How to find showers on the road

Road trips are such a good way to explore a lot of a country or even just a part of one. There is a lot of positive that can come out of going on a road trip. But sometimes, you might think twice about traveling on the road. Little things can easily become annoying if you don’t have the right resources. Life on the road isn’t always fun and games.

One major issue that will come back time and time again with avid road trippers or van-lifers, is where will I find my next shower? This can easily become an issue for people who prefer a nice shower every morning from a clean bathroom, such as myself.

But don’t fret, even if you are planning some wild camping, or staying places other than hotels and campgrounds, you can easily find some showers along the way.

And, you’ve come to the right blog to help you find solutions and resources to forget about those annoying things holding you back from going on the road trip of your life! I’ve found all the best ways how to find showers on the road and keep you fresh while doing so!

Find free public showers on the road

While spending some time on the road exploring somewhere awesome, you might be thinking where am I going to find a shower? There are plenty of options but you can also find some free showers, yes I said free, along the way as well.

One major advantage of finding some free public showers along the way is that they are free. You might come along with some public showers that do charge a certain fee to use them but they are usually pretty affordable anyway. If you prefer to use a free public shower, you can just get to the next one instead.

Free public showers can be a hit or miss. They can be found pretty much everywhere but sometimes they might not be in your direct route. You might have to make a detour in order to use one.

To find public showers in the US, you can use the Public Showers Directory in order to find some free, or at a small fee public showers, you can use. For other countries, you can find showers by using iOverlander or Google which I will talk about later in this post.

Public showers are usually well maintained. You’ll be able to enjoy the comfort of a warm shower. You will have to bring your own toiletries and towel though. I like to carry some flip-flops as well that I can use in public showers.

An extra tip, carry a travel tote so you can easily bring all your showering essentials, your towel, and your flip-flops. Add a couple of coins in a pocket just in case showers have a fee.

find showers on the road: State parks

A lot of state parks and even national parks have campgrounds on their premises. They can be another good option to use their showers.

Similar to campgrounds, you might have to stay overnight in order to use the showers. You can always call ahead and ask them if you can use the showers without staying the night. Sometimes they might allow it and sometimes they may just charge a small fee to do so.

States parks and National parks are very easy to come by whether in the US or Canada. I don’t know internationally if National parks have campgrounds facilities but it is definitely something you can check out abroad too.

State parks and National parks are usually very well maintained. The chances of finding a clean bathroom are pretty good. You’ll have to carry all your shower essentials with you so make sure you have a shower bag ready with everything you need.

Don’t forget that our lands have so much beauty to offer! Spending some time in a natural park can be quite refreshing! I mean, not only for the showers!

Find showers on the road: Campgrounds

Staying in a campground can be another great opportunity to use showers. If you’re traveling in a van, camper, or even sleeping in a tent, campgrounds usually offer clean showers.

By staying overnight at the campsite, you usually won’t have to pay a fee to use their showers. If you aren’t staying overnight, you could be lucky and find a campground which will allow you to use their facilities for free. Chances are though, they might charge you a fee in order to use the showers. It can still be a great deal in order to clean yourself!

Campgrounds are easy to find. You can search online to find one near you or even just look at the road signs along the way. Check out the campground’s website before going if you can. Some wilder campgrounds might not offer showers. This will avoid making a detour to be disappointed in the end.

Campings can be a hit or miss regarding cleanliness. You can find a super clean one and then have one that seems like it hasn’t been cleaned in months… Carry your shower flip-flops, your shower tote, and everything you’ll need to take your shower. Bring some change just in case.

You can always call ahead to see if they can allow you to shower even if you aren’t staying overnight. They will also be able to tell you if they have a shower you can use too.

find showers on the road: Motels & Hotels

This is probably the most obvious place to find a shower. If you are going a couple of days in between hotel stays, you could definitely stretch your next hair day to your next hotel stay.

Planning on staying in a hotel every night, then you’re in luck and you won’t have to go looking around to find a shower on the road as it will be provided with your room, otherwise, that would be weird not to have showers in your room!

Hotels will come with a fee. So make sure to budget for that in your initial road trip budget. You can find affordable motels and hotels. Choose accommodation within your price range.

Motels and hotels are a convenient option as you can find them pretty much everywhere. Even the smallest towns have some sort of hotel option to offer. You can easily pull in somewhere for the night in order to use the showers and have a good night’s rest.

