What I Learned Living in a Hotel...

We have officially been in our new home for a week now!  Through the relocation, we had packers that did all of the wrapping, packing, and labeling.  It was quite the operation.  It was a first for us…we have usually just moved using the beer and pizza bribe method to get friends to take pity on us!  By the 18th of June, everything was bubbled-wrapped, so off to the hotel we went.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were in a hotel once we arrived in the UK for 25 days!  We survived and have some fun stories about that chapter of our adventure.  Living in a hotel for an extended period time while not on a vacation, teaches you a lot about yourself and life! 

Here is what I learned…

7.  As glamorous as it sounds to lounge by the pool, eat the hotel breakfast buffet, eat out each dinner, and have someone else clean your room, the novelty wears off quickly.  I began to long for a routine and even those dreaded chores!  I established my "hotel routine," but I knew it would be temporary and change once we moved into our house.

6.  Restaurant food is delicious; however, after over 60 meals at a restaurant, I began to crave home-cooked food.   Our first home-cooked meal at our house never tasted so good!

5.  Hotel chairs are really not meant to be sat in for long periods of time!  Our hotel room was just that...a room, with a bed, desk, and one chair.  The seating options in our room were the bed or a chair designed more for looks than functionality and comfort.  I would often go out for most of the day, but would come back to the room in the late afternoon to wait for AJ.  Since the cool looking chair was not very comfortable, I spent a lot of time lounging on the bed, reading a book or occupying my time on the computer.  It felt much more unproductive doing these activities on a bed versus if I would have been sitting at a table or desk!  It is a matter of perception, I guess!

4.  I learned what possessions I truly value and give me a sense of security.  For over a month, the only possessions we had were our checked luggage.  We had a variety of clothes, DVDs, and books.  We had no photos or mementos, as they were all in our sea shipment.  As the weeks dragged by, I really did not miss clothing or jewelry; but I missed seeing the items that made a space feel familiar.  I had brought one of my favorite fluffy blankets in our checked luggage.  On those days and nights that I was homesick, I would curl up on the hotel bed with my blanket.  It felt a bit like home. 

3.  At home in the states, I never realized how comfy our bed was until I slept on a hotel mattress for a month!  We both often woke up stiff and sore from the bed.  Our hotel bed also was two twin beds pushed together to make a king.  We definitely did not miss the hills and valleys of our hotel mattress!  Of all our possessions, I think we were the most excited to be reunited with our bed!  We were overjoyed to just lay on our comfy bed once we moved into our house. 

2.  AJ and I can successfully live with each other in an single 15x15 room for a month.  Tight quarters, like our hotel room, demand compromise and communication at all times!  Only one occasion, involving a World Cup soccer game, resulted in a disagreement! I would say we did pretty good. 

1.  When faced with no other options, it is amazing what we can make work.  Living in a 15x15 room for a month is not the worst thing in the world to experience, but can be quite dreadful; however, when that is the only option, we figured it out and made the best of it.  Our living arrangements added another layer of difficulty as we tried to establish our new life in the UK, but everything was accomplished. 

Living in a hotel for an extended period of time made moving into our new home even sweeter! Now that we are out of a hotel room and have more space, our lights are truly always on to welcome you!

~W