CEO Packing List: Valerie Lopez, Shoot My Travel

Green Accessories

1. Silver straw

Almost 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean annually. With some of the world’s scenic destinations paying a heavy price for our plastic waste, authorities, airlines, and restaurants have banned plastic straws. Besides these travel industry initiatives, individuals searching for a way to reduce their plastic footprint whilst on the road can join CEO Valerie on her eco-friendly travels by declining the use of plastic straws and substituting it with a metal one.

2. Bamboo cutlery

The same applies to single-use plastic utensils. You can limit your plastic waste by swapping the plastic spoon and fork with a set of biodegradable bamboo cutlery. Such a small attempt at minimising plastic usage does not require much effort, and in time, these changes can become routine. Now CEO Valerie never travels without her bamboo cutlery set regardless of where she’s travelling to.

3. Reusable water bottle

While bottled water is simply a case of putting tap water into containers, the process of creating this product unnecessarily makes use of more oil–more than 1.5 million barrels of oil are required in manufacturing plastic bottles, an amount exceeding the need to power 100,000 homes for a year. On top of that, additional carbon dioxide is emitted in the entire sequence of production. According to the Pacific Institute, one 500-millilitre plastic water bottle has a carbon footprint equivalent to approximately three ounces of carbon dioxide. With that in mind, the obvious solution to cutting back on your plastic consumption would be to carry a reusable water bottle.

4. Carbon filter

Travelling to a destination where there is inadequate access to clean drinking water? All you have to do is to pack a carbon filter that removes impurities in the water and at the same time improves its overall taste. While it might take a little extra effort to travel responsibly, the numerous water purification options available on the market make it easier than ever to leave a lighter footprint behind. As such, inadequate access to clean drinking water should no longer be used as an excuse for your dependence on bottled water as you travel.

Tech gadgets and accessories

5. Headphones

Don’t underestimate the value of a comfortable set of headphones as long flights can be gruelling without something to pass the time. Whether you are hoping to listen to your favourite music or audio books like CEO Valerie, binge-watch movies, or tune out unwanted ambient noise around you as you try to get some sleep, investing in a pair of lightweight and compact headphones can really amp up your comfort game.

Travel necessities

6. Essential oils

Travelling can disrupt your sleep routines, especially when taking a long-haul flight across time zones and continents. To make her flight more tolerable, CEO Valerie has a bottle of lavender, peppermint or vetiver essential oil tucked away in her carry-on for an emergency bout of nausea, insomnia, or to conquer jet lag. These natural essences are extracted directly from wood, bark, fruits, petals, leaves, resins, and roots of plants and aside from producing pleasing aromas, a single drop of the scented oils can deliver myriad effects to the body. Simply plant a few drops of these potent natural healers onto your eye mask, travel pillow, or right on your face and neck to get the promised relaxing or stimulating effect.

7. Sanitizing Lavender wipes

Airplanes are a breeding ground for bacteria since flight crews often have little time to disinfect between flights and nothing’s worse than falling ill on a vacation or business trip. Therefore, this neat pocket-sized pack of sanitizing wipes is a must-pack for your in-flight baggage. With that in mind, CEO Valerie preps her seating area by wiping down the armrests, tray tables, digital screens, and window shutters before every take-off.

8. Lavender spray

Often, you’ll find your travels taking you to places where water and antibacterial soap aren’t readily available; here’s where CEO Valerie’s recommended sanitizing spray comes into play. With a light scent of lavender, this travel-sized sanitizing spray is perfect for those always on the go. Just a couple of spritzes sporadically is enough to freshen up your day.

9. Immunity drink powder

Nonetheless, sometimes getting sick on the road is inevitable. And the fact is the more time you spend travelling, the more susceptible you are to picking up viruses and pathogens. As a frequent traveller, CEO Valerie takes a daily dose of this immunity drink power, which helps to reinforce her body’s immune defences and minimize the chances of acquiring an illness that could ruin an otherwise wonderful trip.

10. Toiletry kit

It’s simply impossible to tote all of your elaborate skin-care routine and makeup must-haves when it’s time to travel. Take a look inside CEO Valerie’s in-flight toiletry kit and discover the essentials that she packed: toothbrush, face wash, baby wipes, deodorant, floss, moisturizer and more. You can eliminate a little clutter by packing only these basic necessities and leaving the remaining behind.

A chat with CEO Valerie Lopez

Trip101: How often do you have to travel for work and where do you most often travel to?
Valerie: This really depends on the season but you can usually find me travelling weekly to San Francisco.

Trip101: Name three destinations and/or activities on your travel bucket list.
Valerie: Destinations on my bucket list right now is to continue exploring my home country of Colombia and Peru; I’m dying to go to Machu Picchu. Bali and Africa to experience the Serengeti ecosystem are also at the top of my list.

Activities on my bucket list right now are to have a trekking experience and camp outdoors like the four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, experience a week-long immersive yoga retreat somewhere beautiful, and get certified in freediving to explore the Roatán in Honduras.

Trip101: Besides travelling for work, what do you travel for?
Valerie: To experience a new way of living, meet new people, and for food 100 percent. Learning about new cultures is my favourite thing in the world. Before I travel to a new destination, I never do any research and allow the place to surprise me with its beauty. I also imagine the place and dream of capturing the essence of it. Travel is storytelling and I tell my story through pictures.

Trip101: What’s your ideal “off-day” like?
Valerie: I like to start off my day working out. Later I would go to the beach or enjoy an activity like paddle boarding, riding a bike, roller skating, or playing outside with my nephews. Pretty much anything outdoors. I love to read a lot in my free time. Oh, and eat yummy food of course!

Trip101: Do you enjoy solo-travel?
Valerie: Yes! I love travelling by myself. It’s a great experience that everybody should have because you learn to love your company more than anything. You submerge yourself and do everything you want without having to worry about anybody else’s plans.

Trip101: Do you prefer to be behind or in front of the camera?
Valerie: As a photographer, I love being behind the camera so I can tell stories through beautiful images. But ever since we launched Shoot My Travel, I’ve been inspired to be in front of the camera more often than not. It’s truly amazing to have another professional photographer capture your special moments without having to worry about anything and then have these priceless photos of your trip.

Trip101: Favourite music or soundtrack and/or book to listen or read during your travels?
Valerie: I have some amazing Spotify playlists and podcasts I like to listen to. Some of my favourite podcasts are Oprah’s Supersoul Conversations if I’m in the mood for personal development or This week in Startups if I want to learn more about business. I also enjoy reading biographies and Spanish novels.

About CEO Valerie Lopez

Shoot My Travel, the Miami-based company she co-founded and chaired as CEO in 2015, is a global travel photographer marketplace that connects travellers with local professional photographers in over 450 cities to capture their trip memories on demand. Providing thousands of jobs and tools for photographers to continue doing what they love and grow as professionals as well as receiving emails from travellers saying that their experience was unforgettable are what fuels her and her team. But before becoming an entrepreneur, CEO Valerie has always been a storyteller first–having served as a photographer and Visual Content Director of CR-eate, a design studio creating comprehensive brands, visual identities, and experiential graphic design for boutique businesses and multinational corporations, from 2013 to 2017.