One of my pet peeves about traveling is how much money we spend on plastic bottles because we are in a new geography with different germs our bodies are not yet equipped against, and who wants to have their travel, whether for business or pleasure, ruined by diarrhoea?
Looking at stuff online, here is what I have decided to do: get a portable water purifier.
In situations where it is so hot outside that you're literally sweating balls, going out to get bottles of water is probably defeating the purpose. Plus it's a drag, you pay for the plastic bottle around something you get complementarily from the tap, and you throw it in the trash can and who knows where it ends up. I recently had water from a demijohn that left me wondering how long it had been sitting there for because it had started to taste sour. Are those the endocrine disrupters from the plastic? Disgusting.
Without getting into carbon footprints and lifecycle analyses and all that, let's keep it simple.
This is the brand I use. It uses UV light. Do your own research about what it helps with and what it does not help with.
This is it with the cap removed.
You activate it according to instructions. Dip it. Mine gives off blue light to indicate UV light is on (that's not the UV light itself). Any canister or bottle will do. When it's done, it lets you know.
Voila. Safe drinking water. It's going to save me money in the long run and provide me the convenience of my dwelling at the time. Plus potentially some health and environmental extras. Why not?
Happy guzzles.
Cards Against Anarchy