From JuJu with Love

There are many things people tell you to prepare for when traveling internationally: passports, visas, vaccines, packing cubes, and weight limits that make you question your life choices. What they don’t warn you about? Bathrooms.

Take Antarctica, for example. Once you step off the ship, there is no civilization. No cafés. No gas stations. No “just pop into a restroom real quick.” There is ice, snow, penguins… and the very real fear that your body might choose that exact moment to have an opinion.

With an 11-pound carry-on limit, every ounce mattered. And yet, there we were, seriously debating whether to sacrifice clothes, snacks, or camera accessories so we could pack Depends — just in case. Because when you’re standing at the bottom of the world, preparedness suddenly becomes very personal.

But before you even reach Antarctica, you must first survive the Drake Passage — and there is nothing quite like trying to use the bathroom on a small cruise ship while the ocean is throwing 18- to 20-foot swells at you.

This is not a gentle, sit-down experience. This is an athletic event. One hand braced against the wall, one foot wedged for balance, praying the ship doesn’t lurch at exactly the wrong moment. Suddenly, all modesty disappears and you gain a deep respect for gravity, core strength, and anyone who emerges from that bathroom without injury.

And Antarctica isn’t alone in keeping travelers humble. In many parts of the world, a bathroom isn’t a porcelain throne with a lock on the door — it’s a hole in the ground, sometimes with walls, sometimes without, and occasionally with a curious audience of goats, chickens, or fellow travelers waiting their turn.

Then there are public bathrooms, where you learn another important travel lesson: you have to pay to pee. And not just pay — you need the exact change. No credit cards. No “can I break a bill?” Just a small coin clutched in your hand while a long line of women behind you collectively wills you to move faster.

Nothing bonds strangers quite like standing in a bathroom queue, frantically digging through your bag for coins, knowing that every second you hesitate increases the sighs, eye rolls, and quiet judgment of women who are also desperately waiting their turn.

Travel has a wonderful way of stripping away expectations — including bathroom expectations. You learn quickly that flexibility isn’t just about your itinerary; it’s about your digestion. You become deeply grateful for toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and the ability to laugh at yourself.

Because if you can survive a bathroom emergency in the Drake Passage, master the art of the squat over a hole in the ground, and successfully pay exact change under pressure — you can handle just about anything travel throws your way.

Every trip leaves you with memories, and at least one bathroom story you’ll never forget! 

From Juju with love 💙✈️