After a few drinks one evening in Tblisi, the conversation turned to something very important after a beer (or coffee) or two… toilets around the world! Having seen numerous WCs during our travels, this post might prove interesting/useful to someone planning their travels.
**This is a work in progress – check back for updates on each new country we visit**
Using public toilets in a different country
- Always carry toilet paper in a pocket as you can’t guarantee there’ll be any in the loo
- Take a screenshot from Google Translate, a sign or an online image of the word for TOILET if it is a different script – this was essential in China as even though there were signs saying WC, most locals didn’t understand it when asked
- Check to see if there is a waste bin in the cubicle with toilet paper in it. If so… this is where the paper must go as the pipes are too narrow for paper. Always throw paper in the bin provided otherwise it will block the toilet!
- Find out in advance if there is a charge for the toilet, and carry small denomination coins – we were caught out by this when crossing from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan and had to practice bladder control for 4 hours!
- Be careful with putting your belongings on the floor. An English traveller dropped her phone on the floor of a loo at Beijing’s Forbidden City, and said a hand came through the gap under the side partition and grabbed her phone before she had the chance to retrieve it!
- Never stand on the seat if you are accustomed to squat toilets – someone else is going to sit on your muddy footprints
- Most international fast food chains have toilets, so can be a easy option when you need to go
- Keep the Frugal option in mind! In Venice it was cheaper to go to a local cafe and buy an espresso standing at the bar and get the key to the toilet, rather than pay to use a public restroom
Toilets of the World (or at least of the countries we’ve visited)
Azerbaijan
Public toilets in Baku aren’t that easy to come by! We’ve had to go into shopping centres in busy areas, where they’ve been conveniently located on the ground floor. Busy public squares seem to have underground toilets hidden in a corner of the park, and charge between 30-50 kopeki (between US 17-29 cents)
Pay before you go! 
Nice and clean, with a bin for the toilet paper!
For more travel tips and advice, check out some of our other posts and join the Frugal Travellers as we wander the globe :
