In desperate times, tap water becomes potable when travelers direly need a thirst-quenching solution to an after-hiking or mountain climbing struggle. Tap water is also offered as free refreshment in both regular and upper-class dining. Beware the tap: only five cities can give travelers safe drinking water out of the faucet.

Any traveler in Hamilton does not have anything to fear about the local tap's preserves. In 2015, Hamilton has won an award as having the world's best tap water. Owning the world's Best Municipal Water is not a joke as the balance of minerals, cleaning solutions like fluoride and chlorine and preserving the quality of water pipes into homes costs quite a lot.

When venturing in Canada's British Columbia, travelers could brush their teeth and drink the water straight from the tap. Time Magazine Money lists British Columbia's Clearbrook on top of its list and for good reason. It had won the world's best tap water in 2014 and previously did so three times. That says a lot about clean living and welfare in Canada.

Conde Nast Traveler cites Norway's cities as having the best quality of potable tap water in the world consistently. However, health experts still advise that no kind of water is free from bacteria and other parasites. The country's tap water is relatively safe to drink in conclusion.

In Switzerland, Bern is a city where tap water is as pure as purified water -- but with minerals essential to the human body. But it is only tap water and bottled water available in Switzerland that is potable in Bern. Travelers who wish to test fountain water might want to think twice as the water is sourced elsewhere.

Back in America, Missouri's Independence never won the world's best tap water award but it came close finishing in second and third in the last few years. Despite no top record, Independence does have healthy tap water -- and that is what matters.