DivaCup for a travel girl, I love it!!

The DivaCup changed my life, I really do love it and for someone that travels a lot the DivaCup is a lifesaver. This being said my experiences with the DivaCup have not been 100% positive, in this review I will go over the pros and cons of my experience.

Price 5/5
Function 4.5/5

So what is the DivaCup? (if you already know feel free to skip this section)

Here is a official introduction from the diva cup website:



I you aren't feeling up to watching the video or are in a public place and feel weird watching a video about periods and vaginas, a DivaCup is basically a reusable silicone cup that you insert into your vaginal canal to catch the period blood.

You insert it by folding it in half or into a cone shape and make sure it is in place by turning it around or by pushing the edges up with your fingers until you can feel that it is fully extended. I personally find it easier to insert it with the "push down" fold and then "popping" it up with my thumb (theres is a definite suction kinda feel when you get it in right), then i feel around to make sure the cup is completely unfolded inside the canal. Removing it is pretty easy as well. When I first started I would pull on the tail but when I got more comfortable I would bare down (like I was taking a poop) and squeeze the cup further down the vaginal canal until I could get a good grip on the cup and pull it out.



You can leave the DivaCup in for maximum 10-12 hours, which is very convenient and it holds up to 30ml of menstrual blood. The website say that if forms to each individuals body making it supposedly leak proof.

There are two sizes of the DivaCup,

• Model 1 (in the pink box) is recommended for women under the age of 30 who have never delivered vaginally or by Caesarean section.
• Model 2 (in the blue box) is slightly bigger and is recommended for women over the age of 30 who have delivered vaginally or by Caesarean section.

Maintenance is pretty easy, after and between use you wash out the cup with warm water and if available with non-scented mild soap. If maintained correctly a DivaCup can last for a pretty long time, however the website recommends changing it out after about a year.

Price wise a DivaCup is supposed to be sold at around $40, but on amazon it is $30 and i bought it at my college health center for $25. If you are interested in purchasing the DivaCup website has a map of all the locations where it is sold and also has a more detailed description of the Diva Cup.
http://divacup.com/

My experience with the DivaCup

I first heard about the diva cup because I was about to go on a 6 month study abroad trip to Thailand in my junior year of college. We were going to be doing a lot of hiking and staying with host families and so they recommended buying a diva cup so we wouldn't have to carry used tampons/pads in a plastic baggie when on trail (which is pretty darn gross). I bought my first DivaCup from my college health center for $25, which in my mind was a great price considering how much I spend on tampons (around $80 per year). I was so nervous my first time using it, I felt like a fluttering virgin about to be deflowered. I remember telling my housemates that I was about to attempt to use the DivaCup for the first time and they were pretty grossed out, it was a whole ordeal. To cut this story short (I'm sure you don't want a graphic recreation of my first fumbling attempts to insert the DivaCup, Wow this virginal metaphor is really working out); it was kinda a disaster. For first time users the DivaCup is not necessarily the easiest to use. I'm pretty sure I put it in wrong for about the first 10 times I used it which lead to some pretty serious leaking, hence why I always wear black when i'm on my period. I cannot remember the exact point when wearing the DivaCup really began to work for me, it just kinda happened and it was amazing. I am such a big fan! Before I got an IUD the DivaCup was pretty much all I used! This being said (and this is important) I would recommend cutting the little tail of the Cup so it doesn't stick out as much, this makes it virtually undetectable and much more comfortable.

I would totally recommend the DivaCup especially for girls who travel. Before I continue onto the pros and cons list I just want to tell a quick story that illustrates just haw useful the DivaCup can be for someone who like to travel, also just a warning this might me a little graphic. One of the most annoying parts of my study abroad trip to Thailand was getting my period while hiking in the middle of nowhere (most outdoorsy girls can probably attest to this). One time in particular I was in my first couple days of bleeding and I am a pretty heavy bleeder, like scene from the shining heavy. Even though the DivaCup says it is close to impossible to overfill the cup under 10-12 hours it happens to me all the time, it sucks. Anyway, After about 4 hours of wearing it could feel that my Diva Cup was full and that it had started leaking a little. I knew it was time to change it but alas, I was no where near a bathroom and the group i was traveling with were about the head out so i had approximately 2 minutes to get my bidness done. This is where the amazingness of the DivaCup cam into play. I found myself a nice tree to hide behind, cleaned my hand with some hand sani, pulled out the cup, flung the blood off into the woods, washed it of with water from my nalgene, put it back in, and BAM I was ready to go!. If I had a pad I would have had to dug around in my bag to find it, removed the used one put in the clean one and then carried the bloody gross tampon with me for the rest of the hike. Alright gross story aside lets move onto the Pros and Cons.

