For travelers and air commuters, the number one priority is keeping hydrated while in transit. According to a recent CNN report, bottled water is top of the list of most frequently purchased items in Hudson Travel Essential stores throughout the US.

With over 950 stores serving 4 million travelers every day at airport, train and bus terminals across America, the Hudson Group is the biggest travel retailer in America. After releasing a list of items most in demand by travelers, it is clear that beverages stand out, accounting for eight of the ten items most frequently purchased, with bottled water taking the top five spots, followed by Diet Coke and Coca-Cola in sixth and seventh spot respectively, M&M Peanuts in eight spot, Coca-Cola Zero in ninth spot, and The Wall Street Journal (the only non-food item on the list) taking up the tenth spot.

Here's the breakdown of most frequently purchased items:

1. Dasani bottled water (20 oz)
2. Glaceau Smartwater (20 oz)
3. Large Dasani (one liter)
4. Glaceau Smartwater (one liter)
5. Glaceau Smartwater (23.8 oz)
6. Diet Coke (20 oz)
7. Coca-Cola (20 oz)
8. M&M Peanut king-size
9. Coca-Cola Zero (20 oz)
10. The Wall Street Journal

Heightened security and safety limitations that restrict travelers from taking liquids on board flights have no doubt helped increase the demand for these items once travelers have passed through the security gates. But bottled water is expensive, especially at airport terminals where demand is high and competition limited. Besides the expense, plastic bottles take a heavy toll on the environment. Valuable natural resources such as water, energy and petroleum are used in the manufacture and transportation along the production and supply line, and discarded plastic bottles add to the sea of plastic that wreaks havoc on the environment.

An alternative solution that will not only save you money but will also be better for the environment, is to purchase a lightweight portable refillable water filter bottle that can be topped up anywhere there is a tap on hand. An example of this would be our very own sport berkey. The replaceable carbon filter will remove any potential contaminants that may be lurking in the water, to provide you with healthy purified water, for free. Make sure that the water bottle you purchase is made from non-leachable BPA-free plastic.

A water filter bottle will not only provide you with a free source of filtered water while waiting in the airport, but as it is reusable, it can come in very useful when traveling to foreign destinations where the quality of drinking water may be questionable. It can also be used to filter freshwater collected from streams, rivers, lakes and even stagnant ponds when traveling to remote locations where there may be no other water supply available. A portable water filter bottle really is a travelers best friend; it is an essential piece of equipment that should be included in every travelers hand-luggage.