11–20 of 116 posts
Oh no, this like a "cannot unsee"-picture. I will never be able to stay at a hotel again without being troubled by the lack of toothpaste. It begs the question: What else in the world do we not see until we see it?
There is a wonderful podcast series dedicated to your question http://99percentinvisible.org
Toothpaste is heavily branded in a health related fashion that makes it hard for hotels to get away with fake botique and paying for a real brand risks offending users of a "higher" or competing brand. Then there are also the foreign patrons who will find local brands funny at best. This is notable in that the one hotel that carried toothpaste felt they had to say which brand. (They were right, I once stayed at a hot…
I strongly suspect that I am not alone in the stubbornness of my toothpaste preference. I will grudgingly use a different shampoo if I have to as most shampoos don't have too strong of a smell. In any given day I use probably 3 to 6 different soaps, with only the one in my house being my preference (mmmmmmmm coconut ginger) so using some random soap at a hotel is no big deal. But I will be buried deep in the ground before I subject myself to using anything but my usual toothpaste.
It took me years to find a flavor of mint that I honestly enjoy using. Nothing else has ever felt quite right; it even has the right texture! Using another flavor for even one brushing would make me want to gag. Taste, in both senses of the word, is a very personal thing I suppose.
Bringing my own shampoo is a hassle, because I buy shampoo in normal-sized many-use bottles that are quite large and might leak. Bringing my own soap is even worse, because nobody wants to carry around a slimy wet cake of soap. Bringing my own toothpaste is easy, because it's small, and I get the brand whose taste I'm accustomed to. Also, I've got to bring my tooth brush with me anyway, so the toothpaste as well isn'…
Maybe shaving cream isn't standard because in the mid 19th century when the tradition got started, it was traditional for travelers to carry their own beard.
I'm on the road 30-90 (or more) days a year. I bring my own: Shampoo (Cant stand the smell of most hotel shampoo), Soap (I like Dr. Bronners in the Bar, also, see above), Toothpaste (I'm preferential to colgate with fluoride), Deodorant (Unscented), Aftershave, Q-Tips, (2) Razors, Antacids plus a bevy of other personal care products. I don't use most of the toiletries left by the hotel, they don't smell good (though…
> So I suspect the real reason hotel's have no toothpaste in the rooms, is most travelers prefer to bring their own. Indeed, this was my thought too. I suspect that toothpaste is such a necessity that nobody travels without their own. Shampoos, conditioners et al are nice but not necessary and hence less liable to find a place in the backpack. The hotels must have observed the unused toothpaste tubes and simply remov…
Oh no, this like a "cannot unsee"-picture. I will never be able to stay at a hotel again without being troubled by the lack of toothpaste. It begs the question: What else in the world do we not see until we see it?
Bringing my own shampoo is a hassle, because I buy shampoo in normal-sized many-use bottles that are quite large and might leak. Bringing my own soap is even worse, because nobody wants to carry around a slimy wet cake of soap. Bringing my own toothpaste is easy, because it's small, and I get the brand whose taste I'm accustomed to. Also, I've got to bring my tooth brush with me anyway, so the toothpaste as well isn'…
I'm on the road 30-90 (or more) days a year. I bring my own: Shampoo (Cant stand the smell of most hotel shampoo), Soap (I like Dr. Bronners in the Bar, also, see above), Toothpaste (I'm preferential to colgate with fluoride), Deodorant (Unscented), Aftershave, Q-Tips, (2) Razors, Antacids plus a bevy of other personal care products. I don't use most of the toiletries left by the hotel, they don't smell good (though…
> So I suspect the real reason hotel's have no toothpaste in the rooms, is most travelers prefer to bring their own. Indeed, this was my thought too. I suspect that toothpaste is such a necessity that nobody travels without their own. Shampoos, conditioners et al are nice but not necessary and hence less liable to find a place in the backpack. The hotels must have observed the unused toothpaste tubes and simply remov…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> So I suspect the real reason hotel's have no toothpaste in the rooms, is most travelers prefer to bring their own. Indeed, this was my thought too. I suspect that toothpaste is such a necessity that nobody travels without their own. Shampoos, conditioners et al are nice but not necessary and hence less liable to find a place in the backpack. The hotels must have observed the unused toothpaste tubes and simply remov…
I wonder why hotels have no vending machine to buy a toothpaste, etc in the middle of the night when no shop is opened or in general when no shop is in walking distance.
Bringing my own shampoo is a hassle, because I buy shampoo in normal-sized many-use bottles that are quite large and might leak. Bringing my own soap is even worse, because nobody wants to carry around a slimy wet cake of soap. Bringing my own toothpaste is easy, because it's small, and I get the brand whose taste I'm accustomed to. Also, I've got to bring my tooth brush with me anyway, so the toothpaste as well isn'…
Shampoo: get a small bottle. Then just fill it up before travel from your large bottle. Upon returning, return remaining shampoo to large bottle and wash it.
(Or if I'm roughing it in the wilderness or something then I probably don't care that much about clean hair.)