7 Things You Need To Know About French Toilets When Travelling

When you're travelling off-grid in a campervan, you may or may not have a toilet on board. We do, but we like to use a public toilet if we can to save emptying ours as often, especially if we need a number two.

Naturally, the first country we toured on our trip from the U.K is France. From our experience so far, we have found that free toilets at campsites and in public places generally lack some of what you might expect in the U.K. 

1. No Toilet Seat

It's fine for gents that need a wee but for ladies and for number two's, don't be surprised to find no toilet seat. They're generally clean but be prepared to hover or construct the make-shift toilet paper seat. Try not to forget and fall in.

2. Toilet Paper Is A Bonus

Basically, they provide a hole and you supply everything else. No one likes the thin crispy paper you generally find in public toilets, but it's better than nothing. Apparently they don't agree. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes take your own. 

3. Mixed Gender

Sometimes you'll find a block with one door that leads to a urnial opposite a cubicle. I once wondered if I was in the right place when I was washing my hands and a lady walked in.

4. No Hot Water

Unfortunately, generally there just seems to be one tap that supplies cold water only. You'll see from the next couple of points that having clean hands aren't at the top of the French list.

5. No Soap

Seeing as there's no hot water, why bother having any soap. I'm yet to come across a toilet outside of a food place that has a soap dispenser.

6. No Mean Of Drying Your Hands

If you do decide to rinse your hands under cold water, you won't have anything to dry them with. To be fair, when I use a hand dryer I still usually end up wiping them on my trousers anyway.

7. Men's Urinals Are On Show

This isn't the case of all toilets, but apparently the French don't mind seeing the men have a wee. Normally there is some sort of screen or saloon door at waste height behind the man, but the side can be open, the urinal may be placed next to an open door, or you just see them staring at the wall.

Well, who would have thought there'd be 7 points to make about toilets? We're yet to find out whether it just applies to just France or most of Europe, but I don't plan on writing about toilets for every country we visit...