Hotel Heaven
I have created two lists, drawbacks and benefits, to hotel/motel living. These items are simply from our experiences thus far. I'm sure someone else may have different items on their list and we may have a few to add as time goes on, but for now, this is what we're dealing with.
Drawbacks of traveling by motorcycle and living in hotels/motels:
- I have very few belongings. This includes cute shoes, an outfit for every occasion and a different handbag for each cute outfit for every occasion.
- If I need something out of the ordinary, I have to go get it. So if I catch a cold, I need to get cold medicine. Things like that.
- Internet can be hard to come by. Many of the hotels advertise free internet, but often it is only in their lobby. It's imperative to make certain the internet reaches the room. In one hotel the internet only worked in one corner of the room. That was frustrating.
- Paying for laundry and doing it often. I have two loads of laundry, barely, for the two of us. So we do it a couple of times a week. And every hotel's washer and dryer work differently. I've learned to wash everything in cold and dry everything on the lowest settings. This way I don't "cook" my clothes in the dryer and they last longer. I've also learned that they come clean just as well in cold water. Hot water shrinks the hell out of my clothes, along with a hot dryer.
- Being hungry. We keep food in the room, snacks mostly. But we seem to go out daily for a good, hot meal. Some days one just doesn't feel like leaving. So it's live on snacks for the day or go out when you don't want to. But a girl's gotta eat. Although, delivery is always an option.
- Noise. It has it's moments, but they are usually weekend mornings. Aside from that, it's pretty tolerable.
- Waking up and not knowing where I am. That's happened a few times. It only takes a minute to remember but it reminds me of my heavy drinking days. . . not a good feeling.
Benefits of traveling by motorcycle and living in hotels/motels:
- I have very few belongings. Less to manage, less to worry about, less to replace. I've already lost 3 pairs of socks. (I sleep with only socks on, but I must take them off in the night and lose them in the bed. Then I forget to get them in the morning.) And I've had time to evaluate what is really important to me and minimize even more. I find that I have only a small bag of belongings I really care about. I was surprised, really.
- No need to clean. Daily maid service is as good as it sounds. I haven't wiped a sink, made a bed or washed a towel in over a month and it feels so good! The only laundry I do are the clothes I wear. Not many dishes to wash either.
- When the toilet runs, I call the office. When anything doesn't work right, I call the office. When they neighbors are loud, I call the office. They are here to take care of this stuff. No money out of my pocket, nor effort on my part, for maintenance or troubles.
- Parking is included. That may not sound like much, but living in San Diego it was quite expensive to park monthly.
- No utility bills, including cable and WiFi. That may not sound like much either, but those bills really add up.
- If I want food, there are about 10 places who deliver. This is a plus for a hungry girl!
- Financially, it seems we're saving money! Even eating out daily and traveling, when you factor in all of the things we are NOT paying for, we're really in the black each month.
- Free breakfast. And free coffee and tea all day. We just hit them for oatmeal and hot tea everyday, but it adds up.
- Mobile, simple and easy. If we want to just take off, we can! Nothing keeping us here.
- Always a different scene. Ever changing and constantly exciting! New places to eat, see, people to meet and things to do!
As it turns out, I really love this lifestyle. I'm adjusting far easier than I anticipated. The first night I curled up in a ball, terrified, feeling incredibly displaced and afraid. The sight of everything I have right in front of me was overwhelming. But once I woke up the next morning, all that fear was gone. I've found my biggest obstacles are fear and pain. I'm learning to manage both.
Highway just seems to fit right in and adapt easily to anything, so he's very comfortable. But this has been his dream for many years, which is how this all came about.
Highway just seems to fit right in and adapt easily to anything, so he's very comfortable. But this has been his dream for many years, which is how this all came about.
Without a doubt, for us, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Everything in life has a balance. For us, to travel, to ride, to still be able to work and be on the go is far more important than having all of our "stuff" with us. The occasional lumpy bed or early morning screaming child is a fair trade off for the freedom we've found on the road. This may be as close to heaven on earth as I think we can get.
THat would suit me. My hubby has a problem minimizing
ReplyDeleteI think I could minimize all my stuff but there's no way my wife would be able to do it. Plus, where would she put the dog, the cat, the bird and the fish? :-)
ReplyDeleteTina:
ReplyDeleteI think I could do it. I am learning to travel with less, but I do need cameras, laptop and chargers which is the bulk of my electronics. You may find it less inhibiting to ditch the socks too . . . that's what I do. Only problem is you have to have your clothes laid out somewhere in case of emergency if you have to leave the building in a hurry.
just a few more days before you leave
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Your greatest good fortune is two people linking up to travel the "same" road side by side... Too often, one "side" disappears behind the other...
ReplyDelete