In association with GoGirl, Women Travel Blog is inviting you to tell us your best story of struggling to find a bathroom as you travel the world.
The best stories will be published on the blog and will go into the draw to win your very own personal GoGirl which we think will help you out of many a desperate situation.
What is GoGirl???GoGirl is your very own feminine urination device that will help you ‘go’ anywhere – standing up, into a bottle, with your dress on…
Simply put, GoGirl is the way to stand up to crowded, disgusting, distant or non-existent bathrooms. It’s a female urination device (sometimes called a FUD) that allows you to pee while standing up. It’s neat. It’s discreet. It’s hygienic.
If you have ever been caught short – GoGirl is for you. Send us your stories of where GoGirl could have helped you and go into the draw to win one for yourself.
Send stories, and photos to rosemary@womentravel.info
You could also get a chance to win $US30 in our Guest Blog Competition
Or if you are desperate order one now from GoGirl on line – $US9.99 for one, or get a discount by buying a few for your friends too.
GoGirl Stories on Women Travel Blog
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My partner and I travelled to Peru just after 9-11.
It was our first time to South America and we were lucky to become members of South American Explorers Club , an enormously helpful resource with professional expertise as well as personal experiences.
Some of the personal experiences told us some strange things about the Peruvian toilets …”where are all the toilet seats in this country”” was a common comment.
We were there for over a month and did not find seats on any toilets. I had to perfect a semi -seated posture over the opening.
One plus …I developed strong upper legs and I was ready for ski season!
thanks sharon – great story!
Istanbul, Turkey, traveling with my Monday in the traditional bazaar. The nature call came out of the blue! There are normally no public bathrooms there.. so we looked for a place which would definitely has a bathroom/washroom.. found a mosque! Yayyy! Totally relieved that a place of God would allow us in… NOPE! we heard a man screaming at us, NO NO COME – GO AWAY GI AWAY and some other words which we figured we were lucky we didn’t understand them! apparently since we didn’t have head covers and were wearing short sleeves (NOT tank tops) he god mad! HE not God!
So we had to go away… found another bathroom (If you can call it that) within a few yards, which did the job, .. it was literally a hole in the ground.. WIDE hole… STUNK and was NASTY.. no water, no paper.. and there was a sign for “do only #1 and no # 2!!) I held my nose, went in, and prayed not to fall in the “whole in the ground” .. but came out HAPPY and laughing!
great story – thanks. In Spain and portugal we found the opposite experience – you could ask to use a toilet at any shop and they were very generous.
rosemary
From Journeywoman.com – Travel Tips
MY TIP RELATES TO WASHROOMS IN ASIAN COUNTRIES — writes Meg in Massachusetts, USA — Here is some advice about using toilets in China and Japan. If you are concerned about using traditional eastern facilities look for toilets in tourist areas designated for handicapped travellers. You’re more likely to find a western style facility there. Also, nowadays there often might be a mix of traditional eastern and at least one western toilet stall so check for it when entering. If you have a low tolerance for odors, carry a mentholated lip balm and rub some under your nose before entering the building. Don’t forget to carry toilet paper as well as a hankie to wipe your hands after washing them. They are both seldom supplied.
Stephanie writes: I’d been in Belgium a few weeks. I’d finally gotten past the point of saying, “Hi, I’m Stephanie. I’m tired/hungry/thirsty/American.” I’d even managed to ask a complete stranger if he knew where the nearest bathroom was, and, most importantly, gotten correct change. Paying for bathrooms was still an adventure every time. And in my mind, a rip off. The automatic toilets were cheaper, since there was no attendant to pay. Being a student, cheaper = better.
I approached the thing that looked more like an information kiosk than a public restroom with some trepidation. I waited (conspicuously) around until someone else used it. Ok, so insert the coin, walk in, door closes behind you… and I could probably figure out the rest.
I waited my turn, then got into position. Slide in the coins – 50 eurocents. Step in the door, hit the button to close it. I could handle this. And it was pretty clean. Must have been one of those self-cleaning units. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I could conquer the bathroom in Belgium!
And then the door opened.
I don’t know if it was a fluke in the machine or if I’d screwed something up, but I was literally caught with my pants down.
For the next year, I never used an automatic toilet again. I happily paid the extra for the nice bathroom attendant lady – since I knew she wasn’t going to open the stall door into the street.
La Paz Bolivia to Argentina by Bus
I had just discovered after nine hours of travel that there was no toilet on the bus.
“Senorita has to go to the banos!” The kind Bolivian women sitting next to me sternly shouted at the bus driver. “Stop for Senorita!”
Finally the bus halted and I almost made it to the door in time but had to leap over a Bolivian peasant who was hitchhiking with heaps of parcels parked in the tiny aisle. So Senor Bus Driver slammed the door shut before I could crawl out of my cramped window seat on the 2nd level of the bus.
He informed me in Spanish that we were not stopping, as I had not moved fast enough. I need to learn how to say in Spanish, that’s easy for you to say you can whip out your jones and take a leak any time without a bathroom you lunkhead.
Failing the articulation of that statement I sat on the steps leading to the door and decided my presence would persuade him. A woman sitting nearby told me in Spanish that he would not stop for me as if I had not learned enough Spanish to be traveling solo in the Andes in Bolivia of all countries and her pearl of wisdom would set me straight. I looked at her with my – you obviously don’t know who I am look – I have nothing to say to dimwits in any country.
Then a Bolivian man came to my rescue. He looked me in the eye and said, “Do you need to get off the bus to go to the banos now?”
“Si, si!”
He marched down to the bus driver and ordered him to stop for me. The bus halted in less than a minute. And after leaping out the door I was rewarded with a magnificent view of a deep purple and orange sunset as I crouched behind the bus peeing.
I noticed several men jumped off to do the same.
That young man came forward for my honor. And for my bladder.
I have been teaching photography and yoga while traveling globally for 6 years, this is the only time i had to stop the bus and pee in the middle of the Bolivian Andes. For more stories from the road kindly go here: solofemalevagabond.wordpress.com
fabulous story of being caught short!! thanks
I already have the UK equivalent, Shewee, and use it every time I travel abroad!
sandra wright tells her story:
Trekking in Northern Thailand many years ago, me and a friend were already tucked into our sleeping bags for bed, having brushed our teeth and a quick squat to pee in the bushes out the back of the hut. Our traveling companions arrived soon after in a fluster having discovered a scorpion on the ground of the toilet. We just looked at each other and whispered “there’s a toilet?!”
It still makes me laugh,
It was on an 8 hour bus ride from Cusco to Santa Maria (on the cheap route to Machu Pichu) and I didn’t understand how there was no bathroom. I ran to the public bathroom right before we left so that I could avoid having to go during the trip but my bladder is minuscule and I knew I was in trouble a few hours in when we were going down an extremely crazy road with lots of curves in the middle of the night. I had prepared my “bathroom,” an empty water bottle I found in the bus terminal. I had my go girl out when my bladder couldn’t take it anymore and my friend helped cover me with my baggy jacket since I had to pull my pants down all the way to ensure not peeing all over myself and my pants. It was quite an experience….imagine this dark bus that’s going super fast on all these curves and i’m trying hard to steady my hand…I think I dripped a bit but most of it went into the bottle–thank goodness.
I couldn’t fall asleep for awhile afterwards because of the adrenaline rush!
You can read more about my adventures in my hand-drawn/written journal entries:
heymiyuki.wordpress.com
Have a fear of public restrooms? Try using SMARTWAY the most sanitary way to use a public restroom. Check them out at standthesmartway.com
yes there are lots of these options out there now, thanks for sharing