by Michelle Diane

Created on: January 01, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Hotels have gone to great lengths and great expense to make their guests feel comfortable. Some chains advertise their comfortable beds while others try to entice the weary traveler with homemade cookies. One boutique chain that allows pets will even provide you with a goldfish in a bowl for the duration of your stay if you've left your four-legged friend at home. So what can you do to bring a little bit of home into your hotel room?

Well, if you're on vacation, you may not really want your hotel room to remind you of home. After all, the point of a vacation is to take a break from the familiar. But maybe you have a bit of trouble sleeping in a strange place. The one item that will make the biggest difference in your comfort level is your pillow. I seldom travel without mine. When it comes to hotel pillows, I feel like Goldilocks-they're either too hard or too soft. Only my own pillow is just right. No matter where I'm staying, as long as my head can sink down into the familiar depths of my down pillow, I can sleep just as well as I do at home.

It's a different story for the seasoned business traveler. I once had a job that required me to be on the road for weeks at a time. No matter how cushy the bed or how yummy the cookies, the novelty wears off real quick after the first five days or so and my pillow alone wasn't enough to keep the homesickness at bay.

When we first started dating, my husband gave me a little teddy bear holding a heart that says, "I love you." Now I'm not the sentimental type and stuffed animals stopped being cute to me when I was about twelve, but seeing that little bear on my hotel bed after a long day always brings a smile to my face. Somehow he finds his way into my suitcase whenever I travel for work. Whether it's a teddy bear or a teddy, having a gift from your sweetie with you can make your room a little less lonely.

Ok, you're saying to yourself, that's all well and good, but what if you're single and that cute little teddy bear your ex gave you no longer has a head or any stuffing in it? In that case, some time away from home may be just what you need so instead of trying to make your hotel room homier, use the time to indulge yourself and do things you wouldn't normally do at home. Order a decadent meal from room service and an on-demand movie. And hey, movie titles don't show up on your hotel bill, so no need to hold back. Go ahead, don't be embarrassed. Watch Titanic for the 23rd time-no one will know!

The truth is, no matter what you bring with you or what you do behind the closed door of your hotel room, it's not home. Take comfort in knowing that it's only temporary, and in that you don't have to make the bed or clean the tub. I don't know about you, but that alone makes any trip more than bearable for me.

Learn more about this author, Michelle Diane.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.