We spend months at a time living in hotels with our 2 dogs. It sounds like a vacation, but it doesn't always feel like one.
· Business Insider
Lilli Holland
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- For the past two years, I've lived in hotels across the country with my husband and our two dogs.
- We've found a steady routine, but living in a small space, sometimes without a kitchen, isn't easy.
- It's hard not having a permanent home, but it's been great to travel to different parts of the US.
For the majority of the past two years, "home" has meant living in different hotel rooms across the country.
My husband's job regularly sends him to different cities around the US, and I go with him, with our two 45-pound dogs in tow. The four of us typically share a hotel room for three months at a time until the next assignment.
At first, the idea of us living out of a small room — often one without a kitchen or a large living space — felt daunting. However, we were relieved that this job covered the accommodations, and we were willing to make them work.
A hotel room makes everyday tasks much more complicated
The first hotel room we stayed in didn't even have a kitchen.Lilli Holland
Hotel living has taken us to five states, including New Hampshire, Florida, and Georgia. Between each stay, we either find a short-term apartment lease or stay with family, depending on how much time we have.
Even though I knew this living situation would be challenging, especially since I work as a private tutor and was previously taking college classes online, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to see new places and travel with my husband.
Typically, each of our hotel rooms consists of a bed, a full bathroom, a refrigerator, a microwave, and sometimes a stovetop and dishwasher. Whether it's a full bedroom or a studio setup, a majority of the rooms we've stayed in have a living room space with a pullout couch.
Regardless of the room, we always bring pillows, blankets, a dehumidifier, our air fryer, gaming consoles, and a heavy-duty safe for personal items.
Plus, despite the small space, we still try to make our hotel room feel like home, especially during the holidays.
Last fall, my family visited and brought classroom-style paper turkeys my mom made to add some festivity, and we also taped decorations to the picture frames already hanging on the walls.
Each room typically has a bed, bathroom, fridge, microwave, and a pullout couch.Lilli Holland
Even though we're in a hotel, we still have a steady routine in place. My husband still goes to work. I still prepare our meals. We still go to the gym and have all the ordinary responsibilities that come with everyday life, just in an unfamiliar area. We aren't sightseeing or treating every week like a getaway — we're living a normal life, but in a different location.
That said, our day-to-day life comes with some logistical challenges.
One of the more unusual aspects of hotel living is navigating housekeeping, especially with our two dogs. For most places we've stayed, housekeepers are required to enter the room once a week.
At our first hotel, the staff absolutely loved the dogs. They would occasionally enter our room while I was away and give the dogs treats I'd left out for them.
Unfortunately, not every place has been as thrilled about pets. At another hotel, the staff wasn't comfortable with the dogs, so I would need to take them out whenever the room needed cleaning.
We've also had to adjust to the laundry situation — or sometimes lack thereof. Some places have laundry rooms available for guests, usually for a fee. But if that's not the case, I have to find a local laundromat, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it requires more planning.
This living situation is far from perfect, but there are perks
I love that the hotels we've stayed in so far have been in walkable areas, perfect for our two dogs.Lilli Holland
Even with small routines in place, our lifestyle might look a lot more glamorous on the outside than it actually is.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that we're constantly on vacation, when in reality, the initial excitement of being somewhere new generally wears off after the first couple of weeks.
Despite the challenges, though, there are plenty of things I genuinely enjoy about our lifestyle. One of the biggest benefits is getting to experience different parts of the country for an extended period of time without having to plan a traditional vacation.
My husband rarely has the opportunity to take time off. He often works seven days a week, with shifts lasting 10 to 12 hours. However, when he occasionally has a free day, we can explore nearby towns or attractions we might never have otherwise considered visiting — like Cumberland Island in Georgia or Bloomington, Indiana.
The lifestyle has worked for me and my husband so far, and we plan to continue it for as long as we can.Lilli Holland
When we're not exploring, I've found ways to enjoy the hotel space — including the amenities. The lobby often doubles as my office most mornings after walking the dogs. Not only does it get me out of the room, but there's also usually complimentary coffee and some variation of a continental breakfast.
Plus, it has been great to have access to the hotel gyms and to have housekeeping clean the floors and sanitize the bathrooms.
Ultimately, living in hotels has taught me that home doesn't have to be a permanent address. Our surroundings might change every few months, but we've found ways to make a life together, no matter where we are.
We plan to continue this lifestyle for as long as we can, hopefully for the next few years. Even though it isn't for everyone, it's worked for us so far, and we can't wait to see where it takes us next.
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