Pros

• Its reusable. This means less money spent on buying tampons and pads and less waste.
• It is easy to use, once you get the hang of it.
• Once it was in I didn't feel it al all. 
• It's small and convenient to travel with, plus it comes in a cute little bag so its pretty subtle. Now I don't have to fill up half of my bag with pads and tampons.
• No more worries about having enough tampons. I used to be a tampon girl and in a lot of countries tampons are definitely not the norm. So when I traveled I would have to bring a crazy large supply of tampons with me. With the DivaCup there is no more worrying about whether or not you brought enough, it's one little bag.
• Maintenance is easy. 
• It is cleaner and produces less foul odors than pads and tampons. It's true I swear, look it up!
• Not gonna lie, its kinda cool to see how much blood your body produces and keep track of it.
• It brought me closer to my vagina. Now I know this one is a weird one, but it really is true. Something about the way you insert a Diva Cup really makes you feel around and understand the way your vagina feels and works.
• Sexy time is not entirely off the menu with a diva cup in. Disclaimer: you cannot have sex with the DivaCup in!!! However, you can definitely do other stuff ;) There were several times when some heavy petting and over the pants stuff was very, VERY successful (if you know what i mean) all with the diva cup in my body and I'm pretty sure the guy didn't even notice!

Cons

• It doesn't work for everyone. I know for a fact that many people have problems with leakage and the DivaCup even after using it many times and correctly inserting it, I don't know why I guess its just the way that different bodies work*. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) there is not trial period for a DivaCup so you kinda just gotta take the plunge and hope it works for you.
• It can be a little gross to collect all your blood, especially if you are squeamish.
• Leakages do happen. It's pretty difficult to put the cup in 100% correctly every time, and sometimes it just overflows.
• If you lose it you are screwed. This has happened to me before. The Diva Cup made me a little over confident and I did not bring any backup pads or tampons. I don't need to tell you guy that this was bad, like Carrie the musical bad. 
• It can be painful to insert and remove. Compared to tampons and especially pads, a DivaCup is pretty large and it takes some getting used to. When I first started using it I was veteran tampon user, and, despite my mothers wishes, not a virgin. My best friend on the other hand is neither of those thing and for her even putting in the smallest of the tampons is a ordeal. There is no chance that she was about to get a Diva Cup up in there. 
• My vagina sometimes would feel kinda tired after using the DivaCup, in which case i would switch to tampons or pads when I slept.

Yeah, so thats my review. I personally would recommend the DivaCup but its important to remmber that every woman's body is different and it really has to do with you, the individual and what you feel comfortable with/what works for you. So yeah ladies go out into the worlds, wear a DivaCup or dont, either way Slay!

What to pack in your carryon

I travel a lot and when I do this is what I bring in my backpack. Lets do this, lets pack some bags!

• Extra layers (sweater, leggings, etc.)
• Extra set of clothes, if these correspond with my extra layers even better. 
• Extra set of underwear and socks, x2 if its couple day trip.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste cuz nobody wants bad breath
• Headphones, good headphones
• Ear plugs
• A sleeping mask
• Candy or gum, I usually go for a couple lollypops, this is not only for bad breath but I've found that its great un-popping my ears when a plane is landing and 
• Books or a kindle
• Playing cards
• Face cleansing wipes
• Passport, ticket, and wallet with cash
• Any over the counter medications you may need to help you get through the flight. I usually bring Dramamine, cuz I get nauseous on planes and some tylenol or ibuprofen if i get a headache.
• Baby wipes, these come in handy for so many things; sticky hands, messy poops, dirty feet, you name it!

