INTRAVELREPORT: Travel tip #156: How to find "free" water at hotels

I am still in the Galapagos on our Ecuador & The Galapagos tour, currently onboard Alya catamaran, the boat we will be chartering next year, checking it out ahead of our tour.

If you are curious to see what the Galapagos looks like follow me on Instagram stories where I am sharing the program live.

Have you listened to this week's podcast episode?

Meg talks to Sabrina, a sex expert and educator. They both discuss how travel affects our intimate relationships and viceversa, a very interesting conversation!

How to find free water at hotels

I don't like buying bottled water and travel with my own water purification bottle so that I have it always with me. If I am traveling somewhere like Ecuador, where tap water isn't drinkable, my Grayl water purification bottle can make drinking water of tap water by purifying it through it's filter.

But sometimes, I don't have it with me, or the tap water tastes funny, or it is drinkable but I just don't think I should drink it, and then I realise that the hotel has no free drinking water available and on top of that, charges for the bottle in the room.

So I found a trick: go to the gym.

Hotels which have gyms always have water dispensers or water bottles at the gyms for guests who are exercising to drink, and this is always free.

The above image is from the hotel in Valencia I stayed at last month while attending a conference. There was no water in the room and while tap water is drinkable in Spain, I find it very hard and even at home, I use a filter. I also wanted to take some water with me when going for a run, so I stopped at the gym on my way out.

This is not the first or only time I have seen this being the case.

The hotels we stayed at in Japan for our tour that had gyms all had water dispensers or bottles available. In Ecuador, where I am now, the gym also has a dispenser.

This is a trick that has worked for me at every hotel, it just needs to have a gym.

Next time you need drinking water and have none available, go check the gym.

2026 / 2027 Full calendar of tours

See the full list of our future trips below.

= Trip is confirmed = SOLD OUT = I or Meg will co-host these trips

2026 trips

Cuba: 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan, 2027 (New Year's Eve) >> Book here
Bali: 20 to 28 Jun || 3 to 11 Oct [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here
Oaxaca: 11 to 17 Oct || 8 – 14 Nov || 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan 2027 >> Book here
Japan: 13 to 23 Jun || 13 to 23 Oct [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here
Iceland: 11 to 18 Oct [1 SPOT LEFT] || 25 Oct to 1 Nov >> Book here
Xmas markets: 21 to 29 Nov || 5 to 13 Dec >> Book here
Georgia: 5 to 13 Sep [2 SPOTS LEFT] >> Book here
Armenia: 13 to 19 Sep [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here (200 EUR off if you book Georgia + Armenia)
Croatia & Montenegro: 31 May to 6 Jun >> Book here
Scotland: 10 to 18 Oct [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here
Australia: 11 to 22 Oct >> Book here [Meg will host this trip]
Barcelona & Beyond: 20 to 28 Jun >> Book here
Greek islands sailing trip: 29 May to 5 Jun [Meg will host this trip, Photographer onboard]
Morocco: 2 to 12 Oct [Photographer onboard, 2 SPOTS LEFT] || 6 to 16 Nov >> Book here
Tuscany: 13 to 20 Jun || 5 to 12 Sep >> Book here
Tanzania Value safari + Zanzibar: 11 to 21 Sep (Great Migration) || 23 Dec to 2 Jan, 2027 (Xmas + NYE) >> Book here
Egypt: 30 Oct to 8 Nov [2 SPOTS LEFT] || 4 to 13 Dec >> Book here
Tanzania Luxe safari + Zanzibar: 25 Sep to 5 Oct (Great Migration) || 1 to 10 Nov [1 SPOT LEFT] >> Book here
Galapagos sailing: 5 to 12 Dec [Photographer onboard] >> Email us to be added to the waitlist
Antarctica: 13 to 27 Dec >> Email us to be added to the waitlist

New 2027 trips are being announced every week

Caribbean island hopping: 13 to 20 Feb, 2027 [Photographer onboard, both Meg and I will host this trip] >> Book here
Kilimanjaro: 12 to 22 June 2027 >> Book here
Swedish Arctic: 20 to 26 Mar, 2027 >> Book here
Ecuador & The Galapagos: 13 to 25 May [3 SPOTS LEFT] >> Book here
Egypt: 2 to 11 April [2 SPOTS LEFT] >> Book here
Tuscany: 13 to 20 Jun || 5 to 12 Sep >> Book here
Tanzania Value safari + Zanzibar: 27 Aug to 6 Sep (Great Migration) || 24 Sep to 4 Oct (Great Migration) >> Book here
Tanzania Luxe safari + Zanzibar: 10 to 20 Sep (Great Migration) || 1 to 10 Nov >> Book here
Morocco: 1 to 11 Oct || 12 to 22 Nov >> Book here
Madagascar: 20 Sep to 3 Oct, 2027 >> Email us to be added to the waitlist