I've traveled quite a bit and never have this BM problem, HOW ABOUT YOU??

[theking]

'I didn't go for about 10 days': Why it's so hard to poop when you travel

While everyone is different, most people poop on a schedule that's normal for them. But a slew of factors can throw off that schedule and cause constipation — including something as simple as going on a trip.

Amanda Mae Renkel tells Yahoo Life that she's dealt with so-called destination constipation a lot. "I have experienced constipation on almost every trip I have taken as far back as I can remember," she says. "The degrees of constipation have varied, but I've suffered from total to slight constipation."

Renkel is a runner who travels for races, which she says makes traveler's constipation "problematic" for her. "The night before my first Chicago Marathon, in 2016, I felt like I needed to use the bathroom, but my body would not allow it," she tells Yahoo Life. "It was torture."

Olguyne, who asked that her last name not be shared for privacy reasons, also says she's struggled with traveler's constipation for years. "My worst experience was when I went on a trip to Europe and I didn't go for about 10 days," she tells Yahoo Life. "We were always on the go, doing activities back-to-back. Looking back at the photos, my abdomen was very bloated, and I was struggling to keep up when we had to walk longer distances, which was unusual for me."

She didn't get relief until she took a laxative. But unfortunately, Olguyne says, constipation "is something I have experienced with almost every vacation."

There are no hard-and-fast numbers on how often destination constipation occurs, but doctors say it happens more than most people realize. "It is very common," Dr. Rudolph Bedford, a gastroenterolo gist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., tells Yahoo Life. But what is destination constipation, exactly, and what can you do to avoid it? Here's the deal.

What is destination constipation?
"Destination constipation" (or "traveler's constipation") isn't a medical term; it's a phrase used to describe getting constipated when you're away from home for longer periods of time. Constipation on its own is a condition where you may have less than three bowel movements a week; poop that is hard, dry or lumpy; poop that is difficult or painful to pass; or a feeling that you didn't get everything out when you tried to go No. 2, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.