How To Travel Like A Boss During ‘That Time Of The Month’
niharika nayakBA (Media & Communication) Experience: 4 yearsNiharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... more
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Traveling can be quite troublesome for women. The fact that we need clean washrooms to do our business can be quite problematic when we’re on the move. And this can be quite a cumbersome task to accomplish whilst on your period. Sure, when “Auntie Flo” comes visiting, traveling is the furthest thing from your mind, but the benefits of traveling outweigh the cons. Here are a couple of travel tips to follow when you’re going through shark week:
1. Preparing Ahead Of Time
If you’re used to keeping track of your period, this shouldn’t be an issue. Always prepare beforehand or keep sanitary supplies in handy in case of an emergency. You could plan out your days in a way where you won’t be traveling on heavier days. If you have the opportunity to plan the trip around a non-period week, you could. If there are no chances that you can change, make sure you carry travel-friendly sanitary products. Carry tissues, wet wipes, a small bottle of water and a travel toiletry kit.
2. Best Menstrual Products For Traveling
If you’ve not heard of a menstrual cup, you’ve probably been living under a rock. A menstrual cup is a bell-shaped, silicone ‘cup’ that can be inserted like a tampon and is held in place by the pelvic muscles. What makes this product great is that it’s eco-friendly, highly portable, and effortless to clean. The cup can stay inside you for a good 11-12 hours and to clean it you need to empty it and run it under clean water before inserting it again. While many women may be extremely squeamish about using a menstrual cup and getting this up close and personal with their menstrual blood, a cup is the best solution for any travel-related woes. Considering it doesn’t need to be changed very often, one can go hours without changing the cup. Many women are afraid that they would need to take the cup out to use the loo, but this isn’t the case.
If menstrual cups are a little too gung-ho for your taste, you could try tampons instead. Their compact and easy to dispose nature makes them the best addition to your portable toiletry kit. If the idea of inserting something into your body irks you, you could stick with traditional pads. Instead of using a disposable pad and likely developing a rash from all the activities you’d be indulging in, switch to using a reusable cloth pad instead. The cleanup process is a little messy as you’d need a separate air-tight container to store the soiled pads if you can’t wash them right away.
3. Carry An Emergency Cramp Kit
If you’re someone who tends to suffer from menstrual cramps frequently, it’s a good idea to carry a toolkit to help combat those cramps. Make sure you carry your painkillers, a heating pad or anything you normally use to fight cramps. Ensure you stay hydrated throughout your trip and make sure you carry chocolate or any other foods that help you deal with the pain associated with cramps.
4. Dress Comfortably
This is an absolute must. If you can’t stand tight pants and short tops on your period, certainly don’t wear them when you’re traveling on your period. It’s a good idea to pack clothes that make you feel comfortable, whether those are gym shorts or a turtleneck and joggers. The last thing you want to face is being stuck on an overnight bus in skinny jeans and a tank top. Sure, Deepika makes nailing airport runway looks easy but think about the practicality of your outfit before you wear it. If you’re planning on going camping during your trip, it’s a good idea to wear cargo pants. This works well because of the numerous pockets that you can hide your snacks in!
5. Cut Down On Bathroom Breaks
Before you close this article, hear us out! You could make use of a female urination device. These reusable plastic/TPE and disposable cardboard products make it easy for a woman to stand up and pee. This can be especially useful when you encounter a toilet that is too dirty to sit on or if you’re in a remote location with no bathrooms in sight. Agreed, the idea may make a lot of people squeamish. After all, which cis-gendered woman wants to pee like a man? But the benefits of this product far outweigh the cons, and its users swear by it. The product is specially catered towards women who enjoy traveling and is portable enough to be carried in a purse. All one needs to sanitize the product is boiling water.
All in all, you should never let Auntie Flo get in the way of having fun and living your best life. Get out there and prove those annoyingly girly sanitary pad ads right by enjoying your travel time to the max. Would you ever want to switch to more eco-friendly menstrual products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
