Feminine Travel Products

EDITOR'S NOTE (i.e. from Ken): As the title of this post implies, it is targeted more to our female readers but inquiring men will likely be interested as well.

My husband has written several blogs on the Ingenuity of Mayans in Guatemala. It simply can't be ignored that genius ideas come from all around the world. The two products below are at the very least interesting. You decide how genius they are. 

1. The Menstrual Cup - I was introduced to this months before we left the US, and I'm a bit shocked that I'm actually writing about it now. However, after living in Central America for 10 months, it's much easier to talk about personal subjects like this. After all, it's par for the course to openly discuss the sights, sounds and smells of digestive issues with friends here. Everyone gets an amoeba now and then, and there's no disguising what is happening to one's body when those take over.

If you're a frequent traveler, or dislike the garbage waste and smell of tampons and pads, then I recommend you try a menstrual cup. The Diva Cup costs $28 on Amazon, and, in my opinion, is well worth it. There are other brands, but I'm only familiar with the Diva Cup. While this may seem expensive, they claim to last at least a year, but I've read reviews of women using the same cup for several years. Goodbye tampons, which also happen to be expensive here. While I won't describe the process of using it, I will say it is easier to whip out (and in and out and in) the Diva Cup twice every 24 hours than it is to use several tampons. I highly recommend reading the directions, especially on how to remove the cup. If removed incorrectly, it might feel like you're pulling out your entire uterus. Yes, I did that and it wasn't pleasant. 

The Diva Cup (photo credit menstruationstasse.net)

I was surprised to learn that most of my close women friends in Guate use this. If you're planning a big trip and space is limited, I highly recommend giving this a try. (Be warned. It may take a month or two before using this is a smooth and clean process. Just sayin'.

2. Go Girl, feminine urination device! - My mother-in-law saw these on Groupon and gifted them to us during a recent visit. I'm still not sure what to think of them. According to their website, European women have used female urination devices (FUDs) for years. Basically, this is a device that allows women to pee standing up. In other words, it's a penis for a female. It's reusable and can be folded to fit into a small space. I haven't actually come up with a scenario where using the Go Girl!, storing it after being used, and later cleaning it, brings more benefit than just squatting. I'm okay with a little urine splash on my ankles.

As you can see, the Go Girl! comes bent to fit into a small tube.

And here it is -- the female penis.

However, after climbing the San Pedro Volcano, I considered using it at home. My quads and thighs were so sore that it might have been better to use this device than have to sit and get back up. But I missed that opportunity. I'm now back to sitting and standing normally.

The Go Girl! is currently selling on Amazon for just under $10 and has a 4 star rating with more than 600 reviews. So...your thoughts? Genius or not?

Each Go Girl! comes in a reuseable bag (If not opened by an eager 9-year old) and a bit of toilet paper.

Thanks so much for reading this post! If you enjoyed it leave us a comment below or click one of the Share buttons to the left!