Female Menstrual Travel Kit
Women's Extra Necessities for the Road and Hotel
Every woman who travels needs to plan for expected and unexpected menstrual cycles. Make sure you've got your menstrual travel kit all stocked and loaded for go time.
Guest Article:
For the female business traveler, a bit of pre-planning can make any trip easier to bear. Buying new items on every trip is frustratingly time-consuming, and the expenses can add up if you travel enough. Plus, you might feel more comfortable with your own brands at hand.
Stock your Menstrual Kit with these necessities:
- Assortment of Pantyliners, Tampons and Maxi Pads for different levels of flow, in a brand you are comfortable with
- Advil/Midol/Your Brand Here; small container for the painkiller pills
- Extra toilet paper, Handi-wipes or Kleenex pack - you don't ever want to be stranded without TP of some kind
- Plastic gloves (to help remove those OBs)
- Dark pants, or black spandex shorts, to wear under lighter clothes as needed
- Three pair clean, comfortable panties (you can clean them by hand, in rotation, as needed)
- Thermacare heat strips (for soothing any cramps)
- A small container of lotion containing either peppermint or arnica, to rub into back/stomach when cramping. I like to use either the Fair Trade Foot Lotion or the Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bar, both from Lush. The massage bar melts in travel, so just cut off a chunk and put it in a small travel container.
- Waste containers - freezer-duty ziplocks, small snack baggie zippies
- Grab some toilet seat liners to have on hand as needed, for dirty bathrooms
- Hydrogen pyroxide in a small container (to more easily clean any unexpected blood leaks on panties or sheets or even hotel pillows)
- Make a carrying case that is somewhat discreet: use a dollar store pencil box, or a plastic-lined makeup kit
- It's also nice to have a Mini-Kit to live in the bottom of your purse: include pantiliners, Advil, OB tampons and some tiny snack baggies, all tucked into an Altoids tin (one of the older, larger tins)
I have both kits, handy and ready to grab. My mini-menstrual kit is always in my purse for unexpected emergencies. The larger, more comprehensive kit gets regular use, even at home. The important part is maintaining its up-to-date readiness so you can pack and go. No muss, no fuss.
-Jill Florio
Related, on Suite101:
- Travel Menstrual Discussion Thread
- Hotels and Low Carb Breakfasts
- Hotel Pillow Woes
- Lush Organic Bath Products
