It’s kinda like the friend that you wished no one had ever invited to a party. That one friend that you don’t actually want to admit to all your friends that you hate but you’re occasionally relived when it comes to visit. Now without a doubt your period is playing a dangerous game with you, threatening to ruin your outfit, destroy your day and generally be a pain in the uterus. Sadly when you go on holiday your period doesn’t always get the memo to stay at home.

As if the packing all of your clothes into one friggen bag,  getting to the airport and the joy of actual flying isn’t stressful enjoy, it does seem to be the perfect time for your period to drop on by for a visit. Like hey girlfriend remember me?

The drama of travelling with your period.

I’ll never forget being 17 on my first trip out of Australia and trying to find sanitary items in a Tokyo chemist. Far too ashamed of the betrayal of my uterus to ask my friends or even the female teachers for help. With a total of three Japanese phrases up my sleeve I bravely entered the pharmacy. With a dance of sign language the helpful young woman handed me a pregnancy test and seemed overly excited about my upcoming motherhood. Through tears of laughter I was relieved to see a more senior staff member, with wonderful English skills step up to the counter and gently remove the test kit from my hands. Within moments I was stocked up and walking out into the cool night air.

Now I never leave the house without a secret stash of tampons. For one thing they are an essential item in my first aid kit, and secondly you never know when you’ll come across a sister in need.

Put a stop to period drama

Getting your period on holidays does happen to a lot of women and it isn’t something  that you need to try and hide from. More so it’s a time to let your organisational skills go crazy and get shit done before you go on your adventure.

Be period prepared.

Not all countries have the variety of sanitary products that we do here in Australia. For instance you’ll be hard pressed to find tampons in a lot of Asian countries, especially China. And Africa isn’t much better if you’re on the tampon hunting trail. Tampons don’t weight very much nor do they take up a lot of space in your bag. So throw in a box or two just in case.

I also have half a dozen tampons between my first aid kit and my hand bag. Remember tampons are effectively plugs and you never know when you’ll need to plug a bullet hole wound. Just saying. More likely though you may come across another intrepid traveller who isn’t as prepared as you, and sharing is caring in these situations.

The alternative to tampons

Not every lady likes a tampon. And that’s ok. Each to their own. Perhaps you’re more interested in a lunette style cup or some period panites. Ok that’s the worst description ever but the ModiBodi knickers are the ones I just love for traveling. I fly, bike, hike and wine & dine in mine. The best thing? They ship internationally! YAY

Read an honest review of using a menstrual cup.

Pack A Punch

Or a packet of pain killers. For many countries basic paracetamol shouldn’t cause you any issues. Just remember to keep these in the original packaging that you bought them in. Anything stronger than that and you might want to consider travelling with a letter from your doctor. If the pain level gets next level you might also want to consider packing some heat packs. The types that use your body heat to heat up.

Grab a packet of heat packs today.

It’s OK to Go Slow

If your period likes to punch you in the vagina and knock you off your feet each month don’t be afraid to take things slow when you’re travelling. You don’t need to cram pack in every moment of every day. It’s OK to take some time off to relax, rejuvenate and take care of yourself. It can be really difficult to do, especially when you think about the limited time you and just how much money you’ve spent to go on this adventure.. But you don’t want to come back from your holiday more exhausted than before you left.

It’s a natural thing.

Ok let’s be honest it’s a pain in the vagina getting your period but it is one of the most natural things that us women folk go through. For the male readers, who I’m sure haven’t gotten this far down the article,  don’t be a dick. Support your lady when Aunt Flo comes to visit, no matter what happens. Also a political call out to our political leaders stop the tampon tax. Sanitary items are not a luxury. They are a life necessity.

Not all ladies have access to these luxury items. If you have a spare dollar or two we’d love to see you donate to Share the Dignity. If you do let us know and we’ll send you a personalized post card. No matter where in the world you are!