Nine amazing hotel room hacks

Do you find it hard to settle into a hotel room, even though you love to travel? I’ve stayed in many hotels over the years, and I have some tips and tricks to make you feel more at home. Even if you are one of those people that lives out of a suitcase, I think you’ll find something interesting here. Stay tuned to the end when I’ll give you my best hack for making your hotel room feel like home – a warning though, it’s controversial!

I love my home and I love spending time there, where I have everything the way I like it. But I also love to travel and when I first started, I always felt a bit unsettled and on edge. So how do I now travel without that anxiety? One thing I’ve realised is that I need to hack my hotel room to make it more like home. I’m not talking scented candles or photos of my pets; this is about how I live in that room as if it is my home.

Set up

I feel best when there’s a place for everything, and everything is in its place. When I first arrive in my hotel room, before I even start unpacking, I look for places to set up stations. The stations I set up are:

where I set up my makeup mirror and put my makeup on each day.
where I charge my iPad, phone, watch, laptop and camera gear.
where I leave my jewellery at night when I take it off.

Having these makes me feel organised, in control, and I don’t have to hunt around for a well-lit spot for makeup, or to find my phone or rings.

Organisation

I like to keep small items sorted out and kept together. I bring small foldable trays to keep things together. I have two travel trays that are flat but use press studs to form trays. I always take the small one no matter how short the trip – its flat and smaller than my makeup mirror so I keep it slipped inside the protective bag for the mirror (along with the mirror’s charging cable!) I use this either for things on my bedside table or my jewellery when I take it off, depending on which needs it most. The other tray is larger, and I only take it on longer trips – say a week or more. I either use it in the bathroom to hold all those little bottles I’ve decanted skincare products into, or perhaps snacks that we have in our room.

Snacks and drinks

Make it a priority to buy some snacks and drinks. Having something in the room to nibble on when you return from a busy day out makes you feel more at home. Michael and I love to drink sparkling water and I always have a bottle by my bed to drink during the night. Depending on the length of our stay we also buy some packets of chips or chocolate. Just don’t overdo your purchasing so you end up having to take it all home with you!

Suction hooks

Some things need to be hung up in the bathroom! I have my shampoo bar, which I keep in a mesh bag that needs to hang up in the shower. I use suction hooks for this. I bought my hooks from Muji years ago, but you can get them in hardware shops or Amazon.

Travelling pharmacy

I wasn’t a boy scout (well obviously) but I like to be prepared, so I always have a range of medication and other health or comfort items. There’re painkillers – paracetamol and ibuprofen – antacid tablets, hay fever tablets, decongestant spray, diarrhea medication, hydrolyte, motion sickness pills, band aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, you name it, if you can buy it over the counter in a chemist shop, I pack it. I used to stuff it all in a toiletry bag, but I’d have to dig through when I needed something and of course, that’s always in the middle of the night when I don’t want to turn the light on and wake Michael! So now I have a hanging jewellery organiser and I put each product in different pockets. I hang it in the wardrobe, or on a suction hook, or even behind the bathroom door.

Get ready to go out

I always designate a spot for anything that might be needed to leave the room for the day. My handbag, sunglasses, umbrellas, keys, hand sanitiser, folding shopping bag – I don’t want to be running around as we are trying to leave gathering my stuff.

Bedtime routine

I replicate my going to bed routine. I don’t know about you but sleeping in a strange place can be tough. When I’m at home I have a certain routine – clean my teeth, wash my face if I haven’t done it earlier, take my medication, use a pillow spray, put on lip balm and hand cream, read for a little while then put on some going to sleep sounds. When I am travelling, I bring the products that I need to replicate this. Now, I’m going to have my toothbrush and skincare with me but I also bring a small pillow spray, and an extra lip balm and some hand cream I can leave by the bed so I don’t have to go and dig them out from somewhere else. For the sleep sounds I use an app on my iPad called Pzizz. I use this at home and since my bedtime reading is always done on my iPad, I can use it while travelling too.

