Your period doesn’t give a damn about your holiday. It doesn’t care about your plans or your carefully designed vacation wardrobe, and certainly couldn’t care less that you are going to the end of the earth on a wooden raft. It’s coming along with you. Travel can be totally thrilling, but it can also be a bit of a faff, and your period can often just be one more thing that doesn’t go to plan and an extra thing to prepare for:

“How many sanitary pads can I squash and squeeze into my luggage? Where can I buy an emergency tampon in the middle of the night? Where on this new floaty summer dress do I stuff a spare Tampax? Where can I hygienically and discreetly change my tampon? Where do I put my rubbish?”

Travel + Period: A simple solution?

This can be a crap combination, and a badly-timed bleed can be a right party pooper. But, it doesn’t always have to be, and though it took me until my 13th year of menstruating to realise it (I’m a slow learner) – there is actually a very simple solution. Menstrual cups have come to my rescue more than a handful of times while on the road, and no matter how remote or idyllic my location – my period is literally the last thing on my mind. Holiday, meet Ruby Cup.

For one less hassle this summer here are 

5 Reasons Why a Ruby Cup is The Ultimate Travel Companion

• Pack light. No need to stuff wads of sanitary products into your tiny luggage allowance, Ruby Cup is small, light and you only need one. Save space for the important things.

• Ready for anything, anytime, anywhere. Mountain top? Forest trek? City tour? Ruby Cup can be worn for up to 8 hours at a time, and packed into even the neatest handbag, rucksack or pocket. You can even wear it before your period arrives so you won’t get caught out.

• No discomfort. Wave goodbye to itching and irritation. Ruby Cups are made from hypoallergenic materials that won’t give you any discomfort, even if your flow is super light.

• Zero waste. No bin? No worries. Menstrual cups are reusable, so you won’t need to find a rubbish bin or worry about leaving behind any waste.

• You won’t run out. Mad panics in the middle of the night are no longer an issue. If the shops are shut, or stocks are low, reusable Ruby Cup saves the day.

Menstrual cups have revolutionised travel.

Whether you set off on a year-long expedition or go seeking sanctuary on a mini-spa-break, a menstrual cup just makes life easier. Packing a small silicone cup has actually made travelling to far-flung countries so much smoother, and nowadays I never give a second thought to my uterus before throwing on my rucksack and setting off. I reject the gloomy idea that getting ready for your holiday means facing the possibility that you might mess your knickers. Every piece of online info for menstruating women on the move includes the advice ‘PREPARE, PACK WELL and BRING PANTS’.

I refuse to give up even an inch of my luggage space for huge supply of bulky sanitary products that I may struggle to dispose of efficiently and hygienically along my route, and I won’t pack clothes for ‘comfort’ and ‘practicality’ simply because my reproductive system is functioning.

I’m pretty sure Ruby Cup is the holiday essential, and I know I wouldn’t leave the country without mine. Check Ruby out here, and read about all the benefits I couldn’t squeeze into my travel-sized blog.

Bon Voyage!

Written by travel enthusiast and blogger Heather Pringle