Traveling With Your Period: 11 Tips To Make it Easier
Traveling with your period is usually pretty inconvenient, but these tips can make it easier!
As women, when we travel we are always hoping to book our trip during a time when we won’t have our period. It can be an uncomfortable time for our bodies, so it’s always nice to not have to think about it, especially when planning something like a beach vacation.
Luckily there are a lot of ways to work around the inconvenience of traveling during that time of the month, and I’m here to share them with you!
Keep on reading to learn how to handle your period while traveling.
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Menstrual Cups
Menstrual cups have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and they’re definitely a great option. They can hold you over for an average of 12 hours at a time and are really great in terms of reducing waste. This can be great if you don’t want to have to worry about running to the bathroom on a longer flight or if you want to be able to go swimming. In terms of a long flight I would suggest to use a panty liner or maybe some period underwear as a back up just in case of any leakage. Those airplane bathrooms are notoriously tiny so it might be a bit difficult to make adjustments in there.
Pain Relief
Periods can be painful! Make sure you’re bringing what you need with you to get rid of any pain you may get since that can really bring down the fun of a trip. Bringing a little travel sized bottle of pain reliever in your purse can be a great idea in case pain kicks in while you’re on the go. Pain can really ruin the mood. For example I had period pains kick in while on a whale watching journey one time so I was far out in the Atlantic Ocean and couldn’t just go back to the hotel or anything, so having a bit of Tylenol available got me back to myself really quickly.
Have Items Stashed Everywhere
If you’re not into using the menstrual cups then you’ll want to make sure you have some menstrual pads and/or tampons available. It can be a good idea to have some stashed in different places while you’re traveling so you’re never without. Have some in your purse, your carry on, and in your checked baggage. That way if you lose a bag or if you’re out through the day you always have what you need.
Bring More Than You Think You Need
It can be very surprising, but some places in the world have significantly less access to feminine hygiene products than we’re used to. Also sometimes it can be hard to find a brand that works well for you and your body. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so if you suspect that you’re going to be on your period during your trip, bring more than you think you’ll need just in case! Also depending where in the world you go, you might find that items such as tampons are made differently. If you are more comfortable using an applicator, keep in mind that in some countries that can be hard to find!
Period Panties
Period underwear has also been growing in the spotlight lately. While traveling you might not want to only rely on these just in case you have a surprisingly heavy day or something of that nature, but they can be great to have as a backup for tampons or a menstrual cup if you’re concerned about having any leaks.
Heated Pad
If you find that a heated pad works well for your period cramps, you can bring that with you on your trip if you’ll be staying somewhere like a hotel, hostel or in a home (likely wouldn’t work for backpacking treks). If you’re traveling to a different part of the world, it might not make sense to bring a heating pad that you have to plug in, but there are other handy options. You can get a heat pack that you can heat up in the microwave which you can access in most places. You can also bring the traditional hot water bottle as long as you have a way to boil some water!
Comfortable Clothing
Nothing is worse during your period than wearing tight clothing. Be sure to bring along a comfortable pair of loose pants and a flowy shirt if that’s something that you would find comfort in. Also a few spare pairs of underwear might be a nice thing to have just in case!
Bring Extra Essentials With You If Necessary
If you think you’re going to be somewhere where there are limited resources like out in nature, there are a few extra things you might want to bring along with you. Some examples are: some extra toilet paper, hand sanitizer, sanitary wet wipes, plastic bags (the kind you use for dogs is great and handy).
Book An Aisle Seat
If travel during your period is unavoidable and you’ll be doing a long haul flight, booking an aisle seat might bring you some comfort. First of all, you can stretch out a bit better in an aisle seat which could help if you’re feeling cramp-y. Also if you feel like you might be leaking, it will make it easier to make a dash to the bathroom to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be.
Drink A Lot Of Water
Traveling on any normal day can be dehydrating, so if you’re expecting your period while traveling, it’s a good practice to make sure you’re drinking enough water. Sometimes that can also help to keep your cramps and bloating minimal which is a huge help.
Delay Your Period For Vacation With Birth Control
This is honestly not a method that I have a lot of experience with, but I’ll just mention it quickly here since I know that people do use this. Depending on the type of birth control you’re on, your period might be so light that it doesn’t really bother you to travel with. I’ve also heard of some women on the pill who adjust when they take the pill to extend the amount of time they go without a period. I have no advice on that but you can learn more about skipping your period for vacation here.
Another question that’s often asked is, does traveling affect your period flow? Fun fact, it actually can! It’s nothing to worry about though, just be aware that your period could come a day or two early/late.
Did you find these tips helpful? Let me know in the comments what your number one tip is for traveling with your period!
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