A well-maintained public toilet is a facility that can make all the difference to a travel destination. Insanitary conditions, non-functional, broken toilets can ruin the holiday mood faster than saying the word “loo.” Although some public toilets are free, many charge a nominal fee, mainly for the upkeep of the toilets and to facilitate toilet attendant salaries. Some of us may frown upon the idea of paying to use the toilet; however, this certainly is not a new concept. The pay toilet can be traced back almost 2000 years, to the first century AD. In the late 19th century, John Nevil Maskelyne, an English magician, invented the first modern pay toilet. Even in ancient world, there are historical accounts of pay toilets in ancient Rome in 74 AD. The first pay toilets in North America were installed by Walt Disney at the studio’s popular cafe on Hollywood Boulevard. Pay toilets in most countries are operated by local municipalities. However, in America, in the year 1970, people started attacking the idea and concept of paying for the use of this civic facility and pay toilets came to be banned in America.

Going to the toilet is a basic human need, and from early times, people have used different means to meet this requirement. Most of the times, we use the word, "Bathroom" to go to the restroom. The poorest Sub-Saharan and Asian Countries use a pit latrine or pit toilet where human excreta is collected in a hole dug into the ground. The collected feces is then used as compost that is further used as a fertilizer.

All across Asia, Middle-east and Africa, the squat toilets are commonly used although new and upmarket facilities now have Sitting style WC’s. Even in Eastern Europe, Italy and Germany, squat toilets were in use, until their use became redundant with the advent of the comfortable, Sitting style toilets.

When you have to go, you have to go, and at that point, most travelers willingly shell out the dime or dollar required for using the toilet. Usually, if you need toilet paper, you may need to pay extra in the form of loose change. Many countries in Asia, South and Central America, and Africa have outdated sewage systems that do not support flushing down toilet paper. Avoid clogging the loos by putting the toilet paper in bins that are usually provided. It is always prudent to carry your own toilet paper, largely everywhere, with the exception of the US or West Europe.