top of page

Hard to kill plants for travelers

Jetting off to a new destination comes with its own cocktail of excitement and low-key chaos. Sure, travel sounds glamorous, but let’s be honest: when you're a frequent flyer or full-on nomad, the prep before every trip feels like a full-time job. You’ve got to pack, clean the house/condo, toss out anything perishable, do laundry, and yep, water the plants!


Doing all that once a year for a big vacation? Not a huge deal. But when you're constantly on the go, it's another story, especially when it comes to your green babies. There’s nothing worse than coming back from two magical weeks in Tokyo, Japan only to find your home looking like a plant cemetery. Brown leaves. Crispy soil. Guilt. Sadness. It's not exactly the welcome-home vibe you're going for.


That’s why I’ve put together this list of three hard to kill plants for travelers. A curated selection of travel-friendly, low-maintenance indoor that can handle your long absences. These are easy houseplants for nomads and hardy plants that won’t punish you for living your best life climbing Machu Picchu.


Top three hard to kill plants for travelers


  1. Monkey tail cactus

A potted donkey tail cactus with long, fuzzy green tendrils sits on a mid-modern century concrete tripod stand against a colorful abstract background. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants. Read travel blog voyage a nue.

A long, fuzzy donkey tail cactus in a black pot sits on a mid-century concrete stand. The background is a floral dress pattern and a wooden floor. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants.
This sexy mid-century concrete stand is from my local plant nursery, Sunnyside plants & gifts, in Chicago.

I have two cacti. Equal parts wild and wonderful, this plant looks like it walked off the set of a sci-fi movie. My sister once told me, "Ew, can you return it? It's creepy!" But trust me, it grows on you. Those fuzzy tendrils are deceivingly prickly, so be careful! But since it’s a cactus, it’s drought-tolerant and thrives with minimal attention.


Growth rate: slow to medium. With direct, bright sunlight, you might get a new tail in the growing season or at least, a growing tail.

Price: depends on how big you're buying it, they can be over $30 or more. Most of the tails were about 10 inches when I bought mine, but now, the longest one is double that!


  1. Snow white Opuntia
Fuzzy Snow-white opuntia in a black patterned pot on a pedestal. Floral mural with greens and oranges in the background. Colorful dress partially visible. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants.

Snow White opuntia in a textured  black pot on a mid-modern century concrete stand. Background features a green floral mural with yellow and white blooms. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants. Travel blog. Travel blog voyage a nue. Blog for healing while traveling.
Mine is growing a bit funky. It fell when it was outside and now, it's leaning like the Tower of Pisa. I low-key like it.

This furry opuntia isn’t just cute. It’s functional. A little fun fact: that “fur” acts like natural sunscreen, helping it survive intense sunlight. It’s tough, unique, and perfectly suited for the plant parent who’s rarely home.


Growth rate: slow

Price: depends on how big you're buying it, they can be over $40 or more.


  1. Whale fin Sansevieria

Whale fin sansevieria plant in a white pot on a mid modern century pedestal against a floral mural background featured in a travel magazine that focuses on traveling and healing. The mural features vibrant orange and white flowers. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants. Read voyage a nue.
The shortest leaf in the middle is the single original leaf I bought it with back in mid 2022.

A whale fin sansevieria, sometimes referred to as snake plant, in a white pot on a stand, set against a floral-patterned wall with yellow and white flowers. A colorful dress and necklace are partially visible. Travel‑friendly low maintenance indoor plants when you move often. Hard to kill indoor plants. hard to kill houseplants for travelers. Ultimate Guide to Low Maintenance Indoor Plants. Plantes d’intérieur faciles à entretenir. Plantes d’intérieur pour débutants. Subscribe to voyage a nue travel and lifestyle blog.

By far, my favorite! This sculptural stunner is close to indestructible. Give it bright light and it’ll reward you with bold, architectural beauty, even if you're gone for weeks at a time.


Growth rate: medium. Don't believe the rumors of them growing slow. Find your biggest, brightest window and put it there! I had to repot mine on year two of having it.

Price: depends on how big you're buying it, they can be over $35 or more.


The care for all three is going to be the same


Sunlight

DIRECT! They do need plenty of light from a south or a west facing window. Put it there and forget it. It infuriates me when growers tell you indiret sunlight and you never see the full potential of the plant when you bring it them home. Again, find you biggest, brightest window, and put them there.


Water

Know your own environment and feel how dry your air is. I water mine, roughtly, every three weeks.


Pests

None (from my experience).


Fertilizer

I don't fertilize any of them but there are some cactus food you can buy.



Expand your horizons, chase the sun, book that spontaneous trip. These plants will still be chilling when you get back.


Which one do you own? Have you ever heard of the Snow white opuntia? Let me hear your voice with a comment. Remember to subscrive to Voyage à nue!



FIN

Comments


bottom of page