perfect for travel, especially if you are a ‘light’ traveller like me.

When travelling, for a month or two a small bag is all I carry with me, I’m quite a minimalist. The fewer things you have to worry about, the more you can focus on the important stuff.

I travelled through many places with these boots with absolutely no problems. I do highly recommend them. They are great for winter weather, they are stylish and comfortable.

These boots make the perfect travel companion, they are lightweight, ultra-minimalist, featuring a wide toebox, compact, zero-drop design, and vegan-friendly (not all range)

What vegan eco-friendly shoes do you use when travelling? please feel free to leave a comment so we can all share our experiences 🙂

*although I’m talking about a specific product I’m not being paid to write this article neither will get any compensation if you make a purchase*

The best Vegan Shoe Brand for intrepid travellers (UK)

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Veganism is not only about food, is a lifestyle present in all the choices I make in my daily life. Is not only about not eating chicken and then buying clothes or shoes made of animal skin.

Leather, suede, wool, silk, mohair, cashmere, real fur and exotic skins like crocodile skin, obviously are all no-gos. However, it’s not only the leather or wool you need to look at when buying shoes, as some large retailers still use animal-derived glue in their products.

For me travel is not about the all-inclusive resort or organized tours, is about being present at the moment, taking part in the culture as much as possible and lose myself into the unknown. I travel independently, without a plan, because I like to decide at the moment and be able to catch all the small opportunities life throws at me.

I travel light, and I know that this style is surely not for everyone. It all ends in the difference between wanting things to needing things. So how many pair of shoes do you really need?

Vegan Shoes

Shoes are probably the one item I normally don’t look at the cost too much because it’s so important that you have something good for your feet, the alignment of the spine, that alleviates strain on the lower back and allow you to walk in a healthier way.
When you travel you’re on your feet from dawn to dusk so comfort, quality and durability is everything.

I’ve been asked wich vegan brands are the best for travelling and to be honest there are a number of great shoe brands that are both comfortable, stylish and vegan.

Will’s vegan Store

Wills vegan store is a UK brand but they ship worldwide.

Will’s Vegan Store is brand dear to my heart because not also makes 100% vegan footwear but they are also ethically made and environmentally sustainable, so they really tick all the boxes.

Their shoes are all made in Portugal and Italy, so as you know I’m Portuguese and I can tell you that we are really good at making shoes, we are not just a sunny country with great beaches and good wine 🙂

When you order shoes from Will’s Vegan Store they arrive in sustainable, eco-friendly, and recyclable packaging.

In addition, they use a carbon-neutral supply chain, and their operations are carbon neutral. They also invests in renewable energy projects like wind power, hydropower, geothermal, solar power, and biomass.

Who doesn’t want to take part in such an amazing project…

What vegan eco-friendly shoes do you use when travelling?

*although I’m talking about a specific product I’m not being paid to write this article neither will get any compensation if you make a purchase*

Gem-Infused Water

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Gems are my new fascination, I’ve been reading and researching about it and has been so interesting, since knowledge does not occupy place I’m always up to learn new things ?

The first time I went to a crystal shop, I was overwhelmed. You have so much to take in, and even the smallest of the gemstones is suppose to help you with dozens of things. I was finding it quite hard to take it all in.

Not long ago I came across Gem-Infused Water that is the same as fruit infused water, but instead of fruit you have crystal soaking in it.

This was completely new for me but apparently, it’s an ancient practice from thousands of years ago. And is quite common practice in more holistic health circles.

When the water is in contact with specific gemstones is supposed to create an elixir that supports revitalization and clarification of the mind and body.

Apparently, you can do your own gem-infused water at home or you can buy reusable water bottles with the gems inside.

But be aware that if you buy a crystal-infused water bottle or you do one yourself its important to make sure the stones you choose are safe to put in water, are real and good quality.

Gemstone-infused Water bottles

Nowadays there are many Gem-Infused Water bottles on the market to chose from. This water bottles have already stones secured inside of them making it really accessible and easy for someone that doesn’t know much about gemstones and its potential.

They only thing you need to do is choose the gemstones, fill your bottle with water and leave it in for approximately ten minutes before drinking, to give the time for the gemstone to transfer its energetic properties to the water.

