Alright. So any woman who travels, whether for a weekend or longer, knows that one of the biggest things you have to take into consideration is your period.

Sometimes women will plan their trip around their cycle, that’s honestly usually the easiest way to deal with it when away from home – aka not deal with it at all.

But sometimes, it can’t be avoided and long term travel is one of those times.

So how do I deal with it? In a couple of ways, and honestly I doubt any of them will be ground breaking to women – but if I can share my experience with it to help alleviate any fears or worries someone else has then yay.

Tracking

I know I know, basic right? But honestly it’s so important. Not only does it help me manage some of my peri-menopause symptoms (check out that blog post if you haven’t already), but it can help me plan my week or even month.

Before you go “but I suck at tracking things!” let me assure you – I’m the same way, if not worse. As someone who has gone to doctors for a variety of things over the years, I can say that logging/tracking symptoms is my #1 most hated thing that they ask me to do. I’m terrible at it, no matter how much whatever it is is impacting my life – I have other things to do or worry about in the moment than tracking something and I forget constantly. For instance I know that tracking my peri-menopause symptoms would be helpful (brain fog, fatigue, mood swings, etc.), but ask me how often I’ve actually done so and I’ll probably change the subject.

That said – my period is the one thing that I’m religious about tracking. Unlike other tracking, it’s not just for my health (though we all know that should be enough of a reason). Tracking my period is a huge help in so many different ways when you’re traveling.

By tracking my period I can decide when I want to go swimming or do water based activities. I can make decisions about hikes and other energy consuming times based around when I know I tend to feel more fatigue. It guides when I do my laundry or what clothes I want to wear. All things that you may think about at home with your period sure, but when you’re traveling with only what you can carry – it becomes about strategy and resources. You’re not always going to be in a place to do laundry and if you’re like me and you use reusable pads/period panties then you need to plan for washing them sooner rather than later.

Reusable Pads/Period Panties VS Menstrual Cups

Alright – one of the biggest questions that I’ve seen / gotten from people about periods is what do I use. I use reusable pads/period panties and I’ve been using them for years, much longer than I’ve been traveling. I even used them when I was on the ship in 2020.

Why? Well, I hated the feel of traditional pads, tampons don’t work well for me, and I hated spending the money on something that is required with being a woman. I tried a menstrual cup – a couple of them actually – but unfortunately like tampons, they don’t work for me. I could only place it on the first try about 25% of the time (and that’s probably being generous). It would on average take about 4 or 5 times to place correctly. Tampons would eventually slide out, but menstrual cups would leak because it wasn’t in correctly. Not worth it in my opinion.

Now for those that are curious about them, give them a try! They make travel so much easier if you can make them work. There are many different types out there, you can’t always give up after one or even two. I tried 4 different sizes before I gave up – I did only try one brand, so there is a chance that a different brand could work for me. However, I honestly gave up more because I accepted that the shape/angle of my cervix didn’t make it easy to find a good fit. Everyone is built differently and for me it was always going to be a bit more difficult. (This isn’t me pulling an excuse out of thin air either. At an OBGYN appointment my doctor commented that my cervix is at a steep angle and made the comment that I probably had difficulties with tampons. It was honestly one of the most affirming things to have a doctor confirm it was natural when I had been told for years it was ‘user error’ and I ‘wasn’t doing it right’).

Alright. So back to the reusable stuff I use. It’s more comfortable, doesn’t feel as much like you’re wearing a diaper, it catches more blood, and is cleaner. These were all things I felt even before I did the long term travel and I still feel the same. Even better, I don’t get rashes/burns on my thighs from the stupid adhesive pads. Sure they take up a permanent part of my bag, but I’m not spending money in every country, trying to figure out what is the nearest to what I prefer – or worse for me – traveling in a place that really only has tampons or liners.

Now with my shortened period – I’ll admit that it makes it a bit easier as I don’t have to pack quite as much. But if you’re strategic about things then that doesn’t really impact.

Menstrual Cup Details

Okay – so I wanted to add details about menstrual cups for those that are interested in traveling with that. I obviously don’t have a lot of experience with them since I can’t use them well. So I’m tapping in my friend who used them for years:

Hi, Tiffany here. Just jumping in to share a bit of my experience travelling with a menstrual cup. One thing I’ve learned while travelling is that menstrual cups can either be a lifesaver or a bit of a hassle, depending on the situation. I love that they take up almost no space in my bag, last for years, and can be worn much longer than most pads or tampons (up to 12 hours depending on how heavy your flow is!) The idea of carrying one small reusable product instead of packing boxes of tampons or pads felt incredibly freeing, especially when luggage space was limited. I definitely appreciate the convenience of being able to go for hours without thinking about my period, whether I was spending the day sightseeing, sitting through a long flight or heading out on an early morning adventure. That said, they’re not always the easiest option. Emptying and cleaning one can be awkward when you’re dealing with tiny airplane washrooms or public restrooms. If you’re new to using one, travelling may not be the ideal time to figure out the learning curve, as some travelers may find insertion or removal stressful when away from the comfort of home. For me, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, but it’s definitely worth thinking about your comfort level and the kind of trip you’re taking before deciding if a menstrual cup is the right choice for your travels. 

