Hotel/”Home-tel” – Making your Hotel Room a Haven

Let’s face it, as glamorous as hotel life can sound, it ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be. With all the craziness travel can bring, it’s important to make your hotel room a haven.

Never mind the well-known fact that hotel rooms are often used for ..illicit.. activities involving all sorts of exposed body parts and fluids *que nausea shivers*.

You gotta make your hotel room your own space.

This is important if you’re staying for a night or sitting down in a city for a few weeks. There are several reasons why.

This goes for everyone, but especially if you’re a female traveling alone: being out in the world away from home can be scary and uncomfortable. Unfamiliar territory comes with a host of anxieties and discomforts. Some of these can be controlled (like the vibe in your hotel room) and others cannot.

I like to control what can be controlled. This alleviates a lot of travel jitters for me.

There are a few steps I take when settling into hotels (or any other home away from home) to ensure that the space becomes my space for maximum relaxation.  I don’t do ALL of these EVERY time, but it has become a rotating list to choose from for a well rounded home-y vibe. 

A hotel room needs to be a haven.  A place to go to get away from the pulse of the day or to let it all sink in.

Nourish.

I always find that having a little something familiar (and NOT from the overpriced, over-sugared mini bar!) to eat in my hotel room takes some of the stress out of a trip. A quick breakfast or snack to fight the hangries or midnight munchies can do wonders for my comfort level in a hotel room!

Secure.

I’m cautious and alert at all times when traveling. Especially traveling alone. There’s nothing worse than feeling anxious about your safety in what should be your safe haven away from home. I have several practices for hotel room safeguards and tips on how to secure your space for peace of mind.

Scent.

I find scent to be important for one or both of two reasons in a hotel room: 
1.  To mask something unpleasant that checked in long before you did.
2. To make the space your own comforting haven of rest. 
I regularly utilize a few simple ways to give my hotel room a pleasant scent.

Sanitize.

When I think hard about a hotel room’s constantly rotating roster of guests, I want nothing more than to wipe it clean and make it my own.  I have a method of (madness?) cleaning my room that I typically follow just after checking in.

Swaddle.

A hotel room should feel like a warm hug of calm after a long day of work or vacation.  There are a few items I like to have on hand to ensure that I’m completely cozy in my space no matter what level of luxury the room offers. 
Small, packable items to make the bed more comfortable. Loungewear to help me wind down or get ready to go, and a few tools to help me drift off to sleep. Any one of these simple items can make a world of difference in how I relax and recharge in an unfamiliar space.

Primp.

A functional space for primping and prepping is essential for a stress-free trip. In addition to ensuring that the room itself isn’t sabotaging my face,  I always find a space to make my ‘vanity’ and gather all of my products and potions for getting ready in one spot. 
Don’t be lured by the mirror in the bathroom. Hotel bathroom lighting can bring horrors of artificial discoloration and are rarely comfortable for the process of primping. 
I like to sit down, line up the tools I’ll need, and attack my routine from a comfortable position. The same goes for my clothing. Keeping things pressed and ready to run out the door removes the stress of living out of a suitcase and keeps me looking polished.

Plug In.

It’s the 21st century.  Traveling without electronics is like Magellan exploring without a compass or a diary to record his journey. It’s not going to go well. There are obvious must-bring electronics such as your phone and its charger for photos, navigating, and staying in touch. Beyond that, I have a few essential electronics and accessories that bring comfort to my hotel room for a more relaxing home-like experience.