Before we left on our great journey water had been a rather pressing concern. Would we be able to find enough drinking water where we are? Will we be able to always have enough with us? And how are we ever going to find drinking water along the way without a fixed address and connection to the local water grid?
Well I am happy to tell you that there are many ways that have worked out for us and that we are to a point now where water has become a non-issue for us entirely, despite all our worries to the contrary not a month ago. Here's the list why we stopped worrying and where we recommend you get water when living life on the road.
The classic among the water sources on the road! Gas stations have often proven a last resort for many travellers as they are plentiful anywhere where roads are and have their own bathrooms in the vas majority of cases.
While many have started to lock their bathrooms so that the public can't use them you always get a key on the counter. We have found that depending on the country - most will just give the key to you regardless if you purchased anything or not. You could also try to purchase a tiny thing just to be a 'paying customer' technically. A snack or a cup of coffee.
It will not only allow you to go to the bathroom - which can be tricky on the road - but also let you fill up water bottles if you have a backpack with you. We found an easy thing to do is use large plastic water bottles - 1.5 liters - and twist them at an angle so that they fit into the sink.
If you fill up 6 or 7 of these you will have a good ten litres of water for the next stretch on the road! Just make sure you give the key back to the clerk and leave the bathroom as clean as you found it.
When applying for a new driver's license in Southern Germany we found out that many public institutions like government offices have their own bathrooms for customers, unlocked and clean. As these places are specifically public premises you could always try finding a bathroom in there and fill up bottles that way, just make sure to leave the place as clean as you found it.
We got this idea from a lovely old lady in Southern Germany who had come over to us to ask about our van. She said that if we ever needed water we should try going to a local cemetery, as most will have water outlets available and accessible because water is needed for all sorts of gardening work.
If you are polite and go on weekdays you will not run into any problems. If you are asked you can always explain your situation and noone will mind if you take some water to survive and wave back at them as they pass by you. Cemeteries have already turned out to be of major help for us in the last months, and they are beautiful places with an abundance of silence - a great place to visit if you are tired of the hustle and bustle of cities and urban areas.
Depending on your language skills where you are at you can always try asking locals to fill up some water for you. If it's summer and they are doing garden work outside this is particularly easy, just ask them from beyond their fence. If you have a smile on your face and are in good spirits most people will be glad to help you out, knowing they have helped somebody today.
As a last resort in more rural areas this is always a great option even if it requires a bit of communication skills of an energetic sort.
In many remote places there will be natural sources of water available. Mountain springs and rivers often offer better water than the one found in "treated" water channels where water mostly travels striaght (sometimes rusty) pipes and sits still for prolonged durations of time before use. Natural water is flowing all the time and alive. It is energized by the path it has taken and can often times carry minerals and other healthy particles that make it pristine. This is especially true for mountain springs where water comes up from the depths.
When using natural water sources we strongly recommend you take a tiny sip first and wait a few hours to a day to see if you can trust the source. Trust your intuition as well. You may also gather a lot of information about the water quality from its clear look and absence of smell. If you are not sure it's better to not use the water and look for other options.
Similar to natural sources of water from the ground you could try catching water when it rains or snows outside by putting up some large bowls or even plastic materials to catch it and funnel it into a container of sorts. Depending on your area you may also want to filter the water you caught as it may contain chemical residues of the industrial sector. See section "on water filters" at the end of this article.
Additional equipment
It's probably a good idea to have some kind of water filter with you if you plan on going to remote places to camp. There are many on the market and most will do the trick just fine. This way you can clear the water from sources where you aren't certain about the quality and have no need to get worried if you do feel funny a bit later in the day.
We are using a Lifesaver bottle for this but just because I have it laying around still. Many alternatives exist that let you filter water you find. If you are using a water filter you want to make it work "the least amount possible" meaning though many can technically clear up muddy water or filter out toxins you want to use the best water available still so as to not exhaust the filter's clearing potential too early.
We recommend having at least 20 to 30 litres of water with you in larger water tanks. You can live out of plastic bottles alone but they eventually become brittle and may lose some of their plastic into the water you are drinking. So either you swap the bottles out regularly, find another way to fill up sturdy bottles in small sinks or you simply use them to replenish your larger tanks.
We have found 10 liter containers to work best. They are small enough to carry and handle, even when full, and they are able to be stacked or put in a row so that they are never in the way too much.
It's always a good idea if these larger containers have an extra opening in addition to the filling hole so that air can enter the container as you pour it out. Otherwise it will require skill and patience to pour smaller portions of water from a big canister.
You could also try getting a canister with a valve of sorts that can be opened by tiny degrees without needing to flip the entire container on its side.
Have any other tricks how to get drinking water on the road? Just share them in the comments so we can all become a bit more free than we were <3
"Cooking with saltwater from the ocean | Van-life travel-hacks"
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