Motels and hotels are also very easy to find. A quick Google maps search or even a Google search near me will do the trick. You won’t have to drive around for hours in order to find something nearby.

Staying at an accommodation for the night will provide you with, usually clean, bathrooms. You’ll also have a private bathroom within your own room which will give you privacy from others. You will usually have a basic set of toiletries provided as well such as shampoo, conditionner, and soap. This is convenient if you’ve forgotten toiletries or even if you just ran out and haven’t had the time to buy some new ones.

My tip for motels and hotels, they can get costly and add up to your budget quickly. If you plan on doing that for the whole trip, go ahead, a little luxury never killed anyone. But make sure to budget properly for that. If they aren’t part of your plan, stay in hotels whenever you feel it is necessary.

find showers on the road: Hostels

Hostels are another great option to find showers on the road. Staying in a hostel will also be a little cheaper than staying in a hotel or a motel. Oftentimes, the hostel will offer you the possibility to use the showers for a fee, without staying overnight.

You can stay in private rooms as well, or use the dormitory. Some private rooms even have private bathrooms so you don’t have to use the communal bathrooms.

Hostels will also come with a fee for every night stayed. However, it will be cheaper than staying in a hotel.

A hostel can also be a convenient option. You won’t find one on every street though. You’ll have to do a little bit of research to find one in your area. If you are stopping in a small city, you might not find a hostel nearby. If you are staying in a bigger city, hostels can easily be found around you.

You can also find a hostel near you through an internet search. Your search engine will be able to point you out to the closest one to you.

Hostels are pretty clean too. It might not be the case in every single country around the world but they are usually pretty clean. Unless you book a private room with a private bathroom, you will have to share the bathroom with other people. In hostels, toiletries are not provided. You’ll have to use your own. Some bigger hostels might have small toiletries for emergencies, but usually, you’ll just have to use your own.

My tip for hostels is that they can be a good alternative to costly hotels and motels without busting the bank. You’ll still have to budget for it but the cost won’t be astronomical. Since the showers are clean, why not use them! If you don’t have the budget, but find a hostel nearby, ask them if you can use their showers for a fee!

Find showers on the road: truck stop

Along highways, you can find truck stops. These are not your average rest area along the way. These truck stops usually offer amenities for truckers to use while on their runs. They can spend many days on the road delivering goods so they are also in need of showers at some point just like you on your road trip.

In the past, I have showered in a truck stop where it was free to use the showers, somewhere close to Winnipeg here in Canada. But it is not the case for every truck stop. Most of them will charge a small fee in order to use their facilities.

Truck stops, as I said earlier are usually found along major highways.

While driving around, keep a lookout for bigger truck stops. Gas stations such as Pilot, and TA-Petro tend to have these types of facilities. You can look up their websites if you want to know the exact location nearby. Those can be found across the USA. In Canada, you can find them in Travel J’s travel plazas, Husky truck stops and Esso travel stations to only name a few.

Showers will usually be clean and private. You’ll most likely need to bring your own shower kit with you. Some will provide a free towel but you can also bring your own as it’s not all of them who do so.

Truck stops are usually there for truckers to use. So keep in mind that some of them may allow you to shower but others may not. Have a plan B or call ahead just in case they don’t accept travelers.

find showers on the road: gym membership

Nowadays, there are so many different gym franchises that you can find anywhere that you could easily get a gym membership and use their showers all over the country. You could easily buy a gym membership from a big chain in order to use not only their showers but their facilities as well while on the road. Some also offer day passes you can use.

You can find gym memberships from all price ranges, but there are definitely some affordable ones out there that you can pay a monthly fee. You might even already have a membership that you could take advantage of while on the road.

Big chains can easily be found all over the place. This is especially true in Canada and the US. It might be a little different internationally. You’ll be able to find gyms in most cities. Maybe not in small towns but bigger cities will definitely provide you with more options.

Before getting a membership, you could always check all the locations across the country you are traveling to and grab a membership from the one that has the more locations along your way.

Gym showers will be pretty clean. Make sure to carry your shower tote, towel, and shower shoes with you in order to use them.

Budget can be something you consider while planning your road trip so it’s important to consider the cost of showers along the way as well. Make a quick calculation. Is it more affordable to pay for a gym membership and use their showers all the time or just pay for a shower once in a while?

