One of the most obvious perils of travel is often the least expected – the toilet. We worry about packing the right clothes and securing the proper visas, but we often forget about the under-appreciated toilets that we rely on so heavily.

Just to make sure you aren’t left hanging in your time of need, we’ve done a little research about different toilet facilities around the world.

France: Public toilets aren’t as plentiful in France as they are in the U.S. and some come in the form of pay-as-you-go enclosed large metal pods in the middle of public parks. You shouldn’t have much of a problem locating one as toilet in French is toilettes, but some may be marked W.C. You may have to do a little detective work to find flush mechanism though, about.com says that it can be difficult to find.

Japan: Many public toilets in Japan take the same shape and form as modern U.S. toilets, however some  traditional “squat-style” toilets are still in use. Just check to see if your toilet is a bidet toilet, which are much more popular in Japan than the U.S. and feature a cleansing stream of water after use. There are however many Japanese toilet features that are much more advanced than in the U.S., including a seat warmer, massage options and blow dryer all controlled wirelessly.  Often times the sink is also combined with the toilet, so don’t be scared if you see it stacked on the back of the toilet.

Australia: Australian toilets were made famous in an episode of The Simpson’s for spinning counter-clockwise. However, that isn’t the case as Australians are actually leading the pack when it comes to eco-friendly toilets thanks to the Australian inventor of the dual flush toilet. Check out the story here and the video here. And if you are out-and-about and need a toilet, make sure you have your handy government-issued public toilet map.

Finland: If you want clean, modern U.S.-style toilets, park your rear in Finland. Called a W.C. like in France, Finnish public toilets sometimes cost a few coins to use, but some pod-like toilets are self-cleaning and the rest are maintained regularly. The cool thing about Finnish toilets is that if you need to use one of the roadside toilets, you must send a text message to the road association to have them unlocked. This keeps them cleaner and helps prevent vandalism.

Peru: If you are going to Peru, you may want to stash a few rolls of TP in your bag. Toilet paper is not as popular in Peru as it is in the U.S. and when you can find it, you either have to pay for it or you’re looking at something similar to sandpaper. And don’t think about flushing your TP. The pipes in many places in Peru clog often, so look for a bin near the toilet or just toss it on the ground. Look for signs that say baño or S.H.

Final Thoughts: Keep in mind that many European countries often charge to use their toilets, so keep some change in your pocket. I’m not recommending Depends, but it might be a good back-up in a pinch.

There you go folks. Keep this guide handy and I am taking requests for countries for the second installment.

Squat Toilet Photo Credit: TimTak on Flickr

Japanese Toilet Photo Credit: angeloangelo on Flickr