Small luxuries

We like to travel light, but if I’m going to be away from home for more than, say, ten days I make sure I have some room to pack a couple of extra things that bring me home comfort. I like my tea HOT but I drink it slowly. At home I have an Ember mug, which I love, and I have been known to pack it for long trips where we won’t be staying in more than one hotel. For other trips I have an insulated mug. It’s lighter and doesn’t need a charging base and it’s less delicate. It’s not quite as good but it helps. The other thing I’ll take when necessary is a sunrise alarm clock. The hotel we like to stay in in New York has a very dark bedroom and I can find it hard to wake up in the morning – at home and whenever I’m travelling, I leave the curtains open, so I get woken naturally by daylight.

Always unpack everything

This is the simplest, and the best tip, but also the most controversial! I ALWAYS unpack everything from my suitcase and other bags. I know that there are many people that like to leave everything in their bags and just rummage through but if you get it out and organise it you will feel so much more settled in and at home.

Now, for short trips – say two nights – I will leave my clothes in their packing cube and just put it in a drawer, and I’ll leave my skincare in my little toiletries bag and sit it on the bathroom counter. But anything longer and it will all come out and be put somewhere. Like I said at the start, everything feels more like home if there’s a place for everything and everything is in its place.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any hotel hacks of your own, please comment below.

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Bye for now!

Amazon affiliate links for products mentioned or used in this video

Makeup mirror

LIWEGHT Travel Vanity Mirror, Rechargeable Lighted Beauty Mirror with 72 Led Lights, 3 Color Lighting, Dimmable Touch Screen, Tabletop LED Folding Cosmetic Mirror, Pink

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3yA9LPC

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/4dVgOST

Travelling storage trays

Baskety Valet Tray, Leather Desktop Storage Organizer,Decorative Tray,Dresser &Desk Organizer for Men and Women Personalized Nightstand Jewelry Keys Phone Wallet Coin Home Office (Pink, Big + Small Pack of 2)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3USfRlJ

Amazon Australia: no longer available, for similar: https://amzn.to/450Uun2

Suction hooks

Mine came from Muji, these are similar

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3wM0svc

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/4dPxP0S

Soap bag

Feelorna 7pcs Soap Bag Soft for Shower, Soap Pouch Saver with Drawstring for Foaming and Drying, Soap Bubble Mesh Bags for Bath Hangable (7 colors)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3wOPVPT

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3KeZjzk

Soap dry bag

MATADOR FlatPak Soap Bar Case Toiletry Bag, 15 cm, Black

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3QY9LPt

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/4bu8qZ4

Shampoo bar

Ethique Pinkalicious Shampoo Bar – Softer, Shinier Hair with Coconut Oil – Hydrating, Natural Ingredients, Cruelty-Free, Vegan 3.88 oz (Pack of 1)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4dJOB1k

Amazon Australia: (similar) https://amzn.to/3WS7UPW

Folding travel jewellery organiser

MISSLO Hanging Jewelry Organizer Travel Foldable Jewelry Roll Storage Case with 14 Cotton Zippered Pockets for Traveling, Closet, Suitcase

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3V9fZ1A

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3wIX9Fb

Bellroy desk caddy – used to keep all my bedside routine gear together

Bellroy Desk Caddy (tech Organizer) – Navy

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3UREY8c

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/4dUKBes

Pillow spray

thisworks Deep Sleep Pillow Spray: Natural Sleep 75ml, 2.5 fl oz

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3KgRolf

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3VdJ8rp

Ember mug

Ember New Temperature-Control Smart Mug 2, 295 ml, White, 1.5-hr Battery Life – App-Controlled Heated Coffee Mug – Improved Design

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3VfCNgk

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3VdJ8rp

Insulated mug

HAUSHOF 14 oz Mug, Double Wall Vacuum Insulated, Stainless Steel Coffee Mug with Lid, Outdoor Camping Mug with Handle, Dishwasher Safe Coffee Cup, Perfect for Hot & Cold Drinks

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4bT4T6t

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/4dRxWsM

Sunrise alarm clock

Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, Colored Sunrise and Sunset Simulation, 5 Natural Sounds, FM Radio & Reading Lamp, Tap Snooze, HF3520/60

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/44W2Zj8

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3QZAv2i

Sunrise alarm clock alternative

Philips Hue Go 2.0 White and Colour Ambiance Smart Portable Light with Bluetooth, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant [Energy Class A Plus]

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4btIwol

Amazon Australia: https://amzn.to/3wD07Lt

Packing cubes (not the ones I use, they are so old I can’t find them!)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/44Vi7gH