How To Poop Outside Responsibly

Know How To Poo Outside

There are many things to love about travelling in a van: exploring places at your own pace, choosing where you want to drive to, opportunities to connect to local communities, other travelers, or staying by yourself, travelling easily through traffic or little streets of big cities and tiny villages, and of course, last but not least, parking up in the most incredible spots surrounded by nothing but nature. Although over the years the image of vanlife changed, in our previous article we describe simple ways to improve the relations with communities and nature during your travel. 

Know the Rules How to Travel Sustainable in a Van

With freedom also comes responsibility; the terms Responsible or Sustainable Travel have been used for such a long time, most of us see it as a requirement to travel responsibly, while reducing our footprint along the way. There may be many obvious things to consider, like shopping locally and seasonal foods, connecting to locals by at least learning a few words of the language, avoiding international chains to keep as much money in the community or country you travel through. One topic, in particular, is very specific to travelling in a van, nobody wants to speak about it, but it affects all of us, and can make or break the impression you make when travelling: with other travellers, locals and local authorities and, most importantly, nature: so, let’s talk about poo!

Why Is It Important to Leave No Trace

I live at a beautiful beach in Portugal, one of the few where authorities more or less officially allow vans to park overnight. For most of one year I parked there many nights myself. There is a shower and a water tap during the summer months, amazing waves, and always a great bunch of travellers to get to know. And guess what, the beautiful walking path behind the car park, leading up the cliffs to enjoy some stunning views over the coastline, is called ‘shit alley’. Whenever someone returns from there and you asked them: ‘where did you poo?’, they raise their eyebrows and reply: ‘in a hole, of course.’ For some reason, the walking path is lined with poo and, even less appetizingly, the paper, which usually flies in all directions, gets stuck in the bushes (and hopefully not your face).

Despite most people claiming they either dig a hole or poo into a bag, the path is always lined with poo, no matter the season, and with more travellers there is an increase of the little brown piles year on year. Locals frequent this beach just as much as visitors, and understandably do not see ‘vanlife’ in as rosy colours as we do. Their dogs eat our shit and they have one less path to enjoy. And let’s be honest, how would you like a bunch of travellers to poo outside your house or alongside your favourite running path back home?

Can Pooping Outside Be Nourishing for the Soil

Yes, even our poo will compost and become soil one day, and also the paper is generally not a problem. However, with a little bit of common sense, we will surely see that paper getting caught in bushes may not be very successful in turning into soil, and mounds of poo will more likely either land underneath someone’s shoe soles, or in a dogs mouth – yes, dogs love human poo! For anything to decompose being exposed to the elements of sun, wind, and rain, it has to undergo a very smelly and much longer period of time as it would be when covered with organic matter. In fact, and if you know a little something about composting: the poo consists of nitrogen, or the ‘green’ component in the soil. It needs carbon –‘brown’ – organic matter in order to decompose and do good for the soil.

In short, by just piling our brown mounds onto the grass or into the bushes does not help mother nature, it does not make locals see visitors in a van in a positive light, and sets a negative example to other fellow travellers. In short: you will neither be a responsible, nor a sustainable traveller if you follow the same procedures.

How to Poo Outside and Leave No Trace

So, what to do? Poo into a plastic bag and throw it in a bin?

Think about the poor cleaners emptying the bin, and the amount of plastic you will use. If you avoid straws or plastic food containers but use one plastic bag a day throughout your travels, you will probably have to plant many trees to end up doing good for the planet.

Use the bathroom of a nearby café?

Sure, if they are open and you buy yourself a coffee. This will help to spice up your Portuguese skills, and you support the local economy, but after all may not be the most reliable way to plan your trip, especially if you are parked in the middle of nowhere and there are no shops to be seen.

Bury It!

The most – or maybe only truly sustainable solution, and by far the least gross, is bury it! All you need is a little shovel in your van, and you can actually turn your problem into a solution, as you can set a great example to others, you make locals happy, you may even secure future travellers being able to continue exploring the beautiful places you have seen, and you can even add some great nutrients to the soil (depending on what you eat, of course!). With other words, you can pat yourself on the back of having ticked the most basic opportunity to being a responsible traveller!

Be The Change You Would Like to See

Some really easy ways to check whether any of what you do can be accepted under the term of ‘responsible travel’, ask yourself: would you do the same in your street or local park at home? Would you tell your parents, or what would you think of relatives or friends telling you of this practice? And never forget, only because others are doing something, does not make it right. Taking responsibility always starts with ourselves, no matter how many others are doing differently!

Thank you for reading!