Top 4 Travel Items for a Cheap Hotel Stay

So your house is worth half what it was last year, you’re worried about your job, and your 401K is tanking, but you still need to take a vacation or you’re going to go crazy. You got a great deal on airline tickets and you can’t wait to feel the warmth of the sun on your face. I just wish I could find a cheaper hotel without worrying about quality or cleanliness.

Why pay through the nose for a luxurious lobby and flat-screen TV when, after all, all you’re really going to do in the hotel is sleep, well, maybe not EVERYTHING? I’m not saying you should go for the hotel with the chalk outline in the hallway and the exterminator van parked outside, but in my experience, most hotels are pretty much the same. Price does not determine cleanliness or satisfaction. The $70 a night room can be just as satisfying as the $270 a night room, even more so when cost is factored in. Ask yourself this, “what do I really need from my hotel?”

If you’re like me, you need 3 things, a clean comfortable bed, a clean bathroom, a decent TV for those downtimes, that’s it. Good ubication? It helps, but it’s not a prerequisite. A good restaurant? If you’re eating at the hotel restaurant, maybe you should stay home. Do you really need that ruffled duvet cover and selection of designer teas? This is what I do to save my money for a pina colada instead of an expensive fancy hotel that just ends up not being as good as the one for half the price.

THE most important item to save money is a travel sheet. This product will allow you to comfortably enjoy any bed without the worry of dirty bedding. A travel sheet will cover the bed and the pillow so you can rest easy. Nothing will ruin a hotel stay faster than questionable bedding, and even if the sheets seem fine, that blanket or bedspread, no matter where you stay, isn’t very clean. I have experienced dirty and unchanged bedding in some very fine hotels. By contrast, some of the cleanest, most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept on have been in budget hotels like Hampton Inns. So use a travel sheet, especially if you are sensitive to detergents or allergens like dust mites.

The next item is a sound generator. This is a small contraption, about the size of an alarm clock, that produces a range of sounds such as white noise, rain or waves. The one I use I bought at Brookstone for $25, works great on 3 AA batteries. So many times I’ve stayed in a hotel in a big city like New York, and been kept awake by the sounds of traffic or sirens or the refrigerator turning on and off. With an inexpensive sound generator, I sleep like a baby. Perfect for off the beaten track hotel or close to the beaten track.

Clorox wipes, you heard me, Clorox wipes. A small bundle of these babies will transform any moderately maintained hotel room and bathroom into something you could perform minor surgery on. Wipe down all hard surfaces and the TV remote. Take some time and get a healthy vacation free from those pesky colds that you catch so often while traveling.

Last but not least, PROMOTIONAL COUPONS. Once you’ve found a few hotel options, search the web for promotional coupons for that specific hotel or chain hotel. Membership discounts, promo codes, and coupons are plentiful, especially in the off-season. Dig deep and compare which coupon offers the most value for your money. Some are based on percentages, 10 or 20 percent savings on the room price, others are based on upgrades or services, free meals, spa service, etc. You’d be amazed at how much you can save with just a 20-minute investment of your time.

These 4 elements will allow you to squeeze every last ounce of value out of your hard-earned travel dollar by allowing you to stay comfortably in a budget hotel.

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