%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-public-bathroom-PUBLICBATHROOM0625-63fe4459bef9459fa7511c0bbc207723.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
These Are the Best (and Worst) U.S. Destinations for Public Bathroom Access
That's because the U.S. faces a public bathroom shortage, according to a new study from Tena, an adult incontinence brand. In fact, for every 100,000 people, there are just eight public bathrooms. (And if you've ever had to wait in a long line for a restroom, you can begin to understand just how dismal that statistic really is.)
To help travelers who don't want to factor in midday returns to their hotel for bathroom breaks, Tena ranked the best cities and states for public bathroom access, factoring bathroom cleanliness, wheelchair accessibility, overall density of public restrooms, and discoverability of the public restrooms. And there were some clear winners: Wyoming, Montana, and Hawaii offer the best overall public restroom access in the U.S.
Wyoming offers one of the largest caches of public restrooms with an average of 118 public bathrooms appearing on state-level map searches. These are mostly easy to find, spaced out, and well reviewed. Plus, the state ranks No. 1 for having the most wheelchair-accessible bathrooms in the country.
Montana similarly scored well, in part because Visit Montana offers a list of public restrooms available across the whole state, making them ultra easy for visitors and locals to find.
For its part, Hawaii has an abundance of public restrooms with the island of Oahu alone boasting more than 215 state-maintained public bathrooms. However, only 120 appear on Google Maps for the entire state, meaning finding the restrooms may require a bit more local insight.
When it comes to overall cleanliness, North Dakota's public restrooms came in first place. Overall, 94 percent of the bathrooms analyzed in the state had a rating of four stars or higher. Alaska, Indiana, and New Mexico also scored high, each with 88 percent of bathroom reviews at four stars or above.
The study's least impressive states were New Hampshire and Kentucky, each of which had a low number of public restrooms available (No. 11 and No. 20, respectively).
These are the top five states for public restroom:
1. Wyoming2. Montana3. Hawaii4. Oregon5. Idaho
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Heads of Google Travel and Tripadvisor Form AI Startup to Head Off Online Travel Agencies
DirectBooker, a startup backed by former Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer and ex-Google Travel head Richard Holden, wants to feed hotel listings directly into AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini — challenging the role of online travel agencies like 'The default behavior is going to be for the OTAs to win again,' said Sanjay Vakil, a co-founder and the CEO of DirectBooker. 'And I would like to head off that outcome. But it's going to take more than three people to do that, so we're looking to grow a little bit.' Vakil held various product management leadership roles at Google Travel and Tripadvisor. The other two co-founders of DirectBooker are Chief Product Officer Theresa Meyer and Chief Technology Officer George Madrid. The Problem to Solve With increasing numbers of consumers searching for travel on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Anthropic, and Gemini, online travel agencies such as and Tripadvisor are establishing partnerships with them to deliver hotel inventory. Vakil said DirectBooker wants to establish relationships with hotels and deliver more robust and comprehensive hotel data to the LLMs. The would be for hotels to attract direct bookings –bypassing the OTAs. Holden, Kaufer, and Vakil published their thoughts in a post called 'Winning the AI Era: How Hotels Can Break Free From OTA Dependence.' Vakil believes that most travelers want to book directly with hotels, and that they would benefit from more detailed hotel information, lower prices, and additional perks. 'There's this opportunity for hotels to showcase themselves to best advantage that's really been missing,' Vakil said. The startup is calling these 'direct bookings' though travelers would still be going first to LLMs – it's not as direct as going to, say, What Is the Competitive Moat? DirectBooker claims it has a tech advantage. It plans to use Model Context Protocol (MCP) technology, which is an open standard and, it argues, can deliver better data. But the same technology is available to competitors as well. 'There's a world in which the OTAs sort of put an MCP layer on top of that [their feeds] and provide that information to the LLMs,' Vakil said. 'I haven't seen it happen yet, and I can imagine technological mismatches that make that more difficult than it should be. We're building our stuff from the ground up.' DirectBooker Is In Startup Mode DirectBooker is at a very early stage. It received pre-seed backing from venture firm Baukunst, and has raised around $2 million from investors, including Kaufer and Holden. The three co-founders are working on DirectBooker, as well as a half-dozen contractors, Vakil said. The startup doesn't have a product or hotel partnerships yet, although it has been speaking with hotels for about a year. Vakil thinks the startup would probably use traditional CPC and CPA models to get paid, but the business model isn't the focus for now. 'I think the industry has settled on particularly expensive transactions, but they don't need to be that expensive,' Vakil said. 'We should be able to get people to them inexpensively, partly because I get to avoid a bunch of the costs that the OTAs have. I don't need customer service. I don't need to worry about protecting customer data. I'm just handing people directly over to the hotel, who already has to do that.' For now, a consumer website, is just turf to test ideas. The real play would revolve around hotel and LLM partnerships. Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem unveils new priority TSA lane at Nashville airport
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem unveiled a new express security lane for military members and their families at Nashville International Airport on July 17. She added that more changes are coming to TSA security, in addition to recent policy shifts to shoe screening rules, including the introduction of dedicated lanes for all traveling families. "The Trump administration is working very hard to make sure that we're not only maintaining and implementing and enhancing all of our security protocols, but that we're also making travel more enjoyable," Noem said. Transportation Security Administration officers will allow all active-duty members of the military through the expedited line, dubbed the "honor lane," and into Nashville's main terminal with proof of service. BNA joins 10 other major airports in the country launching the initiative aimed at expanding travel benefits for military members. "These tokens of gratitude are just a small amount of what we can do in this country to honor those who serve in our military, but also them and their families and recognize their sacrifice," Noem said. Why is Nashville Airport expanding veterans services? Honor lanes are also opening at San Antonio International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Colorado Springs Airport, El Paso International Airport, Fayetteville