Self-care is extremely important and everyone deserves to get away every once in a while. Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway with your significant other, or you’re planning a chaotic family vacation to Disneyland, there’s one inevitable truth: you’re most likely going to need to reserve a hotel room. Traveling can be extremely hectic, especially if there are kids involved, but that doesn’t mean you have to be stressed out the entire time.
If you’re ready to save yourself a bit of the frustration that comes with traveling, then check out these essential lifehacks to make your hotel stay go as smoothly as possible.Light pollution can be a serious problem when you’re trying to get some shut-eye. This can be especially true in hotels because of how big the windows are in the room. Well, you can put an end to your early morning wake-ups by heading to the closet to look for a clothes hanger that has the clips on it. Then, all you have to do is attach it to the curtains and you won’t have to worry about that pesky sunlight any longer.
You know how most hotel rooms come with a shower cap for you to wear while washing up. Well, they have more helpful uses than protecting your hair from getting wet.
Before you put your shoes in your bag, put the shower cap around them. This way, you won’t dirty clothes in the process of putting them into your luggage.
Many people overlook the sugar packets that come in their hotel room, but they don’t know what they’re missing out on.
Instead of bringing your entire collection of skincare products, grab some of those packets and mix them with your favorite facial cleanser to create a delicious sugar scrub that will exfoliate your skin while you’re on the go.
It can sometimes be difficult to make time for eating while your traveling for business.
The next time you’re running late, grab the coffee pot in your hotel room, and some oatmeal or a pack of ramen noodles, and prepare yourself a quick meal. You can even try using microwave steamer bags or instant mac and cheese.
In the age of technology, it can be extremely inconvenient to forget your charger while you’re traveling.
The great thing about this is that most hotel rooms have a place for you to charge your phone right in the room. That means that you don’t have to rush to the store looking for a charger anymore.
Traveling can be quite expensive, especially if you order room service. Save yourself a bit of money and check out Amazon Prime Now.
This service will bring restaurant meals and grocery goods straight to your room. Order online and you’ll have it in your hands in less than 2 hours.
Some hotels, like Candlewood Suites, actually allow their guests to borrow certain household appliances.
You can get a Crock-Pot and make meals in your room. They also have blenders and small hand tools.
Unless you plan on eating out every night with your little ones, it can be difficult to get everyone to sit down together for a meal.
The next time you’re in a hotel, but you don’t want to go out for dinner, pull out the ironing board and use it as a table. It can even be adjusted for your children’s height.
We all know how stuffy and uncomfortable hotel rooms can be at times. Well, there’s a way for you to fix that.
Place a damp towel in front of the A/C unit and you’ve got yourself a makeshift humidifier. There’s no need to lose sleep because you can’t breathe anymore.
It can be quite tricky to keep your clothes nice and fresh while you’re traveling, especially if you don’t have the time to iron your clothes.
Instead of stressing out over wrinkly clothes, hang them up in the bathroom and allow the steam from the shower to naturally de-wrinkle your clothes.
If you’re planning to meet a special someone for dinner, or you have a business meeting to attend, then your shoes need to shine.
Unfortunately, most people don’t carry shoeshine around with them, but that doesn’t mean that your shoes have to look dingy. Just grab the complimentary lotion and rub a little on your shoes.
Anytime you stay someplace new, you risk the chance of your clothes smelling like that.
When you visit several places, your clothes begin to get a weird mixture of odors on them, which can be pretty gross. Solve this problem by adding some dryer sheets to your luggage.
Also, if your hotel room smells bad, which can happen more often than not, grab those dryer sheets from your bag and put them to good use elsewhere.
Place one over the room’s A/C unit and say goodbye to bad smells.
It’s easy to get into a deep sleep when you’re in a comfy hotel bed.
If you need an early morning wake-up, but you’re afraid that you won’t hear your alarm, put your phone in an empty glass to amplify the sound.
We all have a specific way we like to sleep.
Personally, the softer the pillow the better, but some people don’t like that. If you’re one of those people, just grab a towel from the hotel bathroom and use it to replace that overly fluffy pillow on the bed.
Bringing kids on vacation can be quite chaotic, especially if activities get canceled because it’s raining outside.
If this happens, just grab some painter’s tape and create a city of roads for your little ones to play on. Not only will they be able to have fun with their imagination, but you’ll be able to have a relaxing afternoon without hearing “I’m bored” 20 million times.
If you bring your laptop you can watch your movies on the hotel television instead of renting on-demand movies.
Unfortunately, some hotels disable the HDMI inputs on their televisions so guests can’t run their laptops through the TV. In case that happens, follow these simple instructions: Press 3 1 9 7 5 3 mute Choose “Program Install” Choose a channel number that is high and out of the way Select input as HDMI1 or HDMI2.
Hotels provide guests with small containers of shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion, but most people leave them behind.
Instead, grab the toiletries and donate them. Homeless people need these essential items, so find a local homeless shelter and give them all of your travel shampoos and conditioners.
If you have a little one in diapers, then you understand how stressful it can be to find an adequate place to change them.
Luckily, you can use the desk in your hotel room as a makeshift changing table. Just grab some towels from the bathroom and set them up on the desk and you’ll have a happy baby with a clean bottom in no time.
Finding a place to store dirty diapers can be a difficult task when you stay in a hotel room.
Instead of letting them stink up the whole room, use the plastic hotel laundry bag. But don’t forget to dispose of the bag, or you might make the maids very upset.
If you have a small child, then you need to childproof the hotel room before you allow them to play. This is where masking tape can come in handy.
Using the tape, attach washcloths to sharp corners, keep drawers closed, and cover electrical outlets. You see, it just takes a little innovation to have a nice stay.
A lot of times, light and sound pollution can make their way into your room from the crack at the bottom of your door.
Don’t lose any more sleep and put a rolled up towel in front of the crack before you go to bed.
If you find yourself needing to do laundry, but you don’t want to waste your change in the laundromat, then try this helpful tip.
Using your change, plug up the sink or bathtub and do your laundry right there in the hotel room.
Renting a movie in a hotel is not only pricey, but it’s sometimes extremely limited.
If you want to make sure that your kids have something to watch, or you don’t want to miss out on your favorite show, bring your Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast with you. All you need is an internet connection and you can watch all of your favorite movies and shows.