Find showers on the road: free gym showers

Some gyms might offer free showers without having a membership. Most of the time though, you’ll need a membership or buy a day pass. But you might get lucky and find one that allows you to use their shower with no fee.

As I said earlier, big chains will have more locations across the country. Some gyms even have 24 hours opening times which can work out pretty well for you.

Check out their locations on the gym’s website in order to find one near you. Remember that you will most likely find them in bigger cities and that small town might not have the big gyms available.

Make sure to bring all your shower essentials with you. Some bigger chains might offer some showers but carry your own just in case they aren’t provided.

Find showers on the road: community swimming pools

Community swimming pools can offer you the chance to use their showers while on the road.

Showers will most likely be free. However, you might have to pay a fee in order to access the area for the day. Prices can vary from one place to the other. You might find someplace that doesn’t charge but chances are, you’ll have to pay for access.

Swimming pools will probably be easier to find in bigger cities. Don’t rely on community swimming pools to shower every day. Smaller cities and villages might not have these types of facilities to offer.

You can easily find community pools by doing a Google search. You could find the fees on their website as well.

Community swimming pool facilities will be somewhat clean. You’ll have to carry your own toiletries and towel in order to shower there. I highly recommend using some shower flip-flops in these showers.

Find showers on the road: Hot springs

Who doesn’t love a little relaxing moment, enjoying hot water in a beautiful scenery? I know I love it! Hot springs will have showers you can use. So they can be another great option to choose from when trying to find showers on the road.

Natural hot springs will be free but you probably won’t have the shower facilities. Hot springs will most likely have a fee in order to access them if they are not in the wild. If this is your plan, make sure to budget for that in your overall budget. Entry fees can vary from one hot spring to the other. But you can definitely spend some time enjoying them before showering.

Conveniently speaking, you’re probably not going to find hot springs at every corner. In Canada, natural hot springs are mostly located near the Rockies. All over the country, you can find some great hot springs as well where you could use their facilities. In the USA, it will be pretty much the same, Natural hot springs closer to the Rockies and other types of facilities in other states.

Google can help you find hot springs with showering facilities along the way. You could also plan it out while planning your road trip. Once you’ve settled on your final itinerary, you could definitely check if there are hot springs nearby or even just a short drive out of your original itinerary.

Hot springs are usually very clean, even their bathrooms. Carry your own stuff with you in order to shower.

Hot springs are so much fun! I love the relaxing feeling and I also like to enjoy the moment. Hot springs are pretty unique. Every single one of them will have something amazing to offer you. It is worth spending a little bit of time there.

If you want to use their shower facilities, I would recommend using them by the end of the day. Every time I go to a hot spring, I am so relaxed by the time I am finished that I wouldn’t go driving along to another city unless it isn’t too far away. You will sleep like a baby after that!

Find showers on the road: Boat marinas

When you’re trying to find showers on the road, if you are near the coast, sometimes, boat marinas will have showers you can use. Bigger marinas will provide showers to their residents. So don’t be rude, be respectful and make sure you don’t make a mess.

These showers can sometimes be free if you’re lucky or coin-operated. Have some change with you in order to use showers along the way.

Showers in marinas will most likely be in bigger coastal towns. You’ll have to check if your route brings you near bigger marinas.

You can check the marina’s websites to see what type of facilities they have. Not all of them will offer showers so before stopping by, make sure to check them out.

These facilities will most likely not offer you anything. You’ll have to bring your own toiletries and towel in order to shower. Showers are usually clean as well.

find showers on the road: beach

If you are road tripping along a coast somewhere, you’ll probably stop by a beach area at some point.

Beaches usually have some showers you can use to clean off after a beautiful day spent outdoors playing in the sand. Some places even have bathroom facilities with showers.

The big advantage of using beach showers is that they are completely free to use!

The west coast of the United States has more of them available as the weather is warmer than the east coast. It doesn’t mean you won’t find some along the east coast but they might be harder to find. If you’re traveling through California for example, you’ll probably come across beach showers all the time. Depending on the area in Europe, you could also find beach showers in some places.

Google is probably your best friend in any situation to help you find those showers along the way. It will help you find the beaches near you but you might not be able to easily get information if they have showers available. You might have to do some research in order to find that information.