Reusable Pads / Period Panties

Alright. So first off, picking between reusable pads and period panties. That is going to be by choice. I’ve used both and for me it’s still a tossup between what I really like more.

Reusable Pads:

I have used reusable pads for years. For a long time I used them in addition to period panties that I just wore as a ‘just in case’ so I didn’t bleed on my regular underwear. I love them, they’re convenient, they’re reusable, and if you get the right set then it’s very very rare that you end up with any leakage or stains.

What do I mean by ‘the right set’. I used to have (and technically still do for emergencies back home) ones that had nice cloth wings. I thought that these were great and they worked very similar to regular pads without the chafing and regular money down the drain. Then I decided to get more since these ones were a couple years old at this point and because they were white, they were staining a bit. Then I got my new ones, from the same company, that were black and I realized that these ones had the absorbent part over the entire thing, including the wings. At first, I was annoyed. It made them more bulky and I didn’t want to deal with that – but it wasn’t long before I realized that the advantage of that solved an issue I’d had for years with both traditional pads and my old reusable ones – sometimes the pad would shift or the blood would flow in a way that it would get on the wing and that would then get on my thigh or pants or whatever. With the absorbent apart of the entire pad, that issue was gone! Yay! Completely worth them being a bit more bulky to me!

Now the downside of a reusable pad – like a traditional pad, you can misjudge the placement of it for sleep and end up with blood going over the edge and staining your underwear (hence why I wear period panties under them), they also aren’t sticking to your underwear so if you wear thinner underwear or if your underwear isn’t designed to use wings (boy shorts style for example), you can end up with a shifting pad that isn’t going to work well. And of course there is the cleaning of them rather than being able to just throw them out – but I’ll get into that in a moment.

Period Panties:

I switched to period panties for this trip. I still have a couple of small, liner style reusable pads when I think ‘maybe’ since my period isn’t always regular – but I prefer the period panties for my travels. The thing is, a couple years ago I would still say reusable pads. The big change is of course to my period itself. It’s shorter now that I’m in peri-menopause and that makes all the difference to me. The other, smaller reason is that the day to day underwear I prefer for my travels doesn’t work well with reusable pads so I would’ve had to pack underwear for my periods anyway – why pack both?

I did test the period panties at home to know how they were going to work compared to the reusable pads I was used to, and had traveled with before. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to have too heavy of a flow to use them because that is something that is a concern with period panties. So if you have a heavier flow, test first! That being said, one thing that I discovered about period panties and reusable pads, is that you actually end up with more being released or wiped up when you go to the bathroom than with traditional pads, but no real mess from that. I don’t know if it’s because of the chemicals of the traditional pads (read that online once, but never bothered to resource check), but with the reusable ones and period panties, it absorbs what it needs to and you’re body expels what it needs to when you go to the bathroom. I’ve heard of a lot of people who have switched and discovered that they had a less heavy period going forward – so keep that in mind!

For me – the period panties are easier, and they’re not as bulky to travel with or wear which is huge considering I have only a couple different pairs of pants/shorts. I can use them even when I don’t have my period if I have to delay a laundry day, and I’ve never had any spillage. Now the ones I have don’t seem to be holding up as long as my reusable pads have – but I think that has to do with the quality of them more than anything. I bought pretty cheap ones since I wasn’t sure if I’d like them. I plan to buy better quality ones when I go to replace them.

Cleaning:

Alright – the big question. Cleaning the reusable stuff. Honestly? Easy and the same whether it’s the pads or the panties. When you remove them you rinse them out either in the sink or in the shower (cold water is supposed to help prevent staining), then you have a choice – you can either handwash them and hang them dry, which is what I did on the ship and occasionally do while traveling. Or you can put them in a bag and throw them in the laundry when you go to do that, which is what I do about 90% of the time.

The reusable pads often come with a carry ‘wet’ bag for travel purposes. That way if you have to change your pad while you’re out you can rinse it and then shove it in the bag without worrying until you can get home. It keeps in any smell, keeps it semi wet so stains don’t set in, but keeps everything else dry. I have one of these bags with me on my trip and that’s what I use. I rarely hand wash my stuff anymore – I just don’t need to because I time my laundry to my period (hence the importance of tracking). As long as you rinse and wring them out thoroughly immediately then you have a couple of days before you need to do the laundry. Now if you have a longer period or a heavier period, you may want to hand wash them rather than waiting for laundry day, either because you’re going to want to use them again or because waiting that long may feel like too long for something that is wet. Judge it and make the decision.

Period Symptoms

Besides the logistics of physically dealing with a period while traveling. I think it’s important to touch on other aspects of long term travel with period symptoms. I touched on a couple of these in my peri-menopause post, but I wanted to touch on it here too.

For me, I never really had a lot of symptoms for my period before I reached peri-menopause. No real PMS, no cramping unless I was on birth control, no huge cravings, etc. While some of that is still true, I’ve found that peri-menopause has given me some of the other symptoms that people deal with on top of the menopause specific symptoms…yay.

