Home Away From Home: Tips to Make a Hotel Room Cozier
Hotel rooms can be a wonderful place to rest after a long day of seeing the sights. But they can also be impersonal, cold, and bland. If you want to make your room a little cozier and personalized, here are a few ideas.
Bring your own scent
Travel candles or a mini essential oil diffuser like this one are great ways to add a little touch of home to your hotel room. I love essential oils, as I don’t need to worry about tracking down a lighter or a set of matches, and small bottles of oil are easy to travel with. I’m a big fan of hinoki and lavender oils, which create a relaxing, spa-like smell.
Bring a bluetooth speaker to play your own music
Having nice music to listen to at the end of the day, or in the morning is a great way to make your hotel room your own. I’m a big fan of the JBL Go 3 speaker line, which has a great sound despite its small, portable format.
Unpack right away
Unpacking as soon as you arrive can go a long way in making you feel more at home. Living out of a suitcase feels temporary, but unpacking puts you in the mindset that you’ve arrived at your destination. So go ahead - hang things up, put items in drawers, and move in.
Bring a way to organize your nightstand
I hate the feeling of having my personal items scattered all over my nightstand - hotel room keys, loose change, jewelry, etc. Having something to organize these small odds and ends - I’m a big fan of the Tom Bihn Travel Tray - goes a LONG way towards making me feel more at home while away, not to mention a little more organized. The Tom Bihn Travel Tray is also collapsable, making it easy to pack into any bag.
Bring your own tea
Or coffee, or any drink that you love. Many hotel rooms have a kettle, making it easy to bring your own tea or other drink. Individual packets of, for example, green tea make for a nice way to start your day.
Bring a mini glow light for your nightstand
I’ll admit it - I’m a bit of a lighting snob. I hate overhead lights at home, and at hotels. Packing a small, rechargeable light like this one to use on your nightstand or use as a nightlight for those middle of the night trips to the bathroom can make a hotel room feel more welcoming.
Carry a streaming device or download your fave shows to your laptop/ipad
If you’re traveling with your computer or iPad, download some of your favorite TV shows to watch at the end of the day as you wind down. Or you can bring a small streaming device - like the Google Chromecast - so you can watch them on your room’s TV. Most hotel room TVs have HDMI hookups now, so it’s easy to just plug in and play.
Bring some self-care items
Packing a few face masks or other self care items to help you relax at your hotel can be a game changer. Combine it with your essential oil diffuser, some soft music or your favorite TV show, and you’ve instantly created a cozy experience!
Bring a small photo of those you love for your nightstand
If you’re traveling alone, bringing photos of loved ones can be a wonderful way to feel more at home. Small frames like these are easy to pack and are small enough to sit on your nightstand without taking up too much real estate.
Pack ear plugs
Hotel rooms can sometimes have thin walls. I’ll never forget the time I was staying in a hotel in Rome and could hear my next door neighbor snoring in the middle of the night. Ear plugs to the rescue! I’m a fan of these Howard Leight ear plugs because they’re thinner at one end, which allows for a great seal (and hence, great sleep). They come in a huge box, so I always have and handful on hand.
Packing just a few small items can really elevate your hotel experience into something special. Even though I travel light - usually with just one carry on - I always make space for a “cozy” item or two to make me feel a bit more at home. Next time you travel, try a few of these ideas out!
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hi there, I’m angi the founder of roam & gather. My mission is to curate joy-centered, small group journeys that are relaxed, intimate, and rooted in culture, community and slowness.
Roam & Gather is a small travel company offering soul-nourishing, curated travel experiences that help connect people with global communities, like-minded travelers and themselves.
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