Travelling Solo with Painful Periods: My Experience & Tips

So, in the light of a period emoji coming into existence (yaass), I thought I would write about something that has effected me for most of my teenage and adult life, and that is, (sometimes extremely) painful periods, or as doctors like to call it: dysmenorrhea. Obviously this hasn’t stopped whilst I’ve been travelling, so I thought it may be helpful to share my experiences of it, and what may help others who suffer too.

I have struggled to find any blogs offering advice specifically addressing bad pain, and when do you suffer, the discussion is different, because you are away from home and I can even imagine for some, that it may be a factor in deciding whether going away alone is a good idea or not. In fact when I was planning my trip, my mum worried about this exact problem. Because when I suffer, I really suffer, and when it happens, it tends to be very helpful to have a friend/family member there to help; to help me get to somewhere more private, to comfort me and to give me the things I need to soothe the pain. Just to give some context, although I’ve probably made it clear enough, it usually involves me vomiting, becoming physically faint, and needing to be curled up in a ball on the floor, pretty much no matter where I am.

Obviously there is contraception available to help the pain or stop the periods, but on the first stint of my trip I wasn’t taking anything because honestly, I was kind of sick of pumping hormones into myself. The pains were bad then. On this stint of my trip though, I’m taking the pill again, a pill I’ve been on before and know my body is ok with (and taking a break every 3 months) to try and aid those pains, but it hasn’t (yet). I know I could try the coil, and that has worked for some of my friends, but I haven’t been in a position to allow my body to familiarise itself with it and definitely didn’t want to be going through that process whilst I was away (plus there is always a risk it just won’t work for you).

Over the last 5 months I’ve actually only had two really bad periods, (usually the bad ones are about 1 in every 3-4). The first time I was sick into a bin outside of the dorm room because someone was in the bathroom, and spent the next few hours in a ball on the floor clutching a pillow. Fortunately, I did have a close enough friend with me at this point. She bought me a cheese toastie and banana bread so that I was able to take my painkillers (I can’t take them on an empty stomach), and then she sat with me and encouraged me to eat it because I wasn’t hungry, the angel that she is. This experience would’ve been made a whole lot worse if I didn’t have someone with me, but I learnt from this and now prepare myself so as to avoid another situation like it (fingers crossed).

The second particularly painful time I wasn’t sick, thankfully, but found myself weaving through a crowd of drunk people to the bar of the hostel to request some hot water to fill my small, pink, Winnie the Pooh hot water bottle. I’ve also come on my period on a (5-hour-long) bus in Sri Lanka, wearing a baby blue dress, yes.

So, there are some things that can just be unhelpful when travelling being on your period, including:



1. When the shower cubicle isn’t near a bin, and you need to dispose of sanitary products

2. You worry more about getting blood on hostel’s towel/ bedsheets/ anywhere.

3. You aren’t able to snuggle up in the comfort of your own home, with that privacy, loading up on snacks and Netflix.

4. Unless you’re super prepared, everything you need when you are in pain and bleeding, is not readily available and at arms-length. Your medication, food, sanitary products, water to drink, may not be accessible when you need them. Which is the same anywhere, but when you’re somewhere unfamiliar it can be more of a problem.

In going forward, here are some tips for you that have helped me (not including contraception):



1. Work out when you’re next due on your period, so that you can be even vaguely aware of when you’ll be coming on (consider that travelling can change your cycle, because of the time changes).

2. Carry a substantial snack with you at all times, something like crackers, so that you can take painkillers if you need to. Super important.

3. Stack up on painkillers (I use a cocktail of Naproxen and paracetamol, and it is literally the only thing that works for me), as well as sanitary products.

4. I highly recommend a mini hot water bottle, a small one means it easily fits into your backpack, and it’s a game changer when you’re in pain. If you’re on the move, get some heat pads, they help too.

5. Do not feel bad if you need to take a night for yourself, resting or going to sleep early, and watching some Netflix. No, you aren’t in the comfort of your own space but you can still rest! Also FaceTiming home helps if you’re in need of some comfort.

6. Do not feel bad if you need to comfort eat, I’m pretty sure on every day of my period so far I’ve had one or more of the following: doughnuts, chocolate, sweets, danishes. Apparently sugar can make the pain worse but sometimes you just need that comfort food amirite?

7. Do not feel bad if you need to take a day or 3 to just chill, travelling can be super fast-paced, and that can be exhausting when you’re on your period, and in pain.

Periods can be really shit. This will only really apply to people that suffer bad cramps, and other side effects. However shit they are, though, it’s important to acknowledge that I am fortunate enough to have access to, and can afford to pay for, what I need when I get my period. This, unfortunately, is a privilege. There will be so many people who experience the same pain, who won’t have access to the resources that will help them.

I hope this clarifies that it is possible to travel alone with painful cycles... Do comment below if you have any other tips/ experiences to share!