This is the second post in a new feature on Her Packing List called “The One Little Thing“. Each week, I’ll be interviewing a traveling lady to find out the one little thing she just can’t travel without. This one is brought to you by Dina who has been traveling with her husband since 2009:
I’m Dina from Vagabond Quest. My husband and I have been traveling with our 2 backpacks since April 2009.
So far we have explored mainly Western Europe, some countries along the Mediterranean Sea, and Oceania.
We are still on the go. Our near future destinations include some gorgeous Caribbean islands and Central America.
What’s the one little thing you just can’t travel without?
The Diva Cup! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a menstrual cup.
Why has this one item been so important to you?
I think you will agree if I say menstruation is not a female traveler’s best friend. The Diva Cup has been helping me in making my period travel moment better. In what situation does this item help?
- Keeping your day fresh! It doesn’t smell.
- Confidence: Unless you are a heavy dispenser, it won’t leak.
- Very comfortable. No rash.
- Plug it in, forget about it. You only need to empty it every 12 hours, really good for a long rugged day on the road.
- Good for swimming, snorkeling, diving, and other “wet” activity.
- Packing light. This item is really small, don’t need to waste space for supplies of tampons or feminine napkins.
- Money saving. Just purchase this item for 30-40 USD once, and you are good to go for years (until you loose it or burn it accidentally, or change size which happens quite rarely). Imagine your savings in the long run.
- It’s a green thing: no more garbage other than your liquid.
- Being naked with confidence, no string whatsoever…
How packable is it? Does it take up much room? Is it heavy?
It packs really small! The diameter is less than 5 cm, the length is less than 7 cm and it’s weight only 15 g. It comes with a little cute cloth bag when you purchase it. You can easily fit this inside your clothes or toiletries pouch without noticing the addition.
Why would you recommend this to your travel friends?
Because of the small packing, versatility, the comfort, and practicality of it. My #3 answer explains more. I have much better time traveling while having my period with this item!
Can you name one incident or situation where you were so happy to have this item with you?
In any water activity! Swimming, diving, snorkeling, rafting, even just wearing a bikini playing on the beach. I know many friends that have to create fake reasons to boys of why they can’t join the fun. Yes, boys can be that insensitive. Even worse than creating the fake reason is of course missing the fun itself. Yes I know a tampon helps in this situation as well, but this cup has no string hanging out from you! Total confidence!
How did you hear about this item?
Actually Ryan (husband) found out about it first. He’s attracted to the long-run cost savings.
What sort of traveler is this item perfect for?
Female travelers. Any kind of female traveler that might have a period during her travels. Especially those that will go to countries without tampons on sale. Of course if you decide to skip periods altogether (by pills), then you don’t need this. I did that sometimes. But then when I run out of pills and am too lazy to buy them, this cup comes to rescue.
I totally agree with Dina on ever point listed above! If you’d like to learn more about the Diva Cup, check out my article on menstrual cups. Don’t forget to check out Dina’s site at Vagabond Quest, or find her on Twitter.
This was on my packing list when I moved to Australia last month & so far I love it! Usually things that take up less space packing are also slightly less effective (travel hangers, anyone?), but The Diva Cup is not only light and tiny, it’s also much less of a hassle than tampons. Traveling or not, I may never go back!
Traveling hangers? haha, sorry, never heard of that!
Yeah, traveling or not, I’m not going back either
Hell yeah to the diva cup! Although to be honest, I like it a little more in theory than I do in practice (I find that it’s a little painful to insert). But everyone else I know who uses it doesn’t have this problem, so I’m pretty sure it’s just me. So I still recommend it.
Christy, I had the same issue when removing it at first but after messing with how I did it (folding, twisting, etc.), I found what works for me. Good luck!
@Christy: too bad there’s a little pain while inserting for you. Sometimes I have the poking feeling too that’s so annoying if I’m not inserting it deep enough, but I just need to adjust it as soon as I find a restroom.
The cost saving and eco-friendliness of it sound really interesting! Might have to check it out….
You will love it!
One of my concerns is that you can’t really use it if you’re traveling in an area without regular access to purified water, etc, to clean it.
If you have access to boiling water, you should be fine. Bottled water would also work. I can imagine it being difficult in certain situations though, if you are doing some really hardcore travel.
http://www.divacup.com/en/home/faqs/
When I first heard about these I thought they sounded so weird, but I can understand how convenient they would be. Is there is a special soap to clean it with?
I usually do 2 things daily, one just rinse with water or wipe down with tissues depending on where I am, and the 2nd time rinse thoroughly with mild soap – preferably unscented (like when I’m in the shower). At the end of your period, you can give it a really good soap and lightly boil when you have the chance. I think Diva Cup sells a special diva wash. http://www.divacup.com/en/home/faqs/
Alouise: I’m not sure, I just use regular soap. or shampoo. Once in a while, you can boil it for several minutes. Even though this is not very practical if you are staying in hostel! (Don’t want to scare other kitchen user)
I still have yet to try one of these. I started the process of looking for the right size online, and then never followed through with actually buying it. Did you have any problems getting used to using it?
Some of healthy food/supplement stores also have it. I go with the smallest one (A, I think). It’s for under 30 years old before having baby. I’m on 30 now, and I have a small Asian body size, so it’s perfect.
It takes 1-2 cycle to get the inserting method correct (fold, insert, twist, pull, then check by rotation. If smooth, you are good to go. If not, it might leak).
As getting used to having it in me, it feels like wearing nothing at all. I can only feel it if I don’t push it far enough. That little tab for pulling is a bit sharp in my skin. With a little fix (poke to make it deeper), it feels like nothing. In fact, it’s so comfortable for me, some times I worried I forgot to insert that in!
I can attest to the usefulness of this item. I used it several times on the road and it’s awesome. The only issue I had with it was at one point it started to smell and so I didn’t use it. But we were moving around a lot. When I finally got to a place we were going to stay for a couple days I gave it a good cleaning and was able to let it air dry. It fixed the problem! I actually think the issue was putting it away instead of letting it air dry. leaving it out for a day or two seems to really help it.
Good tips, always leave it in clean condition.
I’m really happy about the size. Right now we are packing for our second round of traveling (after resting in family’s homes for 2 months), and I’m so pleased to not having big package of tampons/napkins. I only have 5 ultra thin panty liners and 2 napkins, just in case.
oh yah – the best part really is knowing you always have something with you just in case. That is what I really love about it. I never have to worry about finding toiletries on the road or dealing with that hassle. It’s always in my bag and takes up no room at all.
That’s a great point!
My roommate was spreading the Diva Cup doctrine and I finally tried it before coming to Australia. Although it still hurts when I take it out, it’s so much easier and takes up less room.
I hope it will get smoother for you over time
I want to try this now! I’ve heard about it, but never really read any good (nor bad) reviews about it. Everyone here loves it!
I have been using the Diva cup for a few years now, but whenever I travel to South East Asia I freak out and can’t use it. I am scared that I will get some nasty parasite or something from the water.
So what have you done in the past? I can just picture myself running around trying to find some boiling water . . .
I’ve been using my Diva Cup for the last 4 1/2 years and absolutely swear by it!