To live in a Travelodge

I’ve had to spend weeks at a time in hotels significantly posher than a Travelodge. For work and on my own. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be even with access to a decent room service menu. You’d be mad to even think about it.

My bf did for almost a year. He got a work contract on the outskirts of London. He rented out his house and realised renting in London is insanely expensive so he lived in travel lodge. He changed the location doeending on deals.

What about YHA as they have cooking facilities - maybe get a camper & do a bit of both. There are some really nice campsites for £40-50 a night.

I also think your DH needs to be working if you don't have a permanent place to live, otherwise he will be hanging around either hotel room or campsite.

Some people get a seasonal pitch & put a caravan & awning on site. I reckon that would be fine April-October. You could make it quite cosy.

Consider the cost of food given there isn’t food prep facilities in hotels. But if that adds up then why not.

You could live as comfortably in a 6 berth motorhome or large caravan. Find the right site and it can be reasonable costs. And you can cook all your own food.

PP saying stay in/buy a static on a holiday park are totally wrong saying that! It’s illegal to live on a holiday park (the clue is in the holiday bit!) - I know people do it, I know a lot of holiday parks turn a blind eye to it but it is against the terms of the holiday park licence. If you do live in one you can be evicted with hardly any notice and the local council will not house you as a priority.

When you say move out to save, are you saving for the deposit?

If so how long will mortgage lenders lend for if the main earner is already 55 (or older after a couple of years saving).

Plus the no fixed address thing applies with living in a van/hotel also.

Why don't you look at a cheap park home or fixed mobile home on a caravan park? Then get an Air B&B or use hotels for the couple months a year they are often closed? Some of them do not allow you to stay there 12 months of the year. Once you are no longer working you could go somewhere cheap like India or Romania and live more cheaply than you could in the UK for a couple of months at a time.

with 50 000 a year you can buy a very decent maisonette or a flat in the SE also. Some weirdo brainwashing happened to the lady

I’ve known a couple of families living in the local travel lodge while waiting for housing and it was quite bleak. One room: can’t get away from your spouse!

I think it would be the equivalent of a camping holiday vs having to live in a tent.

I have not RTFT but I worked there.

You'll have to move rooms within the hotel every couple of weeks - you won't be able to stay in the same room the whole time.

It's against T&C to bring any sort of camping stove or hob etc. Anything like that.

They have a lot of long term guests living there mostly council paid emergency accommodation. Some of these people are living incredibly difficult lives. Each lodge is different but if its a cheap roadside expect lots of long term social housing guests and expect the drugs and police that often come with it.

Basically you can do it, but you'll need to accept that you won't be able to cook or have a fridge. You'll need to pack and move rooms all the time. And the rooms are really small.

I'd rent a trailer at a caravan park for 9 months and do 3 in hotels personally (to avoid council tax)

Ive friends who live on a canal boat because they cant afford to buy/rent in the SE and are “permanent cruisers”. They quickly discovered if you’re not on the electoral role you cannot get any loan mortgage credit card or open a bank account. They used their parents address. After three years of living in a boat they got fed up and having saved some money they applied for a mortgage they found it difficult the banks /building societies asked for proof of regularly paying rent/utilities/council tax etc. none of which they were able to demonstrate and were only offered mortgages with much higher interest rates and not as much as they would need to have borrowed. I’ve sort of lost contact but I believe they are still on the boat and have resigned themselves to living like this until maybe they in the future when they hope to inherit some money.

OP, I hope you'll forgive me if I tell you that you made me think of the major and the two little old ladies in Fawlty Towers. It's such a cliche of mid-20th century crime fiction too - Agatha Christie is full of ladies living in hotels.

I can see the travelodge/premier inn plan working only if you are happy to live of sandwiches and soup, essentially, and really don't mind being cooped up together. But given the way things are going (i.e. old age poverty becoming ever more of a thing), maybe you can advertise on local facebook or similar for other people of a similar age and lifestyle to houseshare with?

It's odd how hard it is to imagine what would happen if you 'lived' in a hotel. I'm a veteran of many premier inn family room holidays with the kids, and the thought of being able to flounce on the bed every evening and turn on the TV sounds rather appealing (we don't have a TV at home). But then I think of the constant struggle to keep clothing and stuff from overrunning the room... you'd actually need a lot of householding discipline.

It sounds like life has dealt you a bad hand and you are very level-headed about it. Hats off to you and your husband and I hope you find a solution that works.

For diversion:

Agree.
Or an air bnb somewhere with a few moves a year
You definitely need to consider meals and laundry

oh, ok. I just saw you are too proud for an ex council 1 bed flat. Good luck then

What about shared ownership, council list application etc

Hire a mobile home instead

You'll need to save up for two places because you'll have split up after the stress of living in one room with no kitchen, storage or laundry facilities for 2 years.

There was a lady who lived in a hotel in our town. We’d stayed there ourselves on and off between a house move and renovation. She had a cozy spot in reception, people to talk to and someone to cook, clean and make the bed everyday. I’d say she was in her early 70’s - too full of life to be living in a residential home somewhere. Sadly the hotel is now housing asylum seekers. Such a shame it was a nice hotel and she was happy and settled there. I hope she’s found another nice hotel.