1 week ago
5
September 30, 2025 — 5:00am
Recently, I bought a pair of hiking boots for an expedition cruise and found that after one wear, they didn’t fit correctly.
We were travelling in poorer communities, so I asked my guides if the boots would be a useful donation. I was worried that giving people worn (even though only slightly) boots would be offensive.
Quite the contrary, I discovered. There was a donation table and by the end of the cruise it was full of slightly worn boots and almost-new jackets.
Years ago, travelling to Costa Rica on a surfing holiday, my husband discovered that the local kids couldn’t afford commercial boards and were fashioning all kinds of debris together to surf on.
He was happy to leave his board behind for them to enjoy. Surfers quite commonly do this, out of gratitude for being welcomed into a community and allowed to surf their breaks. And because surfers who can afford to travel far to indulge their passion are much wealthier than the local kids whose waves they share.
There are dozens of organisations that provide surfboards for a cause. World Surfaris gives back to surfers in Papua New Guinea and Provide the Slide donates boards to West African coastal communities.
It’s fairly common for travellers on tour in countries such as Cambodia to bring supplies to donate to local schools.
But these exchanges are insignificant compared to the amount of stuff travellers bring home, such as mementos, electronics, new clothing, toys and shoes.
Who hasn’t once in their life sat on their suitcase to try to squeeze it all in?
I have a friend who keeps her wardrobe in check by giving away one thing for every single thing she buys. When she buys a new dress, she donates an older one to a local charity shop. There’s a small movement afoot to do something similar when travelling.
1 Less Thing is an initiative of 1 Hotels, a sustainable luxury hotel brand recently introduced to Australia with 1 Hotel Melbourne in Docklands.
The program invites hotel guests to lighten their suitcases by leaving behind a gently used item of clothing (or two).
At 1 Hotel Melbourne, guests are encouraged to leave such items in a basket in each room and the clothing is donated to Upparel which collects, sorts, re-uses and recycles textiles.
The underlying ambition is to help combat the overwhelming waste that results from fast fashion, the hotel group says. It’s also a gentle nudge to guests to think about their purchasing decisions and the necessity, longevity and durability of the clothes they buy.
According to Clean Up, each Australian buys 56 items of clothing annually, most of which are made from non-sustainable, non-durable materials. We also send an average of 23 kilograms to landfill each year.
Interestingly, clothes are the items most deliberately left behind in hotels. People can’t fit them in bulging suitcases, or have tired of them or damaged them while travelling.
Most don’t think about what happens after that. Will the housekeeper keep them? Will they stay in lost-and-found before eventually going to a charity?
Maybe, but not necessarily. Housekeepers are not there to dispose of people’s old clothes. It’s insulting to think they might want them.
Forgotten items are kept for a period and sometimes donated to a charity when not claimed. Mostly, they will go to landfill. Hotels aren’t dumping grounds.
I volunteer in a local op shop and, while the overwhelming number of people are generous in donating sellable items, we receive sacks of filthy underwear, torn tee-shirts and fast-fashion rubbish, little of which can be recycled.
Only 1 per cent of textiles worldwide are recycled to high quality – so it’s better to resell, repurpose and re-use garments.
You can contact your hotel ahead of time to find out whether there is a formal program, similar to 1Hotels, where guests can donate goods to a local charity.
If you’re staying at one of the more eco-conscious hotel groups such as The Hoxton, which holds clothing upcycling classes, you’re likely to get a positive answer. Element by Westin has donation bins inside some hotels, as does Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo and Movenpick Auckland.
If your hotel isn’t doing it, suggest they might consider doing so.
Leaving one thing behind is a nice idea when it’s wanted and useful. Otherwise, think hard about buying it in the first place.
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.