Regional Airport, San Diego International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Homeland Security officials said the airports were selected to start the rollout of honor lanes because they are 'near larger military installations.' Fort Campbell sits about 60 miles outside of Nashville, but still squarely in the traveler base for BNA. The site supports a population of approximately 30,000 active military members and 51,000 of their family members. TSA airport policy changes: Shoes and liquids at security, priority lanes Noem's Nashville announcement follows several recent TSA policy changes. On July 8, Noem announced that TSA would no longer require passengers to remove their shoes when going through security, a policy that has been in place since 2006. Earlier this week, on July 16, she teased the possibility of changing the amount of liquid passengers may bring in their carry-ons, moving away from the current 3.4-ounce standard. "We're making sure that every policy that we have is a common sense policy that serves people and keeps us safe," Noem said. The new honor lanes are one part of the campaign Noem launched in early July for added military travel benefits. Some military members already received free or discounted TSA PreCheck enrollment, but now, all military and civilian employees of the Department of Defense can join TSA PreCheck free of charge. Family members of active military will get a $25 discount, and family members of military personnel who died in combat will also be able to receive PreCheck for free. Noem also announced plans to introduce priority TSA lanes for families traveling through U.S. airports — not just those with military ties. "We also recognize that these family lanes are ones that will be specifically implemented first around large areas where people travel with their kids quite often," she said. A family-priority lane pilot project has already begun in Orlando. Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@ To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why did Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem visit Nashville airport? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US Will Begin Charging Some Tourists a $250 ‘Visa Integrity Fee'
AaronAmat/Getty Visiting the United States is about to get significantly more expensive thanks to a new US visa fee increase. Federal lawmakers have approved a hefty new visa fee that will soon apply to a large number of tourists entering the US. As part of the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law on July 4, a new $250 'visa integrity fee' will be charged to any US visitor who needs a nonimmigrant visa. According to the bill's language, the fee will apply to 'any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance.' That means anyone applying for a nonimmigrant visa in any category that requires issuance for entry into the US should expect to pay the $250 charge, according to immigration legal firm Envoy Global. When officials begin collecting the fees (the start date of which remains in question), the money will go to the US Treasury Department's general fund. Travel industry experts are worried that the new fee could potentially further curtail US tourist numbers, which have already dipped in 2025. Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, called the new fees 'foolish' in a statement released after Congress passed the bill on July 3. 'Raising fees on lawful international visitors amounts to a self-imposed tariff on one of our nation's largest exports: international travel spending,' Freeman said. 'These fees are not reinvested in improving the travel experience and do nothing but discourage visitation at a time when foreign travelers are already concerned about the welcome experience and high prices. As Congress begins work on FY26 appropriations, it must … ensure visitor fees are lowered, if not eliminated, wherever possible.' The new fees are being implemented just before the US is set to host major global events like the World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028, which could throw a huge wrench in the plans of both potential visitors and travel companies. Here's everything travelers need to know about the new $250 fee. Jump to Who will need to pay the new visa fee? Will the fee be reimbursable? Which countries are exempt? When will the 'visa integrity fee' go into effect? Who will need to pay the new visa fee? Any non-immigrant travelers from countries that are not on the US visa waiver list will need to pay the fee in order to enter the US. That means most tourists coming from Africa, Latin America, and South America, as well as select countries in Asia and the Middle East, will be subject to the new $250 levy. Travelers from visa waiver countries who are visiting the US for a reason that requires a special visa will also be required to pay the fee. The fees will apply to all student visas, work visas, and other special visas, including: F-1 and F-2 student visas; J-1 and J-2 exchange visas; H1-b and H-4 temporary work visas, and other employment and visitor categories. What's more: the $250 payment will be charged in addition to other visa fees. That means visitors will need to pay it along with any other reciprocity fees, anti-fraud fees, and 'machine-readable visa' (MRV) application fees, the amounts of which can vary by visa type. Will the fee be reimbursable? The visa integrity fee will not be waivable or reducible. According to Envoy Global, the Department of Homeland Security may potentially reimburse visitors if they fully comply with the terms of their visa by departing the US promptly when their visa authorization period ends, extending their nonimmigrant status, or changing their status to lawful permanent resident. Which countries are exempt? The fee does not apply to tourists from countries who do not need a visa to enter the US. This includes citizens of countries that are part of the US visa waiver program, as well as most travelers from Canada and Bermuda. There are 42 countries and autonomous states that are part of the visa waiver program. That means their citizens will not have to pay the $250 fee if visiting the US for up to 90 days on visa-free tourism or business. The exempt countries include: Andorra Australia Austria Belgium Brunei Chile Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Qatar San Marino Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan United Kingdom When will the 'visa integrity fee' go into effect? So far, the fee's start date has not been officially announced. However, it could go into effect with the start of the new fiscal year in the US, according to Paul Saluja of Saluja Law, a firm that handles immigration law. That date would be October 1, 2025. Another component that remains to be seen is which agency will be responsible for collecting the fee. 'Given its connection to visa issuance, the Department of State may be involved in the collection process during the consular visa appointment process,' according to Envoy Global. The Department of Homeland Security could also be the one to collect the fee. However, it is likely that travelers will need to pay the $250 charge upon issuance of their visa. This is a developing news story and will be updated with information as it becomes available. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide Solve the daily Crossword
