Advance planning and anticipation of problems is important in helping you cope when travelling; for example, thinking through how you can minimise the amount of products you need to take.

Make a checklist in advance of things you might need to take.

Getting to your destination

Here are some general points to consider when traveling:

Luggage

• Products for managing incontinence can take up a substantial amount of space in your luggage. This is especially true for disposable pads.
• Use the most absorbent products you can in the smallest quantity.
• Look for vacuum packed pads which take up less space.
• Reusable products are often inconvenient when travelling as the used products have to be stored for washing. However, if you can manage washable products you will save luggage space.
• Consider using products other than pads. For example, men could try a sheath system instead of pads which would take up less space.
• Contact the airline in advance to find out if there are luggage restrictions and if you will be asked to pay extra. Some categories of products do not incur additional charges, for example, wheelchairs. Faced with additional charges, you may be able to make the case for continence products also being exempt. In the case of disposable products, you are likely to have substantially less bulk (and weight) on the return journey.
• Find out if a supply of products can be delivered to your holiday destination or send a supply ahead yourself.

Hand luggage

• Make sure you have a supply of spare products in your hand luggage which you keep with you.
• If possible keep enough products for a couple of days in case your main luggage is mislaid or damaged. This will hopefully give you time to get replacement products at your destination.

Toilets

• If you know you will need to use the toilet quickly, try to reserve a seat near the toilet. You may wish to wear a pad in case of a leak if you can’t access the toilet quickly enough.
• If you are travelling by car, you may have a bit more flexibility. Think about where and when toilet stops might be possible. Consider explaining to any passengers in the car that you will need to stop every so often to use the toilet.

• Public toilets vary in cleanliness and facilities. Here are some things to take with you which you might find useful to keep clean and fresh:

  • toilet paper / tissues
  • wet wipes
  • antibacterial hand gel
  • a small bottle of water
  • hand towel
  • disposable bags for used products
  • disposable paper toilet seat covers

You may find a urine director useful if you:

• are unable to sit on the toilet seat
• have to use a squat toilet as opposed to one with a seat
• are unable to remove your clothing
• are unable to find a toilet at all!

Clothing

You might want to think about your clothing choices when travelling. For example, drop front pants are easy to change if wet without removing trousers. Women may prefer to wear a skirt for easy use of a hand-held urinal or urine director.

Product suggestions

• Consider using the smallest absorbent product you can and changing more often so you have less bulky products in hand luggage.
• Consider using larger, more absorbent products if getting to the toilet to change is going to be difficult.
• Use products that you are most confident will reduce the risk of leakage onto clothing or seats.
• Consider using a travel urinal. You may be able to stop in a lay-by to use a urinal. Many men and women’s urinals are available. Men can use a home-made urinal using a large plastic bottle if necessary. Add super absorbent gel to the container to solidify urine until the urinal can be emptied discreetly.
• Some catheters for intermittent catheterisation can be folded for up to 3 hours to fit into a handbag or pocket; check manufacturers' instructions.
• Consider using products designed to contain leakage over longer periods of time e.g. for men, a sheath system.
• Wear dark or multi-coloured clothing to disguise wet patches and reduce product visibility.
• Wear loose fitting clothes which are easy to remove and replace.

Security

• You may have to go through security checks when travelling.
• If you need medicines / products during the journey that do not comply with usual security regulations, you may be allowed to take them through security if you have a letter from your doctor.
• This includes unopened packets of super-absorbent gel which may be mistaken for an illegal substance.
• If you are concerned about luggage searches or body searches, contact the transport operator in advance. This will help to avoid the embarrassment of your continence products being visible when bags are opened or you are searched.

When you are there

How you manage your leakage when travelling will be influenced by the type of accommodation you have. For example, if you rent a house you may be able to use washable products without too much difficulty. If you are camping you are likely to want disposable products.

