For the girls out there...
I'm looking to do a whole year abroad to southeast asia, AUS, NZ and central/south america. Did you ladies just bring along a year supply of birth control pills? How about the lovely female products we use for that monthly gift from mother nature? Were tampons and things easy to come across or did you keep a stash with you in case you were somewhere remote?
For anyone experienced...
I'm roughly planning a general route of where I want to go. My boyfriend found a neat company that organizes flights for you ahead of time, you just give them the dates of where you want to go and when (don't remember the name of it at ths time). They also offer pre-decided locations where you just have to be in a certain city at a certain time. Would you suggest doing something like this, or is it easier/cheaper to just get your flight at the airport when you feel like leaving?
Thanks alot 😊
Any help is appreciated.
Reply to this Hello Maria 😊
At least in Thailand, there are branches of Boots. You should certainly be able to get things like tampons and other products you are used to having there. Australia and New Zealand are moderan countries so you wont have any trouble at all finding everything there. Central and S. America, I cant remember. Always worth having a stash of tampons that lasts a few months anyway in my opinion, since they are so small and come in neat little boxes these days. Birth Control pills - I have no clue. Maybe somebody else knows this. If you are taking them from country to country though, keep them in the original packet with a letter from your doctor explaning what they are, to minimise hassle at customs.
Would you suggest doing something like this, or is it easier/cheaper to just get your flight at the airport when you feel like leaving?
I doubt that this is the cheapest way. I find the cheapest way is to be flexible about when and where you fly to and then buy bargain flights on the internet when they appear for a destination you are interested in.
Mel
Reply to this Hi Maria,
Welcome to TravelBlog.
You'll be able to get birth control pills ok in Aus and NZ, but would suggest a letter from your doctor regarding what you're currently on, dosage/ingredients (as well as for at customs as Mel suggested). Sometimes medication goes by a different brand name in another country, but with a letter the doctor will be able to look up the equivalent.
Reply to this You can also find a wide array of tampons and other products in the supermarkets in Ecuador. Not certain about elsewhere in S. America.
- Stephanie
Reply to this Hello Maria!
I tried to get birth control pills in NZ (just before I finished the ones I took with me) and they asked me for a doctor's prescription; not being registered with any doctor in NZ, I was told I could get one of 60 NZ$, which I found a bit expensive; I went to several different pharmacies and I got the same response... it was the same in OZ, so I couldn't get any until I got to Indonesia where they sold them without prescription... no problem!!!
Deni
Reply to this You can also buy birth control pills over the counter (in the pharmacy section) at Tesco in Bangkok. Make sure you know the specific dosage/combination you are on as the brand names they stock aren't always the same as your home country. I don't know if they can check your blood pressure too... It can be quite tricky to find tampons in some of the Asian countries but liners are readily available pretty much everywhere.
Reply to this Yeah in Australia you need a doctors prescription and as you're a traveller that means you have to pay to see the doctor to get it. What I've just done (because I'm planning a 12 month trip around Europe and had the same concern) is gotten something called Implanon implanted in my arm. It only cost me $30 and lasts for 3 years. The only problem is that my hormones are kind of like i'm a teenager again. My hair and skin is a little but oilier but nothing extreme. I've put on about 2kg's (but I don't exactly look after myself anyway) and my periods are a little inconsistent. However I haven't had any extreme symptoms that have really caused me any problems yet (I've had it in my arm for 3 months) and as I used to forget to take the pill at least once a month anyway I feel better knowing I'm properly covered.
It's something worth looking into anyway. You can get it removed by a doctor at any time.
Reply to this You can also buy birth control pills over the counter (in the pharmacy section) at Tesco in Bangkok.
does anyone have an idea of the pricing of the pills in Bangkok? I've been trying to figure out how to stock up for the next year(ish). it's possible to get a years worth in Canada before I leave, but my health benefits through my work will only cove bits at a time, if I were to buy a year full out it would cost min. $ 200.
Reply to this Why don't you just get the implant? 3 years effective contraception plus no periods at all (for many women)
Reply to this I'm not really open about trying new methods, I tried the shot once a few years back and had the worst experience ever. I had the emotions of a two year old, happy to sad to angry to depressed to happy again in about 10 minutes, I couldn't focus, and had mother nature show herself at least once a week for the 6 months I was on the shot.
I realize that it is possible to get the implant taken out, and I would be willing to investigate if we had more time before we left, but we're leaving in a month and I don't feel comfortable trying out new methods and dealing with any possible side effects while backpacking in asia lol.
Thanks for the thought though!!
Reply to this I didn't buy any birth control pills over the counter in the end and can't remember what it was going to cost but I think it would be fairly safe to assume it would be relatively cheap. We did buy anti malaria tablets there and it worked out at about 1p per tablet which was a fraction of the price of buying in the uk...
Reply to this UPDATE: DON@T get the implanon implant! It made me gain 10 kilo's in 3 months and made my skin so oily it was like going through puberty again. And I didn't bleed AT ALL which made me a bit nervousbecause I had no way to know if it was actually effective or I was pregnant! I got it removed before I left Oz. Hideous experience.
Reply to this After I had the baby, the midwife who visited was telling me about all these great contraceptives I could use, instead of the sterilisation I wanted to have. I didnt like the idea of anything that messed with my hormones. Some of the posts above make me glad I resisted. The midwife thought I should have lots and lots of babies, but I have never felt the need for more than one. I would have been very upset, if I gained 10 KG because of some contraception. 😊
Reply to this I think the whole idea of these long lasting simple plans is a great idea, but they just dont have the time span the pill has had and the years of research.
I've never had any problems with the pill. I think thats the method that will be the best while I travel. and I'm hoping it won't cost too much in Thailand, but everything is so much cheaper there so it shouldn't be bank busting like it would be here!!
Reply to this In Thailand the contraceptive pill is around 60-70 baht for a month's supply over the counter...well it could be a little more or a little less depending on the pill you are on. Not all pharmacies will have a huge supply (maybe 2-3 packs) so you may have to go to quite a few before you get a decent supply.
You should take the information leaflet from the pill you are on so the pharmacist can see the active ingredients and match you to a suitable one. Not all brands are available but they have the 'equivalents' which are the same all but in name!
The pharmacists have never asked to take my blood pressure etc, so if you are worried about that you'd have to go to a clinic to get it taken.
Tampons are available in most places in Asia - notable exception being Laos, so as Mell says have a good supply with you. Neil always laughs at me when it comes to buying sanitary towels in a new country as it always takes me a good half hour to figure out which types are which and which ones I should actually buy I get really puzzled...maybe someone should do a blog on the different options in different countries!!
Reply to this oohh I have fun in Vietnam when I was there. I was extremely sick when mother nature showed her face and had to rely on a guy to go buy some for me, he came back with ultra thick uber absorbent maxi pads. I cried laughing for days!!
last time I went my doctor told me that I could continuously take the pill and would not get a period. I did for three months and then went back to normal (taking a week off) in the last month and a bit I was there, it worked for the most part, the first month was the only time I noticed anything, and then it was very minimal.
I'm thinking of doing that again this time, once we enter China as it's China, Laos, India, and from what I've heard it'll be the hardest to deal with there!
Reply to this ...had to rely on a guy to go buy some for me, he came back with ultra thick uber absorbent maxi pads. I cried laughing for days!!
LOL! Looks like he got you the ones that are intended for new mothers. Women who recently had a baby often cant use tampons for several months, so they use those ultra asorbent maxi pads.
Reply to this I always have a few mts suply with me and get extra in places they are easy to get. It is hard to figer out the different types in diffreent places
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