One of the main concerns many vanlifers have is where to get fresh, clean and FREE water from.
Having a tank full of water is essential when living in your van for cooking, cleaning, drinking and cleanliness.
Below we have listed a few of the best places to get FREE water to make your van life that little bit easier.
#1 - Petrol stations
There is no shortage of petrol stations throughout the UK and this presents a great opportunity for you to top up your tanks, no matter where you are you will never be too far from a petrol station.
Usually the taps at petrol stations can be found towards the rear of the building, sometimes near the toilets or a car wash point.
Hopefully the tap will be somewhere out of the way so you will be able to pull your van up right next to it and connect your hose.
Sometimes you may not be able to get your van close enough, in this case its still possible to gather enough water to get you by, just find a bottle or container and top your tank up bit by bit, it might mean a few trips back and forth from the tap to your van but it is definitely worth the effort.
If all else fails take a look at the air box where you put air in your tyres as there is usually also a water point with a pull out hose, these aren't usually free however but only cost 20p - 50p.
#2 - Cemeteries
OK this maybe a little over the top and might make a few feel a bit uncomfortable but if there's one place you can guarantee there will be a tap its in a cemetery, personally I would feel very awkward filling my tank up in a cemetery and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't connect a hose to the tap, I would probably just do a few refills of a bottle but only if I was very desperate.
#3 - Parks & playgrounds
A lot of the time you can find drinking fountains in parks and playgrounds, obviously you are not going to be able to drive your van up to a drinking fountain in the middle of a park but its a great opportunity to fill up some bottles safe in the knowledge that you will be able to drink the water.
#4 - Industrial estates
There are many industrial estates is most major towns and cities so it is always worth a trip to one to fill up with water.
The best and normally the only time to do this is on a Saturday evening or a Sunday as a lot of businesses will be closed.
Usually found at the rear of a building and nicely tucked out of the way industrial estates can be a great, easy way to fill up with water.
#5 - Supermarkets
Supermarkets can be a good place to grab some water from an exterior tap but they are often located to the rear of the building where there is usually a lot going on.
I wouldn't recommend driving around the rear of a supermarket looking for a tap as it wont be long before you raise suspicions.
It is however worth taking a look around the sides of supermarkets as there is often a tap hidden in a bush that you can access.
#6 - Gym
I know its not technically FREE because you have to pay a membership to use a gym but its a sure way to get clean, fresh water that you can drink.
Not only is this a great way to get water but its also a perfect opportunity to take a nice hot shower!
There are many people that live the vanlife and are members of gyms just for the water and the washing facilities.