Beach showers are not the cleanest showers you will come by. Outside showers will probably be full of sand since a lot of people will be using them to clean off sand before going back to their car. If you find showers indoors, it will probably be the same.

You’ll have to bring your own supplies such as your toiletries, your towel and shower shoes.

Keep in mind that beach showers are public showers and most often than not, they are outdoors without any intimacy.

This is not the place where you will be scrubbing off everywhere. You will have to wear a bathing suit at all times while washing up.

If you are planning on using beach showers quite often on your road trip, invest in some environmentally friendly soap and shampoo. These showers will usually drain directly into the ocean.

find showers on the road: Rivers & Lakes

When you have no other options, rivers and lakes can help you clean off a bit. The experience will be quite refreshing as hot water is, well, nonexistent. Unless you find a warm lake, you’ll probably wash off in cold water.

Just like beach showers, rivers and lakes will be a free option to clean off.

Rivers and lakes or even small water sources can be found anywhere. It will be easy to find one while driving around.

Regarding cleanliness, you are going in clean enough water to swim in so it’ll be the same to wash off. Just remember to use your environmentally friendly soap in order to clean off natural water sources. Here again, you’ll have to bring your essentials with you.

Find showers on the road: Ask your friends

Having friends along your route or even making new friends along the way, can be a great option to use their showers. It’s a totally free option as long as you have some friends all over the place.

If you are someone with a lot of friends or a big network of people you know, this can be super convenient for you. Even meeting new people on your travels can end up beneficial as you’ll make some lifetime friends but you can also help each other out.

Finding showers this way is as easy as texting someone, calling them, or sending them a Dm on social.

Using your friend’s bathroom is probably going to be the cleanest bathroom of all the other options I’ve listed above. Your friends might even provide you with all the necessities needed for your shower. Come prepared any way, just in case they don’t have anything for you to use.

If I am planning on using this option to shower, I always make sure to leave the bathroom as clean as I found it when I got there or even cleaner. Don’t be that person leaving a huge mess behind. If you want to use it again, put the chances on your side.

Offer to return the favor if they even come near your place. It’s a great way to have a win-win relationship.

Portable Showers For Your Vehicle

Portable showers can be a great option. You’ll be completely independent and you won’t have to rely on finding showers along the way. You’ll be able to pull over somewhere a bit more private, set up your portable shower, and enjoy.

The cost of a portable shower will depend on a lot of things such as your needs in regards to the portable shower, the space you have, and of course the budget or the amount of money you want to invest in this type of system.

If you want to go with this option, you will have a one-time payment and then you’ll be able to use it as many times as you want. It won’t be good for that trip only but for the many more that will come after too!

Having your own portable shower will be convenient for you because you won’t have to try to find somewhere to shower but you also won’t have to wait in line to use one. If you want to shower, you’ll just park up somewhere and do it.

You can buy portable showers in a lot of places but great places to do so would be in camping equipment stores and Amazon. Do a bit of research before buying a portable shower. List a couple of ones and compare prices according to your set budget but also the needs you’ve determined. Compare them and once you’ve made your choice, purchase it in order to get it before your grand departure.

Taking a shower with your own portable shower, means you’re going to need all your toiletries with you as well as your towel. Since you’re going to be showering outdoors, it’s a good idea to wear some shower flip-flops. Use eco-friendly products in order to reduce your impact on the environment around you.

Your shower will most likely be as clean as where you set it up. Be mindful of the people around you. If you are not alone in the area you’ve chosen to shower, keep a bathing suit on to wash up. If you’re alone in a secluded area, you might have the chance to get a real good shower.

Here are some of my recommendations for portable showers you can find on Amazon.

When all else fails

Sink Shower

If in the area you are traveling, you cannot find showers anywhere, you still have a couple of options. You might not feel completely refreshed and clean but at least you’ll be able to clean up a bit of your day off.

Taking a sink shower will be completely free. You can find a sink pretty much everywhere in order to clean yourself a bit.

You can easily find some public washrooms you can use anywhere. Bring a small face cloth and a bit of soap with you. You can use the sink and water to clean up a bit.

By taking a sink shower, you won’t be able to do a thorough shower here but at least you’ll be able to clean yourself a bit.

Bring your own toiletries and towel in order to dry yourself off.

