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There’s no place like home. — Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

I think it’s safe to say Dorothy’s Kansas bathroom wasn’t the first thing on her mind while navigating the yellow brick road in far off Oz. Then again, Dorothy never bared witness to the hostel and public bathrooms which exist overseas, and been subjected to the terrors within. Minus a pair of ruby red slippers to transport me home, I’ll have to grin and bear it on my trip around the world.

1. Showers - Hot, steamy, high pressured showers are one of my favorite experiences in life. At home, I enjoy them every single day as a matter of routine. On the road, as I’ve learned in Central America, “hot water” is often a euphemism for “less cold than ice water.”

2. Towels - I pride myself on a relatively small pack when traveling, so I certainly don’t have room for a full length, slow-drying, cotton towel. A small Paktowel has served me well, which doesn’t mean I enjoy wringing the sucker out five times before I’m ready to get dressed.

3. Dove Cool Moisture Body Wash - “…combines refreshing cucumber extract and soothing green tea in a light, fresh-scented moisturizing formula that leaves you with the clean, cool feeling of hydrated skin.” With a description bordering on services rendered at a 5-star spa, you’d be crazy not to miss the soaps readily available in the States. Surprisingly, my all purpose Campsuds doesn’t compete.

4. Gillette Mach3 Power Razor - Yes, the marketing campaigns got me on this one. At home, I must have a vibrating razor with 4 blades and a lubricating strip. On the road, I sacrifice this gentle (and expensive) razor for the cheap, disposable, single blade plastic ones they practically give away at airports, and my skin does not appreciate me as a result! Also, it’s hard to find travel size shaving gels, which I find far superior to cream.

5. Charmin Ultra Toilet Paper - Ahh…the soft touch of this double-ply paper to my *beep* keeps life worth living. On Charmin’s website, they feature scented toilet paper that smells like wildflowers. Only in America do we now expect our toilet paper (and garbage bags) to smell of flowers. All joking aside, it’s a rough toilet paper world out there, and I’m not ready to fathom the locales that make do with water alone.

6. Privacy - My apartment bathroom may be small, however it’s all mine. No sharing, no rush to let others shower, change clothes, brush their teeth, or whatever else backpackers do to amuse themselves in there.

What do you miss most about your bathroom while traveling?

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