Working away from home - hotel packing

[HappyHarlot]

Next year I will be doing a course through work where I shall be stopping in a hotel Monday to Friday for about ten weeks.

I shall be travelling by train, so only want to take a small case. What are your must haves to make life easier? I shall be taking laptop, phone and kindle and probably some decent coffee. Any other suggestions welcomed.

Oh and I always take a pair of sliders to wear in the room as the carpets always feel horribly dirty and grubby on bare feet

Washing up liquid! You may get two mugs that may not be cleaned until late afternoon the next day depending when housekeeping come. Some drinks like herbal tea can leave tide mark that’s hard wash out and just hot water doesn’t cut it.

If you take own water bottle then stops you buying water all the time and if you have washing up liquid can keep it clean!

I take my own little kettle, having spoken to lots of others who stay in hotels as often hearing about what some put in the kettle is enough for me to never use them.

A dressing gown if the hotel doesn't supply one, in case the fire alarm goes off. It happened to me in central London.
Luckily I had one handy.

Second the cup idea. Hotel cups are never reliably clean.

I stay in hotels a lot for work, in fact I’m in one now. I never take 90% of the stuff mentioned above.

I take a long charger cable for my phone
A couple of cereal bars if it’s a work thing with set lunches
A big scarf that doubles as a blanket For travel
Small toiletries, occasionally a face mask if I’m going to have a night alone
A book
One spare pair of tights and one spare top or dress

Unless you are staying somewhere below premier inn level there is no need for mugs/plastic bowls/cutlery/food/washing up liquid/kettle...

Just to clarify the spares are on top of the clothes I plan to wear incase I ladder tights or have a spillage/iron incident

Dressing gown: if alarm goes off just wear your outside coat.

Washing up liquid: if you must there's usually soap and wash gel in the bathroom. Good enough for washing cups.

Kettle: fill with water. Boil and pour. It's basically sterilised and you can use it, if you really worry about what it might have had.

The OP wants to take a small bag.

Although you can borrow plate/cutlery from reception, I've been given plastic cutlery, or just really unwilling/ queuing up at reception for ages about it. But then it was depressing enough when I was away 3 weeks a month and I wanted some home comforts.

I've never taken dressing gowns, kettles, slippers or washing up liquid. Though if I was taking a reusable water bottle I might think about taking a couple of milton tabs as it isn't going to get the boiling water treatment my reusable cup does every day when I'm away.

I wonder how some people get through the day when I read things like this.

Seriously shaking my head at some of these

Some of these items are insane!

I take the clothes that I need, a pair of flip flops as slippers and something to read/watch/do.

The only additional item I ever take is a small hot water bottle in winter.

I am often very grateful for my 3m phone charging cable.

I guess people take whatever makes them feel happy and comfortable.

When I'm working on client's sites I could be spending at least four nights a week living somewhere other than at home. I want it to be as nice as possible and to reduce the homesickness as much as possible. I miss being at home. Don't mind the odd couple of nights, but after that it can, for me, become a bit soul destroying, hence my home comforts being dragged along with me.

Buy yourself a Koppla plug/4 gang socket from ikea and you never have to worry about carting round enough usb plugs again.

I am away right now and my koppla is happily charging phone and tablet as I type.

Similarly, get on eBay and buy 2-3m cables for your devices and then store the lot in a spare toiletry bag or cable wallet.

Although you can borrow plate/cutlery from reception, I've been given plastic cutlery, or just really unwilling/ queuing up at reception for ages about it.

This is crazy. Why go to reception? Just go to the hotel restaurant or bar and ask them directly or pick it up at breakfast.

People really make life more complicated than necessary.

Extension cord as they often have insufficient plugs or not in the right place, shampoo and conditioner (unless it's a super posh hotel, the basic provided stuff is fine for occasional nights but not so many days) a lightweight dressing gown (unless provided). I would want access to a microwave - I could hack hotel breakfast but not eating out every night. The long stay place near me lets people leave stuff in their rooms free in the quieter months and has a full kitchen available (shared)

My own pillow
The good quality tea bags I use normally
Milk because I don't like hotel milk
Gym kit
Comfortable shoes or slippers to wear in the room at night

Always eat breakfast in my room but buy that the night before

Yy to a long phone charger cord.

Cutlery from reception? If you haven't eaten an M&S pasta salad with a hastily rinsed travelodge teaspoon you haven't lived 😂

(Class act, me)

Deliveroo / ubereats are great in Manchester. Nice when you want a night in to chill

For the time you are away I'd use a bigger case and be comfortable btw

I always take my amazon firestick, so I can have Netflix/amazon etc on the telly

I do take my own favourite glass from home as I like a big (500ml) glass for water and you usually only have tiddly options in hotels.

Also my hotel washbag has all the little extras that I might not use every day at home - hand cream, foot cream, face mask etc because with no other commitments in the evening, may as well pamper myself

Finally notebook and pen, I’m not really a laptop person, but find spare time in hotel rooms very good for journaling/planning type writing.

Tiny pack of washing powder or liquid in case you run out of knickers or tights or have an unexpected period. Just enough to be able to rinse through any small items if you are running short.

Everything I need to charge apart from laptop is usb so just get one of the plugs that has three or four USB ports and use that.

If the hotel does laundry consider leaving clothes there to be done over the weekend. When I’ve worked long term away I’ve had a good success rate getting them to let me leave a small bag on a Friday. It’s lovely arriving on Sunday evening to your room with clean clothes hung up and your bag in there. Anything to cut down on weekend chores while you are home is a bonus in my book