No matter how often you travel, or how much of the planet you’ve explored, you might not always have the cash to splash out on a luxurious hotel room. The chances are you spend at least some of the planning portion of your trip looking for comfortable, and cheap places to stay that mean you can focus most of your budget on other things, like exotic experiences and souvenirs.
Fortunately, if you’re one of the many people who don’t see the inside of many swanky hotel rooms, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still have a great experience. The following tips will help you make the most of a budget hotel, for a memorable experience wherever you go.
1. Carry a Few Scented Candles
Even if you’re happy with your room, you can make it feel a lot homelier by lighting a scented candle when you’re settling in for the night. Take something that reminds you of your favorite place, and you’ll be transported into a more relaxing environment almost instantly.
If you’re concerned about the dangers of an open flame, you can tackle the stale scent of some budget hotel rooms with a scented room spray or an atomizer filled with your favorite fragrance.
2. Take a Silk Pillow Case
When it comes to ways you can make the most of a budget hotel, few options are as simple, and lightweight as a silk pillow case. Buy one at home and fold it into your luggage so that you can take it with you wherever you go. This will add an extra touch of luxury to your nighttime routine, and help you avoid the pain of scratchy cotton in cheaper hotel rooms.
Just make sure that you take your pillow case and put it in your luggage when you leave your room – you don’t want housekeeping to think it’s one of the hotel’s and take it away.
3. Provide Your Own Entertainment
If you’re not impressed with the entertainment options on your tiny flat-screen television, choose your own. All you need is a tablet computer, a laptop, or a smartphone, and a worldwide travel plug to ensure you can keep your devices charged. This way, you can keep up to date with your favorite shows on Netflix, or carry a few blu-rays with you in case you get bored after a long day.
4. Take A few Luxury Toiletries
Just because your hotel doesn’t provide luxury toiletries doesn’t mean that you can’t take your own. Plenty of high-end stores offer sample pots and testers of expensive items in their range, so ask around and put together a little kit that you can take with you on your next vacation. You can even buy mini travel-sized versions of your favorite products today!
5. Talk to the Staff
Finally, if you want to make the most of a budget hotel, then speak to the staff wherever you can. Most of the time, these people are polite, friendly, and knowledgeable, and may be able to give you a few insights into how you can get more out of your stay. If you make friends with your hotel staff, they’re far more likely to go out of their way to help you.