If you are a girl here are some additional things I bring

• Extra hair ties
• Tampons, pads, a diva cup, or whatever method you use when you get your period. This is important I always bring my diva cup even if I'm not expecting my period. Stress, messed up sleeping schedules, excitement, who knows what else could cause your period to come early (it's happened to me before) and getting your period on a flight and not being prepared is actually the worst. So don't be a square, prepare!
• Feminine cleansing wipes, these are real nice for longer trips when you are wearing tighter clothes and don't get an opportunity to take a shower. 
• A hair brush

10 travel tips for flying from a born traveler

I began traveling even before I could talk. It's a weird sort of life as a 21st century nomad but if one good thing has come from my international existence is this list of 10 travel tips for any traveler who is about to journey through the air in one of those giant metal birds that we call airplanes. Oh also these tips are more centered towards longer flights but can also be very useful for shorter trips too.

1. Layers! Layers are a blessing, even if you are traveling across warm climates always bring long sleeve shirts/jackets or long pants that you could possibly put over your travel clothes. Airplanes and airports can get cold and it never hurts to have along an extra layer. If you don't have anything you can layer on bring a blanket or scarf that you can wrap around yourself for warmth.

2. Flip Flops (or sandals) for days! I swear by flip flops when I have to fly, especially with the new security regulations at airports where you have you take off your shoes. Flip flops are easy to take of, and in fact a lot of times you wont even be asked to remove your them when you go through security; no one could possibly sneak anything onto a plane with those suckers on their feet. In addition, foot sweat is very real for me and flips flops are a easy solution; there is nothing worse then having swampy stinky feet for a 20 hour plane trip. Additionally, if you are like me and like to let your lil toesies fly free once aboard the aircraft, removing your shoes is a breeze. If you tend to get cold feet refer to tip 1 and bring some socks. If you are flying in cold countries in the middle of winter, I gettit  flip flops are highly impractical, at this point wear whatever keeps you warm.

3. Have a specific place for your passport and ticket and make it a habit of always putting them back in that place after you use them. I lose things constantly, I really am the hugest airhead when it comes to keeping track of my stuff but when it comes to my passport I will not lose it, I cannot. Losing your passport when you travel puts a damper on your whole trip and could actually end it. let me reiterate losing your passport or tickets is NO FUN. Believe me, its happened to my family before, leaving us stranded in a airport no less. To remedy this I have traveled with the same backpack for the last 6 years of my life and every time I travel, my passport lives in the front most pocket of it. Not the main compartment, not the slightly larger second compartment, not the side bottle holders, the front pocket, every time. For someone scatter brained like me (i have left passports in the bathroom several times) this is truly a life saver. Now I don't event think about it, whenever I use my passport the act is automatic. 

4. Bring cash. This one is pretty self explanatory. In many countries plastic is not really a thing that is used, so, if you want to buy food or souvenirs at the airport, bring cash. Many countries also may require a entrance visa, which may cost anywhere from $5 to $50 (maybe more, maybe less), the usual entrance visa usually runs around $35 but bringing extra never hurt anyone. Also if you are concerned about getting money once you get to the country it is a lot easier to exchange money then to get it from and ATM. ATM machines are not around and when you do find one they usually charge you a couple dollars per transaction which is a pain in the butt. For me personally I will carry anywhere between $50 to $100 dollars when I have a long trip.

5. When traveling alone bring something to do. This may seem pretty common sensical but alas countless times I have found myself aboard a 10 hour flight with NOTHING to do. Nowadays this is not as important as a a lot of longer flights have little tv screens with a variety of entertainment options. However, if you are like me and 10 hours starting at a screen turns you into the not so jolly green giant, bringing other entertainment options is a must. Some examples of things I have brought with me on long flights are: books or a kindle (always a winner, I travel with at least 3 books), playing cards (these come in handy is you make new friends or just really enjoy playing solitaire), knitting stuff (one time I dedicated my trip to making Christmas scarves for all of my family members), a game console (pokemon silver on my DS has gotten me through many a boring plane ride), and many more. Don't be afraid to get creative, one time I had a 3 hour discussion with the guy at 26B about all the celebrities in the gossip magazine I brought along (we played a very silly game of fuck marry kill, it was a blast). Bring something to do, don't be the bored sloth!

