If you travel the world independently, you may find that clothes dryers are not very common outside of the US, even in highly developed countries.   They take up additional space and energy that isn’t readily available to much of the world’s population.   In much of Europe, East Asia, South Asia, and Africa, line drying is usually the way to go. 

North Americans in particular, many of whom grew up with 24-hour access to washing machines and electric dryers, can be squeamish about dirt, sweat, and grime in ways that can be psychological barriers to independent travel.  They begin to believe that their views about cleanliness are the one true definition of the word “clean”, and that the rest of the world is unfathomably dirty by comparison. This viewpoint can make potential travelers fearful of exploring the world. 

The same fear of dirt and sweat can make a person not want to travel independently even within their home country, or not want to try different activities without easy access to showers immediately following the activity. 

To this end, we have compiled some basic “salt life rules” which could be a reference to the popular ocean sports clothing line and also  to the salt in sweat.

1. Most of the world doesn’t shower every day.  No one needs to shower 3 times a day, even after being at the beach.
2. You do not need to get absolutely every grain of sand and salt off your body after going in the ocean.
3. You can wait at least a few days to wash and dry your beach towels after using them.  You do not need to put them in the washer and dryer every single evening.  Air-drying towels is acceptable until your beach visit is over.
4. It is OK if you don’t have all your cosmetics every time you change from your bathing suit to regular clothes.  Deodorant and perfume/cologne are nice to have, but do not freak out if you don’t have every special ointment.  If you are putting on regular clothes over your bathing suit, just make sure your suit is dry.
5. Be OK with changing in your car or other private areas if other possible changing areas are dirty or unavailable (e.g. bathrooms).  A friend covering you with a towel on the side of your car can be a great help. Unless you are in a very restrictive county, state, province, or country, it’s not the end of the world if someone sees you in your underwear for a few seconds.   
6.   Hikers and cyclists may enjoy planning routes so that there is a chance to swim in a lake, river, spring, or the ocean after several hours of activity.  If this is you, and long hikes or rides while wearing a bathing suit would be uncomfortable, wear sports underwear underneath your athletic outerwear and jump straight into the water without needing to change.  

There could certainly be more of these.  If you have any suggestions, what would they be?  And if you haven't done so already, click below to register for the Top 11 Travel Health and Safety Myths!  ZING!