If you want to get ahead, get an app!

Reduce the fear of going out with these helpful loo locators.

Do you remember as a child, those little turns of phrase that parents and grandparents would often recite, you know the .. ‘don’t coming running to me when …’ or ‘well, it will all end in tears …’?  At the time, they seemed completely random sentences that must only make sense to grown-ups, and which to you in that moment, made you stop, screw up your nose and contemplate really hard for a second or two before deciding you had no idea what they were talking about, and running off to do whatever it was you were being cautioned not to?

Well today, I have a little saying for you and me both, updated every so slightly to reflect for our modern-day lives; it requires no nose squishing, hard thinking or anything more than a bit of finger tapping on our phones, for, ‘if you want to get ahead, get an app!’

 As anyone with IBS knows, the thought of being out and about in unfamiliar surroundings, brings with it the anxious, gut churning dread of not knowing where the nearest loos are.  The sense of fear I find this to cause, has at times stopped me from going out with friends, so worried am I, of needing to go to the loo and not wishing to waste everyone else’s day, with a constant game of ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with L, T or whatever you want to call them!’

However, I have found that the best way for me to deal with this, is to do a bit of forward planning and indeed, how glad was I, when I realised there were actually some handy little apps out there to help with this.  I urge you to have a look at those available and find which one suits you best, however, to get you started, here are some of the helpful links that I have found and used, all easily available through my mobile device.
 

Flush: Toilet Finder & Map:

Both IoS and Android offer this free app which currently lets you search from over 200,000 toilets world-wide, with directions on how to locate them.  The app lets you filter to show only those toilets that are free or suitable for disabled access.   Easy to use, the app consists of a map which places tiny pins on the location of toilets in the area which you specify.  You can navigate around the map, zooming in/out and shifting between countries, by moving the map onscreen with your finger.

 

The Great British Public Toilet Map:

It’s not just apps that are available.  Here in the UK, I have used this interactive map which is available to launch from your mobile browser.  Filter capability is again present, with ability to find loos near your current location or or others found through the search function.

Walt Disney World Restrooms Locator:

Okay, so we’re not really going on holiday at present as a result of COVID-19, but this was an absolute life-saver for me, during those long, busy days with my family visiting the parks at Walt Disney World in Florida.  The idea of being out and about in large crowds all day would have been awful, without the use of this interactive map available through your online browser. I was able to locate whichever restroom was nearest to me during my visit or to have a quick check before leaving our hotel. 

 

I understand that no app or website can remove all anxiety from an outing with friends, family holiday or even just a trip to the shops, but hopefully these helpful features courtesy of modern technology, can provide a little reassurance and perhaps something more concrete that the promise of business success offered to 1940’s men within the advertising adage, my Grandpa was so fond of saying... ‘if you want to get ahead, get a hat!’