When nature calls, road-trippers are often faced with grim gas stations and their even grimmer bathrooms. Listen, not every highway stop can be a Buc-ee’s.
TikTok creator Zach Underwood (@underhood10) has cracked the code on travel toilet breaks that don’t make you yeet yourself into oncoming traffic. He shared the tip in a recent trending video that has almost 76,000 views and 1,200 likes.
“Here’s a little life hack for you,” Underwood said to the camera. “If you travel a lot or you drive a lot like me, the best place to stop to use the bathroom? It’s not a gas station. It’s a hotel.”
As Underwood explained, you’ll find hotels everywhere, and their bathrooms are always clean.
“I’ve been doing this for years. Hardly anyone uses the restroom in a hotel lobby. It’s great!” one viewer commented.
“Bonus if there is continental breakfast,” another commenter wrote.
“Ya if they have free parking if not I need to become really good friends with all the valet guys,” a viewer replied.
A few viewers didn’t want this life hack exposed.
@underhood10 A useful hack for everyone #fyp #foryoupage #travel #lifehack #hack ♬ original sound – Zach Underwood
“No don’t tell anyone! Then they’ll stop letting people doing it without asking for room key,” someone commented, knowing that hotel bathrooms are often reserved for guests.
“Man don’t tell people. It’s our secret,” another commenter wrote.
One viewer wrote, “Walk past the front desk with confidence, then wander around til you find the bathroom.”
Several viewers responded to the video with their own pitstop suggestions.
“I do well with Target and Kohls. Hotels locked up during covid,” a viewer chimed in.
“Car dealerships… free coffee and maybe snacks too,” a commenter offered.
“Library also,” one commenter suggested.
“Banks are great too. Bigger buildings though, avoid the small branches,” another person commented.
“Or hospital. I do those bc they are CLEAN,” one comment read.
“I like to stop at a Cracker Barrel. Then I can do a little shopping too…” another read.
“Or $20 travel toilet. With young kids, this has been so convenient. Just a trash bag to toss afterward,” someone commented.
One commenter wrote, “If your [wife’s] friends see coming out a hotel you got a lot explaining to do.” The creator responded in a subsequent video that he stopped at a Hampton Inn the day before to use the restroom. Underwood and his girlfriend share locations on their phones, he said. She actually FaceTimed him to ask why he was at a hotel. The explanation went over smoothly, he reported.
The search for clean roadside bathrooms is a hot topic on the web, and several travel sites have suggestions. Explore also touted the hotel hack but cautioned that road-trippers might be turned away for not being guests. RV Lifestyle offered up bookstores, grocery stores, coffee shops, and department stores. Travel Artsy advised that big chain travel centers like Sheetz, Love’s, and QuikTrip are a good bet, as are state travel plazas and national or state park visitor centers. Drivin’ & Vibin’ guided its readers to bathroom-finding apps, like Bathroom Scout and Flush.
But again: What about Buc-Ee’s, the Texas-based gas station and convenience store chain that advertises its famously clean restrooms? A viewer on Underwood’s video commented, “um [Buc-ee’s] is the best place to use the bathroom if [you’re] near one that is.”
The creator replied, “Yeah but then I’ll end up spending $50.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Underwood via TikTok.
