Under the Covers

If you're heading out on the road for a year...or even a week...chances are you will end up in the position to 'get some.' Here's where we gently remind you of all those common sense things, so you can think about them now, instead of at 3 am, in a 30-person hostel room in Florence.

• Safe Sex
  Here are a few reasons to have safe sex: AIDS, genital herpes, crabs and other STDs. When travelers, especially backpackers, hit the road, they tend to think they are invincible. This is not the case. Do not think that you will be able to tell if someone has a STD. Even if your partner tells you he is clean, remember that you have known this person only briefly. The best protection from STDs is to use a condom. Like tampons, condoms can be found in large cities throughout the world, although you may have more difficulty finding them in devoutly religious or conservative countries. Marie Stopes' Passport to Sexual Health is an excellent resource for worldwide information on the availability of birth control, HIV risks and legality of abortion, among other topics.

• Birth Control
  If there's a chance you may have sex while you're gallivanting around the world, consider your birth control options. Although a condom works as birth control, an extra safety precaution won't do you any harm. There are a lot of different birth control options that are available to a traveler. You can read about the pluses and minuses of a few of them here.

• Sex in Less-Than-Sanitary Conditions
  Here are some things to keep in mind when you're getting down and dirty--literally.

  Sex Outdoors
  A little dirt never killed anyone. However, excessive amounts of dirt/dried leaves/twigs/sand can upset the delicate Ph balance in your vagina- not to mention hurt a whole hell of a lot. While having sex outdoors, keep this in mind. If you have access to purified water, rising afterwards may reduce your chance of irritation. Unpurified water in polluted lakes/streams should not be used, for the same reasons you wouldn't drink it: parasites.

  Sex on Dingy Beds
  Here's another reason to bring a thin sheet/sarong/etc. Some hostels- and you know what ones we're talking about- don't change the sheets very often, if like, ever. So...if the sheet is pretty scary looking, lay something else down over it.

• Common infections and treatments
  Yeast infections happen while you are at home, so why wouldn't they plague you on the road? Causes for yeast infections vary, but are generally due to antibiotics that have killed off good bacteria, allowing yeast to flourish, non-cotton, tight, or dirty clothes that trap heat and moisture, chemicals such as inks, dyes, and perfumes (think: douche), and nonoxynol-9, a spermicide that is found in many condoms. To do you best to prevent yeast infections, change your underwear at least every day, more often if you are in a hot climate and perspiring. Also, avoid douching, and if you are sensitive to lubricants, avoid condoms with nonoxynol-9.

  While traveling, if you begin to have symptoms of a yeast infection, visit a pharmacy or doctor. Symptoms of a yeast infection include vaginal itching, burning, painful urination, painful sexual intercourse, and thick, cottage-cheese-like discharge. If you visit a doctor, you may be able to get a prescription for an oral drug like Diflucan. If you have a history of yeast infections and will be traveling for an extended period of time, ask your doctor for a prescription before you go. While traveling, you can also visit a pharmacy for a topical treatment such as Monistat. The availability of yeast infection medication in developing countries is unknown. If you know of such an area where treatment was, or was not, available, please email me.

• Hostel Ho-Down
  Getting some without waking everyone else up can be tricky. For the sake of other travelers who may not be up for the frolicking fun, or have those pesky train things to catch, be considerate. Most people don't want to hear your sex session...and those that do, well, do you really want them listening? We at BnA recommend trying in vain to be as quiet as possible and then denying everything when people ask you about it the next day.

Article added on March 01, 2005

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