Travel Hacking - Free Water
We should all be grateful for the convenience of clean water.
After doing a little bit of travel, any aware traveler (aka most people) would hopefully begin to appreciate some of the commodities and conveniences they have at home.
Being based in HNL (Honolulu, HI), I am grateful for many things - the nice weather year-round, the Aloha spirit, and delicious food to name a few.
One other convenient commodity I am grateful for is clean water.
Not All Water is Created Equal (in cleanliness)
Hawaii has great drinking water. This is due to the natural filtration of the volcanic rock the islands are made of. Being born and raised in HI, I thankfully have never had to worry about drinking water. Water from any tap in a hotel, house, or apartment provides clean, delicious water. So long as there is no sign that says “Do Not Drink” (or anything similar), you can drink the water and it will taste good.
This unfortunately is not the case everywhere you’ll travel. Now, I have yet to travel to third-world country where health and hygiene may still be developing. Nevertheless, one does not need to travel outside the US to find that clean, unchlorinated tap water is a commodity. There are many destinations where people must rely on filtration systems or buy clean drinking water to survive.
Buying water is what most of us do when we travel. We will buy bottled water or gallon jugs to fill up a reusable water bottle regardless of where we go. Though we are paying for water, there is convenience in paying for water that is filtered, clean, and the knowledge that we know we can drink it whenever we want.
If you are someone like me who drinks a lot of water or is someone who does his or her best to stay hydrated, buying a lot of bottles of water can quickly add up. This is especially the case if, for whatever reason, you end up buying water from the hotel convenience store (which is always overpriced though you are paying for the convenience).
The Water Hack
One hack that I’ve found and use whenever I get the chance to do is to utilize the water station in the hotel gym.
I found that many hotels that have a gym - this is a requirement, first of all - have water stations that serve chilled, filtered water. Though intended for guests who work out in the gym, I see no reason you, as a paying customer of that hotel, also can’t use it even if you did not work out. Simply go to the gym and fill up whatever water bottles you have. Again, I do this all the time when I travel particularly within the domestic US since many hotels have a small fitness center or gym (if not a larger one).
Perhaps the one thing I will say is to be mindful of the guest actually using the gym. If you see them walking to get water, be polite and let them go before you continue to fill up your bottle(s).
If you think it looks weird or suspicious to people using the gym, I’ll be honest and it very well may be to them. If you want to avoid this, I’d recommend filling it up later in the night, really early in the morning, or mid-day when the gym will most likely be emptier.
Another Option or Backup
Another idea is to buy a portable water bottle that has a filtration system like this one from Brita. When I am not sure or know that a place I am traveling to will have hard, chlorinated water I bring this along. Not only is it good for water purification, but also a convenient backup resource. Since I do not always book a hotel because it has a gym I often don’t know if I’ll have the convenience of getting clean, chilled water from the gym’s water station. Thus I can turn to the Brita water bottle to reliable have some sort of drinking water.
Most of the western chain hotels like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and higher-end Wyndham, Best Westerns, etc I have found are pretty good w/ having some sort of exercise room w/ a water station. Lower-end, budget hotels and motels don’t usually have one, but I don’t think you expect it for the price you are probably paying comparatively.
Anyway, that’s it for this simple travel hack. Hope it helps saves you some time and money on your next trip!
