There Are Times When You Really Have To Go!

International Travel And Finding Restrooms

Traveling around the world there is one challenge that seems to regularly show up and that’s where to go? I don’t mean as in travel but really go. When at home in America it’s something we take for granted. We Americans believe it is a public right and resent any effort to place a charge on or restrict access. Elsewhere around the world it can be a challenge to find a toilet and in some places understanding how to use them is a serious issue and considering it’s a public service they are rarely free. They’re restrooms, WC, toilets, lavatories, wash rooms, privies and you’d think for a room with so many names just in English they’d be everywhere?

America is pretty restroom friendly with lots of options and almost all for free. Similarly are Canada, Australia and New Zealand and while Europe has improved somewhat, free restrooms are rare and real public restrooms are often difficult to locate. Other issues as you travel are what is the procedure for accessing them and how to actually use the facility. Are you likely to find toilet tissue and what forms of payment are expected?

Asia seems to have evolved a completely different approach to toilet design and while they modernized over the years they often remained consistent to the original tradition. In many locations in Asia a floor level hole is the norm and squatting is the preferred method of use.

With the increase of Chinese tourists in the United States the National Park Service has started installing graphic instructions in park restrooms to prevent accidents in using the toilet.

The good news is things are changing around the world with airports and hotel room facilities becoming available in westernized versions. Also, not too long ago many public restrooms had attendants that would show you to a stall and you left a rew coins on their table. That also seems to be less common.

While traveling a good option for locating free public restrooms is to look for department stores, shopping malls, train stations and hotel lobbies. Being American companies the ubiquitous McDonalds and Starbucks* are usually dependable locations for free restrooms. Also bars are a fixture of urban life everywhere in the world and almost all bars have restrooms, many cleaner than average but you may have to pay. While often access isn’t for the public you can get in the habit of simply buying something in the bar (cafe or coffee shop) and then ask to use the bathroom. A coffee in a bar or cafe is often under $2 or 1€ and most have private bathrooms for customers.

Over the years we’ve discovered that Google maps can be an invaluable resource for helping find restrooms. Bring up your Google map for your current location and add restrooms to the search bar. You’ll find a map marked with public restrooms near you and tapping go will give you (walking) directions. Unfortunately the app doesn’t normally indicate if there’s a fee or often on what floor and on a number of occasions we’ve wasted precious time discovering that the WC is below us in the basement but it’s better than asking directions.

Every country seems to have their own approach to restrooms and public use and even different European countries vary. Before traveling do a little research on what to expect where you’re going and a couple of phrase cards in the local language asking where are the restrooms can come in handy. Google translator is also a good app to have.

Italy – Today you can find some pretty clean public bathrooms in a few places around major Italian cities. They are called “p-stops” and they are run by the City of Rome, Florence, Venice and several others. The cost is 1€. WC is also a common marking in Italy.

France – Public urinals, or pissoirs as they’re known in French, have a long history dating back to the late 1800s and Paris has recently installed a series of new outdoor urinals with a bit of controversy involved (womens rights!). In addition Paris has more than 400 public toilets, called sanisettes, located mostly on the public footpaths around Paris. They are free to use and all have access for the disabled. Many of the sanisettes are open 24 hours.

Amsterdam has had public urinals for years, and cities in Belgium and Australia have also recently started installing modern versions for public use.

French EUROmodul public restrooms in Copenhagen

A French company called EUROmodul has gone global and is designing and installing public toilets around the world. Their modern freestanding units are intended for use in urban locations where necessary infrastructure is available (water and sewage connection). These toilets are equipped with different quality levels of sanitary equipment with toilets having anti-vandal characteristics in order to ensure the safety and longevity of the equipment and the toilets themselves. Their revenue stream is based on per use fees, usually about 1€.

As you travel internationally the best approach to being prepared is always carry some small change in local money for getting access to WCs and be sure and carry some tissues on you in case the facility has no paper.

Odd Encounters

For a German seaside festival these were well placed around town

Ultra modern Singapore had an interesting approach for public restrooms; a S$100 fine for not flushing. Makes you wonder who’s checking?

Several times in Tokyo we encountered public restroom stalls that played load white noise so others couldn’t hear you. Talk about civilized…

Often traveling outside major cities and into more remote areas can be a special challenge. Once in Vietnam my wife needed a restroom when visiting a temple. She was directed to a shack behind the temple that had no windows, lights and all ther was was a small hole in a dirt floor.

Asking For A Bathroom

Italian “stanza da bagno” French “salle de Bains” Hungarian “fürdőszoba”, Spanish “baño” Greek “λουτρό” (loutro) Dutch “badkamer”, German “Badezimmer” Swedish “badrum” Japanese 浴室 (yokushitsu), Polish “łazienka”