It's time to talk about our plan for personal hygeine on the road.
Since we aren't planning on staying in any hotels that cost more than $30/night1, we are more limited in how often we will have access to showers. I originally thought that I would be fine going two days without a shower but I think I may be fooling myself. A shower every other day sounds much better, don't you think?
The question is, where can we shower? Here are the options that I'm aware of:
- KOA's
- Campgrounds (if they have shower facilities available - not sure how common this is)
- Community swimming pool showers
- Using our solar shower if we are in a remote enough area
- Cheap motels
- Truck stops2
Where else??
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1 Excepting the occasional splurge on a $50/night hotel, of course. :)
2I'm not so sure that I'm interested in this option. I'm worried about the cleanliness as well as the overall cost; I've read that it's $8-10/person and with two of us, we could have just stayed at a KOA.
Photo courtesy of Viditu
Getting some great comments on Facebook! Here they are:
ReplyDeleteClaudette: Hmmm didn't you say 3 days was the maximum??? I'm guessing the confined space isn't helping.
Keri: Maybe a hostel or the YMCA? sneak into a local gym;)
Keri: Lots and LOTS of baby wipes might help;)
Leanne: i have done several trips staying at dive motels & it is a blast. it may be hard to find one for $30 these days but i bet there are still a few. just watch out for mrs bates.
William: I agree with your friend Keri baby wipes are great !
Ellen: We're still at my parents so not even in confined spaces but I've been testing out how long I can go and my hair gets too greasy for me to handle after the second day. I could probably go for awhile in terms of my body (yay, baby wipes!) but it's the damn hair. And I'm not willing to shave it off quite yet...
I hadn't considered hostels in the US - great idea! As is the YMCA or gyms - I bet we could try a "free" membership at gyms across the country...and Leanne, I am hoping we can find some cheap places that aren't too scary...
Thanks, everyone!
Leanne: try cornstarch or one of the dry shampoos.
Claudette: hopefully you're planning on wearing footwear in the public showers...who knows what strange fungi you might catch. I thought about you shaving your hair but just couldn't picture it.
Ellen: @Leanne - cornstarch for my hair? I've tried baby powder before but haven't tried cornstarch. Sounds pretty cool - any side effects? And what is a dry shampoo? I'm intrigued and hopeful...
Ellen: @Claudette - Definitely flip flops!! I would die if I got someone else's foot fungi!!! Ugh! As for shaving my head, the upside (other than being able to go longer without showering) would be that I could use wigs (which I'm fascinated by) which would mean that my hair would always look good!!
An awesome comment/link from Leanne on Facebook regarding cornstarch for oily hair:
ReplyDeleteLeanne: this is kinda long but informative. http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip543.htm
you can wash your hair almost anywhere (public fountains come to mind) and then baby wipe the rest...i was also thinking that if the back doors of the van were open they (and a pole with a curtain on top) would make a great area to bathe and have privacy.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of opening the back doors of the van with a tarp and a pole (or magnets)! We'll try that out and let you know how it works.
ReplyDelete