How to Enjoy Your Hotel Stay…No Matter Where You Are
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Are you one of those people who doesn’t sleep well in hotels or gets homesick? I used to be as well! Then I learned some habits and tricks that changed that.
The key is making your hotel room comfortable for you and a little bit like your bedroom back home. Whether you’re one state over or on the other side of the world, you are sleeping here, so you may well enjoy your temporary space. Much like I aim to enjoy a long haul flight rather than just survive it, I also try to enjoy my time in my room.
If you followed my advice, you packed your day full of activities, but you still need to relax and unwind.
And since this is your vacation, you should be a little indulgent with the time you are in your hotel room.
Each of the things below I suggest you bring with you takes up minimal room in your suitcase (remember that you are talking to someone who carries everything on and avoids checking luggage like a second bad date). They’re space-aware and weigh very little. Plus, many of them do double duty in terms of usage on the plane.
Whatever scent you like, you can find something basic or complex that you can tuck into your carryon. An hour or two with a candle just makes you feel at home.
Those trusty slippers you wore on the plane.
It is much more pleasant to feel slippers than scratchy hotel carpet. (Also you don’t actually know what’s on that carpet.) ·
These are warm, soft, indulgent, and grippy (so no slipping on wet bathroom floors).
An added bonus is that putting something soft on your feet that keeps them warm helps you fall and stay asleep. We love science here.
I always feel so much more at home, comfortable, and put together when I have slippers (real slippers, not thin paper-ish ones in southeast Asia). This goes to my consummate belief that if your feet are comfortable, you are comfortable.
Lavender oil.
Apply to your wrists and behind your ears/down your neck. The scent of the lavender helps you wind down and promotes deeper sleep. I prefer a premade mix with a roller ball applicator, but you can also make your own and put it in a travel-sized spray bottle.
To do: combine a 3:1 mixture of water to witch hazel and a few drops of lavender oil. You can add more if you like a stronger scent. An added bonus here is that you can also use it to spray the bed linens. Voila, your very own spa.
Even easier: add a few drops to a cotton ball and slide it into your pillow case. Yes, it is that easy, and yes, it works.
Hotels tend to have blackout shades, but you never know, especially if you are in random corners of the world.
A mask is always a nice fail-safe measure for helping you sleep in when needed. This also helps if you’re trying to take a nap during daylight hours (which I do not recommend, but sometimes a girl needs to do it), and sunshine peeks around the top of the curtains.
· Skin care routine. This could definitely fill an entire post. Korean skin care has a dedicated following for a reason – not only does it feel indulgent enough to fight the Sunday scaries, but it also works. As a 40-year-old woman, I am cognizant of how I treat my skin, and it seems even more top of mind when I am traveling (your skin just gets beat up by it). As an added bonus, in treating your money maker, you also kind of feel like you’re in a spa, even if it’s a yucky hole in the wall (if you are going to place in the middle of the world or book something at the last moment, sometimes it is a toss up as to what you will get, but there is no shame in that!) Sheet masks, a good sleeping mask, an overnight lip mask, and some indulgent eye cream will make for a nice night and a pretty morning.
Comfortable pajamas.
Traveling (especially alone) means you can really wear whatever you want to bed, whether it’s a sporty nightie or men's style pajamas. You just want something comfortable!
I love the men’s style but with shorts because it ups the feminine factor (plus, to be perfectly honest, I hate having pants get all bunched up through the night. It’s the tactical equivalent of nails on a chalkboard for me).
When you’re far from home, it’s most important that it’s something that makes you happy.
Binge watching shows on your tablet.
If you haven’t seen Instant Hotel season 2 yet (Netflix), you are missing out. It is an Air BnB-type competition in Australia (those accents!) where four couples rent their houses and judge each other.
Reading.
4 of my go-to books are riveting and keep you engaged, which is especially great for when you are traveling alone:
1. Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty.
If you have read Big Little Lies you are familiar with Moriarty’s signature whimsical writing style.
This is similar to BLL but not quite as dark since there is no murder. There are some sad themes for sure, but it is funny and heartwarming and relatable and unrelatable all at once.
Plus it takes place in Sydney, which makes for a great vacation read.
2. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster.
I love her – she’s self-deprecating in her humor in some very personal and classic memoirs. This particular book is about various attempts at losing weight and once made me laugh to the point of tears on the bus ride home from work, then I laughed harder when I tried to stop because everyone was looking at me. (When you get to the story of the one-legged ass-kicking swim match in a public pool, you’ll know exactly what I mean.)
3. The Guest List by Lucy Foley.
An excellent thriller about a wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland. Even if you hate weddings, or worse, destination weddings, you will love this.
It’s the ultimate WTF read - you won’t see the ending coming, and I will leave it at that.
4. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn.
This is for all of you who like CIA/spy novels. This is the introduction to Mitch Rapp, a fictional CIA operative who is a force of nature.
This is the first (ignoring two prequels) of the series about Rapp, written by the late Vince Flynn. Mitch (not to mention Vince) is a total badass, and it is almost impossible to put down.
(Future tip, if you like this and want to continue reading the series, do so in order to avoid spoiler alerts.)
When you are jumping time zones and trying to adjust your sleep schedule, this is a helpful friend (which I also recommend for your flight to wherever you are now).
Melatonin is something that is naturally produced by the body to help you power down and sleep, but with disruptions to a natural light schedule, this helps you power down without the side effect hangovers tomorrow from a sleeping pill.
I highly recommend reaching for this rather than Nyquil, Tylenol PM, or a sleeping pill because it is natural and has no side effects. I always feel like a newborn babe waking up after taking this.
I hope these ideas help you take your stay to the next level and get a good night’s sleep. (Even better, if it inspires you to search for your next adventure, click here for trips on sourcing discounts!)
If you are looking for a packing checklist that ensures you don’t need to check a bag, click here for my ultimate carry on only packing checklist:
