There’s one certainty regarding travelling – wherever you fly off to, whether it’s a domestic destination to somewhere exotic you’ve never seen before – you’re going to need to, well, go. Use the toilet, go to the john, find a restroom, visit the W.C… Needing to find a toilet is a universal travel experience – but the types of loo you find around the world is not! Here in the UK we’re used to (generally) clean facilities where you do your business, flush and head off to wash your hands – but that’s certainly not the way things work everywhere! Take a look at the different types of loo you might find around the globe.
Asia
China – Sadly, China has a reputation for having unhygienic and smelly toilet facilities – although conditions are improving! If possible, try and find a toilet in a fast food restaurant as these are likely to be the cleanest, but don’t expect too much. On the plus side, public facilities are copious in China, so if you do need to go, you should be able to find a public bathroom.
While some hotels and shopping centres will offer western style ‘sit down’ toilets, many do not. Instead, facilities will range from a long block with a trench down the centre to do your business in , to small holes in the ground behind a few walls. While this may sound pretty disgusting to western travellers, it is very much the norm for the locals. Remember to always keep hold of some toilet paper and a small bottle of hand sanitizer though.
The below Chinese characters are for man (left character) and woman (right character). Often these will be the only signs designating a WC, so do try and memorise!
Thailand – Often a destination for gap year travellers, it can be a bit of a shock for a first time visitor to Thailand to walk into a toilet and see one of these….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/feserc/3233318535/
However, squat toilets are the norm in the country, and many do not offer toilet paper. Instead, either a hose and nozzle is provided, to spray yourself off once you have finished, or a bucket of water with a scoop is left in the facilities. When it comes to technique in using a squad toilet, advice is to pull trousers down to your knees and squat and hold yourself in place with your thigh muscles. If you’re worried about balance, steady yourself with one hand against a wall – but remember, you’ll have to remain squatting to rinse yourself off!
To flush, you may have to add water into the bowl until your mess is washed away…
Japan – Toilets in Japan can be utterly confusing for a western traveller – whilst they may look like a loo from back home, these are toilets with the obligatory Japanese technology. They often offer a heated seat, a range of washing options (with different water temperatures and pressure) and even music and deodorisation. The problem with Japanese toilets is working out which buttons do what! Most toilets come with a remote, similar to the one seen below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhoon/289775651/
Each remote works differently, so if you don’t know a great deal of Japanese, you’re going to have to experiment. Be brave! If you can’t find a ‘flush’ button on the remote, take a look at the toilet cistern – some have a small lever which can be pushed up or down. One way will activate a small flush (for urine) and the other will activate a ‘big flush’.
Some public toilets in Japan (especially in non-tourist) will use squat toilets – read the Thailand information above for information about this kind of loo!
Europe –
Amsterdam – Whilst most sit down toilets in Amsterdam are pretty unusual by Western standards, one thing you may be surprised to see on a visit is the public urinals which are placed on a number of streets. These are just normal male urinals – they just happen to be placed outside and in full view of the street! Men – use them if you dare, and women – just avert your eyes!
Turkey – Turkey offers both western style sit down toilets and squat toilets in more rural areas. Use the above advice for the squat style toilets if you do come across one – but beware, many of these toilets cannot handle toilet paper being flushed – instead, a small bin should be provided. Toilets will be indicated by the word ‘WC’ or ‘Tuvalet’ – or the numbers 00. Male toilets will be shown by the term ‘Bay’ whilst female toilets will say ‘Bayan’.
That’s our advice for toilets in some of the different countries across the globe – what have you found when travelling? Which countries have the best loos, and which should be avoided? Leave your comments below!