You can definitely use public places to do a quick wash-up but if you want to have a bit more intimacy, you could carry a foldable sink that you could fill up and wash off somewhere more private.

Click on this link to get a great foldable sink that doesn’t take much space in your car.

Hygiene Wipes

If everything else fails even the sink shower, you can always use body wipes to at least freshen up a little. It’s not the best solution but it can get you going at least until the next shower available.

You’ll have to purchase the body wipes in order to use them. However, it is not the most expensive thing.

You can easily find wipes at a store or on Amazon too. Once you’ve bought them, the packaging should last you for a little bit. They can be handy to carry in your luggage just in case you need them.

You won’t really need any toiletries or even a towel for that matter. You’ll just use your wipes to scrub yourself and it will pretty much dry itself.

Carry a package with you even if you will have access to showers on your trip. They can come in handy if your feet are dirty, you can quickly clean them up. You can also use them if someone makes a mess. They will have multiple purposes even if you don’t use them to ”shower”.

iOverlander app to help you find showers on the road

IOverlander is a great app for many things. It can help you find campgrounds, places to stay along the way, viewpoints, where to fill up your propane, where to fill up your water tank, where the nearest dump station is but also where to find a shower on the road.

They are not all listed but some of them are. It can be a tool you can definitely look at when trying to find a shower along the way.

You might just find a shower while every other option was not.

Google “Free Public Showers Near Me”

Google can help you in many, many ways on your road trip such as finding your way or finding attractions. But it can also come in handy when looking to find showers on the road.

Type into your Google browser ”Free public shower near me” or even just ” public showers near me”. If there is one nearby, Google might be able to tell you all about it.

You might not get any results from your search but it’s always good to try it anyway just in case you find a shower somewhere you did not think about.

A few final tips for showering on the road

Bring a small towel that can easily be dried and stored

Whether you are leaving for your road trip from your home or traveling abroad to start off your big adventure, carrying a small towel will definitely come in handy more than once to shower.

If you are renting out a camper van, for example, they might come equipped with some towels but having an extra one is nice too. When we road-tripped across Scotland, Bunk Camper provided us with one towel each. We brought a compact, lightweight towel that also dries really quickly with us. While road tripping, you probably won’t be doing some laundry every single day, so it’s nice to be able to switch the towel up in between laundry days.

This small towel can also be easily carried in a purse or backpack for your daily adventures. If you need a towel for the beach or to take a swim in the nearest lake, you’ll have a small handy towel you can bring with you.

I love these towels. They just barely take any extra space in your luggage or backpack, they dry super quickly and they barely weigh anything.

Pack shower sandals or shoes

Maybe this is because I get grossed out easily but I always carry a pair of flip-flops with me when I use a public shower.

Bring some sandals that can be easily removed in order to wash your feet more easily and then put them back on to finish washing up.

Every time I use a public shower, even if they are really clean, I wear my shower flip-flops. Have them in your shower tote in order to have them with you when you leave for the shower.

Bring a full-size shampoo and conditioner bottle

This may not apply to every single case. If you are traveling abroad in order to start your trip, it might be better to have a travel-sized bottle of shampoos and conditionner. If you have a checked bag, you could however bring a full-sized bottle.

Traveling with only a carry-on, you’ll be limited to the 100ml bottles for all your toiletries. You can always buy some full-sized bottles when you get there which could be a great option too.

Leaving from home, you won’t have size restrictions so you can definitely bring the whole thing.

I prefer to carry my travel-sized silicone bottles with me for weight and space, but depending on the length of your road trip, the full-sized bottle might be best.

Choose what option suits you best and do whatever you feel like doing when comes the time to pack your toiletries.

Shop shower essentials on the road

I hope this guide on how to find showers on the road has been helpful for you or will be helpful in the near future.

Road trips are always so much fun, it would be a shame to ruin it by not knowing where public showers can be found.

There might come some times or some cities where you won’t be able to find any available showers but remember that there are some alternatives, which might not be the best, I know, but that will at least help you stay fresh.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally love and use!

Are you feeling adventurous? Need inspiration for that? Keep reading for a lot more great content for your next road trip!

What to wear on a road trip

33 reasons why road trips are fun

Solo road trip tips

How to get WIFI on the road

How to find free campsites across North America

How to plan an epic road trip

How to keep your car organized on a road trip

Travel organization gear must-haves to make your life easier