Brain Fog:

Alright – this one is more menopause related than not from what I’ve seen and heard from people. But it’s a real thing. I’ve noticed my memory isn’t always the best. I space out more. I struggle to find words. I used to attribute those to stress but as I paid more attention (and cut out most of the stressors in my life) – I realized that these symptoms came and went with my cycle. There are times of the month where my brain fog is worse. Since I suck at tracking anything, I can’t really pinpoint if it comes at the same time every single cycle – but I would say for me it typically comes a couple of days before and after my period does. This is good to know and helps me plan my travels a bit more.

Mood Swings:

I never really had mood swings growing up with my period (and if I’m wrong on that, I’m sure I’ll hear all about it haha). Now I tend to get a bit more testy and impatient and annoyed with people leading up to my period – it’s something I notice now. It’s annoying but, it’s once again something that I can plan for as I travel. Certain types of people tend to set me off more and I can recognize the signs now that I know they’re there. The beauty of traveling is that when I recognize it I don’t have to force myself to be around people and bite my tongue – I can just go off by myself and let it roll off my back. (doesn’t always work…but it’s definitely easier than forcing myself to work through it!).

Diarrhea and Related Cramps:

Yep. I’m going there. It’s an unfortunate symptom that I’ve developed over the last couple of years. If I don’t notice the brain fog or mood swings – because let’s face it they aren’t always immediately noticeable – I definitely notice the diarrhea that comes about a day maybe two before my period does. With it will often also come cramps. As I mentioned before, I never really got cramps growing up, and I don’t really get them now. But I do get them sometimes right before my bowel decides it doesn’t want to let my uterus have all the fun.

Cravings:

I’ve never been someone who craves chocolate on my period – and maybe that should’ve been the first clue that I would eventually find out that I can’t have chocolate! But I do occasionally find myself craving sweets on my period – which if you know me is weird since I don’t really eat sweets. For me, if it’s candy then it’s skittles or twizzlers or gummies. If it’s not then it’s anything with cinnamon. Snickerdoodle cookies are a favorite, but so are cinnamon buns, honey buns are good too though they lack cinnamon. Yummm. I don’t tend to eat those things the rest of the month, so that always makes those couple of days interesting when I’m in a new country and can’t find what I’m craving. Gummies tend to be easy to find – twizzlers difficult – skittles 50/50 depending where I am. Snickerdoodles and cinnamon buns? Ugh – I miss them regularly haha!

Fatigue:

Honestly, fatigue is probably my most hated period symptom outside of the hot flashes I deal with now. I never dealt with it much before peri-menopause (and if you’re tracking, you’re probably wondering what I did deal with before then and the answer is migraines and headaches…). Fatigue around my period means that I’m often scheduling longer in a location when my period is set to arrive (yay for another tracking benefit), so that I can do nothing or sleep for 16 hours. It can be difficult to get myself to get up when I have my period because I just feel so tired and drained. That’s great when it involves rainy days and annoying when it involves bright sunny days. Besides scheduling longer visits to places those weeks, I try to actually schedule myself to do something on my period days. When I have a reason to get up, I do. Otherwise I’ll just laze around or fall back to sleep. There are some months where the fatigue hits me more though, and those months I let it run its course and listen to my body and take a day or two to recharge.

Migraines/Headaches:

This is one that I have trouble writing about. From my last paragraph about fatigue you know that this is one that I’ve had to deal with since I started getting my period. But it’s a bit more complicated than that for me. I have chronic migraines and daily headaches. My migraines have actually gotten better since I started traveling (which is a whole different thing, maybe I’ll write about it one day), but I still get the daily headaches. I will sometimes get a hormonal based migraine right before or after (or both) my period, but it can be tough to tell if it really was hormonal based or just my brain hating me.

So what do I do? Occasionally, I need to put on a mask (or really I tend to pull a beanie over my eyes because I don’t like sleep masks) and be in my bed avoiding light and sound. Sometimes when traveling in hostels that looks like listening to music I can stand because people talking aggravates my head more than instrumental music in my ears. Sometimes that’s finding a quiet place in a park and closing my eyes in the shade. Sometimes that’s taking a migraine or nausea pill. Sometimes that’s sleeping 16 hours. Sometimes that’s only eating bread and drinking Gatorade. I struggle with giving advice on this one because they are such a part of my everyday life that I mostly just roll with them unless they’re really bad.

Conclusion

Periods suck. If you have the option and interest in going on a birth control that can stop them, do it. But you can still travel even when you don’t have that option or when you don’t want to take that option. It’s honestly not that different from living with your period in the day to day, there are a couple of additional scheduling things to think about – but that’s just to make your life easier.

So if you’re worried about traveling long term with your period – treat it the same way you would at home. Women are having periods all over the world, even if you mid trip decide to change up your products, you’ll be able to find things even if they may not be your brand. Some countries have other products readily available, some countries have things for free or cheaper. Explore the options and as much as possible, don’t let your period keep you from exploring the world.