The gemstones and crystals can alter the pH level of water to make it more alkaline.

Love and care for the earth

The environmental crisis is worst than probably most people imagine. And avoiding plastic bottles won’t fix it. But definitely will help. Every little thing helps at this point.

We face a huge global environmental crisis, with landfills, oceans, rivers and landscapes clogging up on single-use plastic. We individually need to do our best and force the industry to change, and drop the excessive use of plastic.

Regarding plastic bottles, the solution is easy, swap it for a glass water bottle, that can be re-used forever, or until you break it by accident.

I’ve been using the be water bottle with 2 sets os gemstones that I swap when I want. Because there is no need to have several bottles right, one is exactly what you need.

be water bottles

All the gemstones are genuine and ethically sourced from sites all over the world. The bottles are reusable, non-toxic and made of eco-friendly glass.

Be Water has lots of different combinations of gemstones, to choose from. So you only need to choose a combination that best fits your mood or goal, place it in your bottle and fill it with water.

Different stone combinations help enhance your water with specific energetic benefits suited your lifestyle.

I’m not sure if this is true, or even if there are any scientific studies about that, but people that drink gem-infused water advocate that the water absorbs the energetic vibrations of the crystals. They also say that there is an improvement in water quality, neutralization of harmful substances, improvement of the pH-value and oxygen content.

I don’t know if is just in my head but I think that the water actually does taste subtly different and there is a slight change in the texture as well.

BeWater inserts

I have the magic water, that is a combo of Red Jasper, Sodalite, Tiger’s Eye, Green and Yellow Aventurine. These stones have been associated with improvements in everything from digestion and metabolism to glowing skin and healthy sleep. But more than anything it’s just a delight for the eye, it’s really beautiful.

The other is vitality a combination of Magnesite, Red Jasper and Rock Crystal that are associated with circulation, healthy digestion, metabolism and detoxification.

I’m ready to go 🙂

*although I’m talking about a specific product I’m not being paid to write this article neither will get any compensation if you make a purchase*

Travelling light – Convertible Travel Clothes

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The big question here is how to travel light and avoid fast fashion?

The fashion industry is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gases that are overheating the planet. Not to talk about the endless piling up in landfill sites, water and air pollution.

It’s our job as consumers to demand the reduction of pollution, longer life for garments and a ban on dumping clothes in the landfill. But harder than that is to change our mindset, become comfortable with simplicity and separate the “want” from the “need” in our life.

Packing Like a Pro and Traveling Light

As an independent traveller, that travels for long periods and moves around quite a lot, the worst thing is to have heavy luggage and bags to carry around. So I had to learn really early how to minimise costs and how to efficiently pack.

To keep in mind when packing:

Have a good, comfortable and light bag.
Invest in quality gear.
Pack the must-haves (everything you absolutely need).
Multi-purpose everything.
Pack 1 week’s worth of clothing, focussing in versatility.

Travelling has taught me a lot about minimalism but is not enough being a pro at packing we definitely should buy less, better quality, shop locally, buy second hand, fix and restyle our clothes.

One of the best things I came across lately was convertible travel clothing, I can’t say that there are lots of options to choose from but definitely there are some nice projects out there. I personally tried the Travel Dress from Kameleon rose.

Convertible travel clothing

This dress is just 1 piece of clothing that you can make into 20 different outfits just by changing the way you dress it. I know its such a good idea…

You can use it as a dress, skirt, pants or even as a blouse.. can you believe it… I didn’t so I had to try myself all 20 outfits. I didn’t like them all, but if find 5 that really fits you, well its already a big win.

But if that wasn’t good enough is made from quick drying, non-creasing, breathable fabric that packs up small (really small) for travel.

I find it quite versatile so it goes always with me, and to tell the truth, you really don’t need that much else 🙂 The dress comes with an attached elastic band so you can roll it and snap the band around it.

The fabric they use is ultra soft, made of sustainable polyester material, ethically produced in Madagascar and Mauritius.

Do you travel light? What are your best packing tips? If you think this travel dress would be a good fit for your packing list you can get a discount with me! Go to the Kameleon Rose website and save 10% by using the code cookthebeans10 when you check out.