We are heading up to Denver this afternoon in preparation for our flight to Quito, Ecuador, tomorrow. We almost always stay at a hotel in order to save on the cost of parking. This was a post that we previously shared regarding using hotels to avoid airport parking fees.
Oddly enough, we have wanted to broach this subject ever since our return to the States. One of the things about traveling to different parts of the world is dealing with various bathrooms and the attitudes towards them. Obviously, this is a topic that make some people uncomfortable, but there are times when it is good to know what to expect before you go rather than being surprised, or perhaps even startled, once you get there.
In the United States, restrooms are usually tucked away in obscure locations, not to be seen and the expectation is that they are clean and there is an element of privacy. When spending time in Europe, you learn to let a little of your modesty go. The water closets are not usually spacious and don’t be surprised if the door opens to a full view of the bathroom with no obstruction for the guests outside. Occasionally you will have unisex bathrooms with private stalls, but a single washroom area. Since they are often retrofitted into older buildings, they are often small and awkwardly laid out. There will also sometimes be a bathroom attendant who collects tips although they rarely actually keep the area clean.
That being said, the restrooms of Europe are nothing compared to those that you see when you travel to less modern parts of the world. Walking into a bathroom in India can lead you to the surprise that there is a hole in the ground and there is no toilet paper. There is a reason for the etiquette protocol that you don’t eat or shake hands with your left hand. We learned early on that we need to always carry tissues or a small roll of toilet paper with us when traveling places. In Bolivia, we stopped at place on our way to Lake Titicaca to use the restroom and were charged a dollar to once again for the use of a hole in the ground.
This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is Bathrooms or Outhouses, which poses a bit of a challenge since we don’t usually take photos of bathrooms. We have, occasionally, taken some pictures at the hotels where we have stayed when the bathroom has been especially nice.
Have you ever noticed that whenever you talk to someone who has just returned from a trip, it was always the best trip of their life. It is as if, somehow, every trip that someone takes it is nothing but sunshine, magical moments, and the most amazing sights. Yes, you are right, we are guilty of this too. The actual truth is that not every trip or travel moment is pure joy and happiness. Flights get delayed or cancelled, reservations get messed up, hotels don’t look like their brochures, and the sun doesn’t always cooperate.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy trips that have mishaps, in fact if you can face them with optimism, they can sometimes just become funny anecdotes that are wonderful to share. We have been fortunate in that we haven’t had any major issues during our travels (knocking on wood right now), but a few hiccups. One story that stands out for us was during our second trip to Cabo San Lucas we ended up in the direct path of a substantial hurricane. The airlines wouldn’t change our return flight without drastic costs unless the area was declared a disaster. As it turned out, the hurricane made landfall the day that our flight left and we managed to make it to the airport before the road flooded. The airport lost power for a while and when our plane landed, it had to be the quickest turn and boarding that we’ve ever participated in as our pilot was determined to get us off the ground before things got too bad for us to fly.
Since that trip, we have always made sure to buy travel insurance. It doesn’t cost very much compared to what it could cost you if something disastrous happens. Some credit cards automatically provide travelers insurance when you use their card to purchase airline tickets. As the old saying goes, “hope for the best, plan for the worst”. Hopefully you will never need to use it, but we have plenty of stories from other travelers where it has turned out to be a life-saver.
Obviously, we love to travel and love every aspect of traveling, even when it isn’t as perfect as we had imagined. We will do our best to share our trips as honestly as we can without glamorizing it too much. Since we do truly enjoy seeing new places, meeting new people, and trying new foods, our experiences will likely always be more positive than negative, but when there are disappointments, we will share those as well and hopefully ways to avoid whatever pitfalls we may have encountered.