Going Abroad: The Bathroom Survival Guide [Paperback]

Eva Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Because the staggeringly different toilets to be found abroad can confound and frustrate even the most intrepid travelers, this unique guidebook gives solid and humorous advice on using the multitudes of public facilities—from how to actually flush a high-tech toilet in Japan to etiquette when using a Chinese unisex public trench. It tackles the tough questions about dealing with dunnies in Australia and coping with the amazing spitting Russian toilet. Also included are survival tips for bidets, squat toilets, and pissoirs, as well as a brief history of toilets.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Going Abroad we learn of squat toilets, Chinese group latrines, automated English street toilets, the proper use of toilet-paperless toilets, how to use a bidet, and how to find a toilet where you do not speak the language (hint: pantomime). Eva Newman covers just about every contingency you might encounter, from the tropics to Antarctica (really!). You won't want to leave home without it. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Eva Newman is an artist and an traveler who has visited more than 30 foreign countries. She lives in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Marlor Press; Second edition edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892147033
• ISBN-13: 978-1892147035
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and informative, July 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Going Abroad - The Bathroom Survival Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Answering the Call of Nature Anywhere in the World from Using the Ubiquitous "Squat" Toilet to (Paperback)

Eva Newman managed to answer all of my questions about "going abroad". She provides practical information in an easy-to-read format that includes serious discussion about health issues and graphic illustrations of topics as well as anecdotal information from travelers all over the world. This one will go on my gift list for those just starting to get out into the world.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The information you really need that's not in your guidebook, May 16, 2000

By 

Doug Wade (San Leandro, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Going Abroad - The Bathroom Survival Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to Answering the Call of Nature Anywhere in the World from Using the Ubiquitous "Squat" Toilet to (Paperback)

This summer I spent three weeks in France and I was quite surprised upon encountering a squat toilet. I was expecting to see the occasional bidet but a squat toilet? As it turns out they're very common in parts of the country, including new modern ones with infrared sensors for the flush (better be quick or you'll be wet!). I sure could have used a guide like this before then, and I'm delighted to have finally found one. There's also a nice chapter on bath facilities -- including some of the odder units I've had to figure out in various countries.

I highly recommend this book for the world traveller, even if you're just going to Europe. You may be surprised at how useful it is!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterically funny, August 6, 2007

By 

B. Solomon "Stealth Tutor" (Sierra Madre, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Abroad: The Bathroom Survival Guide (Paperback)

I loved this book. Picked it up on a whim at the travel store. It is very informative and fascinating. AND it is hysterically funny. The book is sprinkled with anecdotes of just the sort that make traveling memorable. These are things every traveler faces, and very few of us research them ahead of time.