Where to Shower When Travelling

Are you planning to take a trip across some countries, even continents? Or are you going to buy a van and you look for some tips and trick about smart traveling?

Well, despite regular questions such as: “Where should we eat on the road?” or “Is there a highway or a national road?”, life on the road includes some other essential customs. Traveling on different roads is not always easy, and most of the adventurers will tell you that a challenging experience was taking a shower during their trips.

We’d like to contribute to your future traveling experiences, this is why today we will talk about handy places where you can have a nice shower. Also, we will give you some examples of shower accessories to bring with you when traveling on long distances. See also the Different Types of Bath Styles.

Places to shower on the road right at your hand

When starting a traveling experience, you already know that beyond the incredible places and people you will meet, there are sometimes sacrifices to make in order to reach your final destinations.

As humble and natural it seems like, taking a shower might be sometimes a true challenge. You might only go a few days without washing yourself or you might go for weeks without proper bathing. It all depends on you and how you organize your trip on the smallest details.

We thought it would be useful to put together some things you can control when it comes of taking a shower on the road, so here are some of the best places to enjoy a warm, clean shower.

happy man showering

Campgrounds

Even if you don’t plan to stay at a campground, as many of them are pretty primitive and don’t have running water and electricity, there are some of them which will offer a nice experience for a traveler.

Just reserve a spot for a single night at a campground with showers and enjoy the relief given by a nice hot shower. Plenty of the campgrounds will offer you, for a modest sum of money (5 dollars or less), their showering facilities.

If you are looking for the cleanest campgrounds, search for the privately owned ones, as they have more luxurious facilities, like heating inside the bathrooms and very clean shower cubicles. Of course, although you don’t want to park there, for having a shower, you need to pay that fee.

State campgrounds are not always as clean as the private ones, so check the feedback of past campers before paying the money.

Pay for a truck-stop shower

During recent years, truck-stops became more and more popular and they have rebranded and improved their facilities. So now, they offer family-friendly travel plazas, even laundry rooms. You just need to come with flip-flops (this is mandatory), pay for your shower session and wait for your turn.

Local swimming pools

Everywhere you go, there are lots of swimming pools. Their showering areas are most of the times very clean. Instead of paying a room at a hotel just for a quick shower, give some dollars to the entrance of the community pools and get both one pass swimming and a nice shower session. The experience can be even more satisfying, as you may enjoy also the water slides or a sauna.

Gyms

Have you ever thought about having a stop on the road and take a shower at the local gym? This is one of the greatest tips when traveling. Getting a gym membership, to benefit regular showers when you are on the road is a very common method to use.

So if you are planning to stay on roads for a period of time, there are gym chains across the country and buying a membership is a great idea. Some of them have even a 24-hour  fitness schedule so you won’t worry about the time of the day you will be there. Gyms are a great idea for travelers, especially for those who are living in a van during their trips.

Pilot Gas Stations

Have you heard about pilot gas stations? Their main idea was to help the truckers with shower facilities, but they are now open for most of the travelers. They can be found along the country or highways, but mostly in the USA. Their shower facilities are pretty more expensive than the campground ones, this means a fee of $7-15. But in this money, you will get your own bathroom and you can enjoy it however long you want.

In this fee you are paying, you will enjoy a five-star hotel experience. The pilot gas stations come with shampoos and soaps, so you don’t need anything, maybe just a towel.

Here you will also find snacks, coffees and hot food for cheap prices.

Get  a motel room

Definitely, the most expensive variant, consider this option if the others fail. During 2 weeks trip or a month trip, you can take into account to stay two-four nights at a motel or a hostel. They are way cheaper than a regular hotel, so you can save money in these conditions. If you are desperate for a shower, a motel room is the most comfortable option. You don’t need flip flops, neither your own towels and the shower time has no time limit.

And this experience comes also with a nice bed, for you to sleep tight.

outdoor shower


Invest in useful shower accessories

If you want to be eco-friendly and benefit of a nice shower whenever you need one, a great alternative is to buy some portable shower systems for your vehicle.

The best part and the most advantageous is that you buy it once and then use it for lots of trips.

Portable showers come in so many variants, that it is impossible not to find the most suited to you. Prices vary from 10 dollars and go up to 100, depending on the complexity of the system. Here are some of the most popular types of shower accessories:

Pressure shower with foot pump

This item comes with an easy to use a foot pump, that delivers consistent water pressure, it is easy to clean and has a capacity of 20 liters. This means it can provide 7-10 minutes of shower time.

Pocket Shower

This is one of the most exciting, useful things in your trips. Because of its size, the pocket shower is light an easy to carry, as it literally fits in your pocket. The material is waterproof, leak-proof and features a roll-top for easy filling.

Solar shower

Very easy to use, these waterproof bags are 2 steps easy use. Just fill them up with water in the morning, and place them in the sun. During the day, the water inside them will warm up and you will be able to treat yourself with a warm shower.

solar shower travel

Back-pack solar shower

This shower accessories work exactly the same as the previous ones, but having an advantage you won’t overlook. They have shoulder straps, making this the easiest option to shower by far. You just put it on your back and clean yourself easily. More than that, it has a clear front-facing window, so you can keep an eye on the water level.


Showering during your trips- not a chore anymore

Just because you are living a life full of adventures, it doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy the little things of life, like taking a hot shower. How you can stay clean depends only on your method of travel, but consider the few ideas we wrote above. They will make your holidays more pleasant. Try to read also our tips and tricks for the perfect shower experience.