6. Headphones. Bring a good pair of headphones for a long flight. The loud airplane noises can really get to you after a while and the gratuitous headphones that you get from the airlines are usually crap. By good I mean something that you are willing to wear for 10 hours strait. I had a hard time with that until recently I borrow/stole my dads Bose noise canceling headphones and they were amazing. Not only did they cut out the obnoxious our of the jet engines, they also delivered quality sound and the over ear design was significantly more comfortable then earbuds for extended wear. Now i'm not saying go out and buy a pair of these headphones, I mean I couldn't have afforded them for myself if I didn't borrow/steal them, but I do recommend finding maybe a cheaper pair of headphones that are over the ears and have a nice bit of cushioning and really most headphones you  buy wherever are better than the shit they give you on the plane. 

7. Pack your carry on very carefully. This is super important because what you have in that bag is all you are going to have for your trip, and maybe longer if you are unlucky enough to have baggage complications (believe me people this happens more often then I'm comfortable with). For a detailed list check my next post "What to pack in your carryon".

8. Double check. It never hurts to be overly careful when it comes to checking on your flights. Missing flights is actually the worst, its expensive and time consuming. When I have a long layover I check and double check my flight information several times, this includes flight time and boarding gate. It has happened to me before that a sudden last minute change in the boarding gate has sent me running like a headless chicken through the airport, don't let this be you. 

9. Don't be scared to ask for directions, several times. In addition airports can be very confusing, there are different terminals and gates, sometimes things are in military time, sometimes you have to recheck bags, and a lot of times signs are in a different language and directions can be ambiguous, needless to say its no easy task staying on top of everything. My advice for this is don't be afraid to ask for directions, and when you do, remember the golden rule and double check. I have had one guy tell me to go to one place and minutes later when I double checked another man tell me to go somewhere else. Seriously I can't say it enough it doesn't hurt to double check. 

10. Don't let traveling get you down; stay adventurous, stay excited, and stay happy. This is most definitely the most important rule on this list. Traveling is stressful, I've seen grown ass people break down on flights, families (including mine) completely lose it, and couples hit the breaking point. Making it through a 24 hour journey tests your mental, physical and emotional fortitude. It's a bootcamp located in shiny or decrepit buildings with neon signs saying welcome, beinvenue, sawadeekah over layed with the mind numbing repetition of an ambiguously accented woman saying "mind the gap, mind the gap, mind the gap". It's like being in jail in a giant metal object hurtling through the air at 600mph, surrounded by equally grumpy cell mates who by some freak coincidence want to use the bathroom at seemingly the exact same time. In short, traveling can suck which is why its so important to not let it. Traveling can also be amazing, you are seeing the world, meeting new people; every person in that airplane with you is a unique individual with hopes, dreams, and amazing stories. Traveling is an incredible glimpse into the multinational world. You would think that putting that many people with different cultural experiences and backgrounds into such a stressful situation would be volatile but somehow, amazingly, everything seems to work. Planes transport millions of people around the world everyday, this is a true testament to the beauty of humanity and this melting pot we call a home. Whenever I travel I make it a point to be excited, I mean there so much reason to be: I'm getting the opportunity to see an entirely different part of the world and that is beautiful. When I get down in the dumps, I put on some happy music and think about just how amazing it is that I'm even able to make this transcontinental trip across the planet in the first place. Also, airports are strait up cool, when choosing how to design the airport people actively chose the best parts of their societies and put them on display in this way every airport is like a representation of the country its in. Singapore's giant and shiny metropolitan building has numerous food courts, gardens, a church, a mosque, playgrounds, and hundreds of shops its basically a tiny Singapore. The vientiane airport has about 5 gates in a laid back structurally open building. People meander around the 2 shops and drink warm coffees or take naps on the benches in the waiting area. So my final advice to you is keep and open and positive mind when traveling and it won't be stressful and boring, it is beautiful and you are lucky :)