• Think about how long you will be away for and how much product you will need. Contact the product manufacturers for local suppliers but don’t assume you will able to get your products locally.
• Take an extra supply in case your symptoms worsen. Bowel leakage can worsen with a tummy upset from a change in diet. Bladder leakage can worsen if you become dehydrated in a hot climate.
• Work out roughly how many items you will need and add an extra emergency supply; for example, enough for two additional days.
• If this is more than you can practically transport, contact the manufacturer(s) and see if a supply can be sent directly to your destination
• If you are dependent on your health care professional for providing your products make sure you request them well in advance of your trip; for example, if your doctor prescribes your products, obtain a prescription in good time in case your supplier has to order larger quantities than usual.

Discreetness

• If you are staying in a hotel, ask not to have maid service if you would prefer staff did not see continence products in the bathroom.
• If you do not have en suite facilities try to book a room close to the bathroom / toilet.

Disposal

• Disposing of large quantities of pads can be very difficult to do discreetly when travelling.
• If you do not feel able to talk to the hotel staff about this, try to find local bins and put your products into several bags.
• Find out when the hotel bins are emptied.
• Take a good supply of plastic bags for disposal and double bag your products.

Laundering products

• If you do not have direct access to private laundry facilities consider sticking to disposable products.
• It might be possible to wash a limited quantity of products in your hotel room. Take washing powder and a travel clothes-line.

Product choice

• Make sure you have bed and chair protection to avoid embarrassing accidents which are hard to deal with.
• Check the size of the bed so that if you require fitted bed protection, you have the appropriate size.
• If you are camping you might want a sleeping bag cover
• Contact the product manufacturer to check the likely performance of your products in extreme temperatures. For example, products that use adhesive such as sheaths can be problematic in hot temperatures where the skin adhesive may melt and the sheath may not be easily unrolled.
• In damp environments such as when camping in wet weather, the damp may affect the performance of absorbent pads.

Tips from product users

Try not to worry! People who travel regularly report that most people are sympathetic if you get into difficulty.

• Find the place (toilet, bathroom, bedroom) where it is easiest to change products and stick to that. Store supplies in a handy place nearby.
• You never know when you will need a product so get in the habit of carrying a bag or a pouch (zip bag or cosmetics bag) with all you might require with you when you leave home. This includes an extra plastic bag for soiled items.
• Keep a spare set of products in handy locations; for example, hidden with the spare tyre for your car or with understanding friends or relatives at places you are likely to visit.
• Pack a head torch so that if you are in unfamiliar surroundings you can use it and be hands-free.
• Pack a couple of small hand towels or face cloths which can be used as emergency pads and which dry quickly.
• Take a small chair pad to protect seats on public transport - material upholstery can stain!
• Use a coat hanger for a make-shift urine drainage bag hanger.
• Use a vacuum bag or strong tape to reduce the size of large pad supplies.
• Pack pads in a large, square-shaped plastic holdall which is top-zipped and waterproof; it folds small into a suitcase for return, being light and flexible.
• Women can cut off the top of a plastic bottle to use as a urinal.
• When staying in hotels, don't put pads under the pillow with night wear or protective sheets on the bed early in the day - you may be embarrassed when your continence products are seen by maids coming to service your room.
• Think about how you would manage if a disaster occurred and you had NO products with you.
• Find out about 24 hour supermarkets or local hospitals from where an emergency product supply could be obtained.
• Some countries have locked toilet schemes - you can purchase a key which gives you access to toilets across the country. Click on worldwide for further information from organisations in your country.
• Some organisations produce 'Just can't wait!' toilet cards - you can use these to ask for a toilet without embarrassment; for example, in shops when you need to use the toilet in a hurry. Click on worldwide for further information from organisations in your country.
• Look for maps which set out toilets in your country. Click on worldwide for further information from organisations in your country.

Think positively! Once you have reduced your supplies, there will be space in your bag for souvenirs!

Sharing tips is an important aspect of this website. Please click on Contact to leave your 'user tips'.