“But where do you go to the toilet!?”
If I had a pound for every time someone asked me that question I’d be a very wealthy man. Actually I’d probably have about £80, but you get my point… I get asked it a lot. It’s pretty straight forward, but does require a bit of planning if, like mine, your van doesn’t have a toilet in it.
I solve this problem in a similar way as described in my “How to Keep Clean in a Van” post; just imagine that you’re out for the day an need to go to the toilet…
Public Toilets
The first point of call are free public toilets. This is ideal as you can use them for free and once you know where they are you can come back whenever you like. Some are left unlocked at night so you can park nearby and make a “Wild Camping” experience a little more civilised. Treat them with respect though as this privilege may be taken away if abused. There is also often the added bonus of being able to top up your drinking water at such places. Some are better than others, most are pretty clean and its not been often that I’ve found a public loo that’s been too grim for me and I’ve decided to just hold it and continue the search. If the search were to continue, it would lead me on to the next level of public convenience on my list…
Cafes, Pubs, Tourist info etc
Pretty much anywhere you can buy food or a drink should have toilet facilities, and they should be cleaned regularly so they’re less of a gamble than public loos. You should (in my opinion) part with a bit of cash whilst you’re in there, so I use it as a good opportunity to warm up with a hot chocolate, or cool down with an ice cream, and if I can take advantage of some complimentary Wi-Fi then even better. And if I’m doing that then I’d rather support a small local business (and put money back into the local community that I’m enjoying traveling through) than into the vast pot of a chain or corporation. The smaller quirky pubs and cafes are also a great place to get a bit of local knowledge about the area you’re in, and I think it feels more like I’m learning about an area than just passing through it. And to think, I only came in to use the loo!
The Wild Loo
So the above are the obvious options, but are only really useful if you’re in a built up or populated area. I like to spend as much time as possible in the more remote and wild places, so sometimes there’s just no porcelain throne to be found. This is where the Pee Bottle comes into play. I’ve raved about the benefits of a good pee bottle in other posts so I wont labour the point here, but basically it’s just a bottle you can wee in inside your van and pour away whenever you get chance. It’s handy for the middle of cold/rainy nights, or also if you’re in an urban environment and trying to keep a low profile, or there’s just no toilet nearby, but too many people to just go outside. Its super convenient. Just make sure that you, and any guests, can distinguish the pee bottle from anything you might drink out of!
For anything more… substantial, you’re going to need to really get back to nature. Do what the proverbial bear does, and sh*t in the woods.
There are some common-sense rules for this that you’ll need to abide by. Be discreet and leave no trace. By this I mean make sure no one is around, walk well away from commonly trodden paths and steer clear of water courses which you could be contaminating, and burry your waste. It’s far better to burn or bin your toilet paper and certainly any sanitary products used. It’s easily done so there’s no excuses for leaving anything behind.
So there you have it, my three tier (or triple ply) system when working out where to go to the toilet when living in a van. Of course you could just have toilet in your van, but I always held off from this as it would need emptying, takes up space, and just seemed like an unnecessary expense.
To each his own I guess.