When I started to travel back in my late teens, all I cared was to be out the door to visit new places. Tents, shared rooms, shared bathrooms, long train rides…who cared about creature comforts? I was traveling and discovering.

As I grew older I wanted intimacy and more comfort. I still stayed in private rooms with shared bathrooms until my early 30s but then things changed, and I would throw fits if the “private room” ended up being locked and not ensuite and not really locked either. So now I make a point to double (and triple-check) that the bathroom is ensuite, indeed, in guesthouses. And also, don’t shy away from 3 or even 4 stars hotels.

But this is not much to ask, right? Thinking about this requirement I have when I travel, I asked fellow travel bloggers what their creature comforts are. And their answers didn’t disappoint

Clean bed & kitchen – Katie from Weird Travel Friend / Twitter

When I’m seeking out accommodations for a “regular” trip (aka not camping or volunteering type trips). I seek a cheap, clean bed and a place to prepare some food. I’m over 30 and still prioritize hostels over other available accommodation styles as they tend to be the cheapest and most environmentally-friendly option. I also love that I can utilize communal space if I want to connect with other travelers. I don’t love luxury lodging because it makes me feel wasteful. I’m much more at home in hostels, particularly when I travel alone.

During my pre-trip accommodation search, I prioritize places with a kitchen and a free breakfast. I find it helpful to read some of the worst reviews of a place to see what people are complaining about. If a hostel has four stars, but their five worst reviews talk about mice or bugs – I click away immediately. Kitchen space is also a non-negotiable since I like to have a bit more control over my food than I might have if I had to eat at a restaurant for every meal. I feel very lucky that I can sleep through just about anything, though I do admit that now that I’m into my thirties, I’ll only book into all-female dorm rooms.

What it boils down to for me is comfortable enough place to sleep, ability to stow food and light meal-prep, and keeping the cost as low as possible. Cheaper trips ultimately mean that I can take more trips!

Enough charging outlets – Tania from Azure Sky Follows

I carry very little clothes when I travel, not because I want to travel light but because all the space in my luggage is already eaten up by our electronic gadgets. We carry four cellphones, one DSLR camera, one laptop, one power bank, and their respective chargers. Sometimes when my husband is swamped with work, he also prefers carrying his personal laptop that makes it two laptops. It is extremely important for us to have a sufficient number of charging points in the room we check-in. However, the number of charging points is never disclosed in room descriptions and somehow never makes its way to the reviews written. Often times, the only way to find out is by asking the question straight to the hotel management before booking the room. Not every time the management honors their promise to provide me a room with a sufficient number of charging points, for emergencies like that – I carry a power extension cord. When I write reviews of the hotels, I make sure to mention the presence of charging points in the review. I am thinking of buying a GoPro soon, but the mere thought of it adding to our already burgeoning list of electronic gadgets is giving me chill.

Powerful shower – Laura from The Travelling Stomach / Instagram

It might make me sound like a diva but the one thing I really need in any accommodation is a decent, powerful shower. With long and thick hair I struggle to wash out the dirt of exploring a new country when the water pressure is poor or the showerhead too measly, and no one wants to walk around with greasy or grimy hair! There are some places where I can accept that the shower is never going to be powerful or hot, such as on a kletok boat in the middle of the jungle or a scuba Liveaboard floating amongst faraway islands and my saving grace in such situations is a can of dry hair shampoo (hallelujah). No one feels clean or pretty after washing under a cold trickle of water, the worst are showers that are so pathetic in terms of power that I can barely get the underneath of my hair wet! To try and avoid this disaster (and additional time wasted desperately trying to get clean) I’ll always check photos of the bathroom prior to booking a hotel, and also skim read a few reviews to make sure no one has commented on the lack of a decent shower.

Hot water – Nuraini from Teja on the Horizon / Facebook

I already knew that hot water was one of the comforts I prize the most in travel accommodation. In university, I famously used to boil a kettle of water and bathed out of a bucket so that I’d have warm water in the morning (this was Malaysia student halls in the late 90s).

Occasionally in my travels, I’ve had to tolerate a lack of hot water, for example on a couple of islands in Malaysia and the Maldives. But, the weather was usually blistering hot anyway, so it was not too bad. But trekking in the Annapurnas in Nepal, even in the summer, was chilly for me. Part of the reason was that we often trekked in the wet, forging through monsoon rains. So by the time we reached the guesthouse, and I was offered the choice between a gas shower and a solar shower… I buckled and went for gas every time.

That worked fine until we reached Jhinudanda, the last guesthouse on the way down. It was supposed to be the ‘pampering’ day because there’s a hot spring there. On the last day of the trek, all the hot water you could possibly want!
And what was my luck? The facilities around the springs were closed for maintenance! And consequently, the guesthouse itself also did not have hot water! So on that last night, coming full circle, I was given a kettle of hot water, and bathed from a bucket!

Close to Public Transportation – Natalie from The Educational Tourist / Facebook

When planning a trip one thing that is at the top of our list of ‘must-have’ is accommodation near public transportation. We agree that ‘location, location, location’ is important when looking at lodging real-estate! Using public transportation gives us an opportunity to see the area as the locals do. We like meeting others on the bus and moving about the area just like they do. I also enjoy that no one has to pay attention to the road like you do when you drive. Instead, we both look out the window, savoring the sites, the smells, and just enjoying the journey – not just the destination. Being close to public transportation really helps when the weather isn’t great. When it is cold, hot, or rainy being nearby is really helpful!

Tea and coffee facilities – Mayi from Secret Moona / Facebook

We all know that mini bar prices are exorbitant, having to pay them makes me feel ripped off. On the other hand, receiving free drinks makes me happy. Usually, hotels will provide cheap water bottles or meaningless snacks for triple the price you will pay in the corner shop. What I like seeing the most in hotel rooms are tea and coffee facilities so any hotel with a kettle will earn good points with me. After a long flight or a day wandering in the city, a bottle of water is precisely what I need to rehydrate and cool off. On a colder day or when waking up, a cup of coffee or tea is the perfect thing to start the day. Most hotels offer a kettle, but I once stayed at the Park Inn Copenhagen and was surprised that they didn’t provide that facility in their standard room. When I asked for a kettle, I was asked to order at the bar!

Comfortable Bed – Shivani from The Wandering Core / Facebook

Travel is soul-enlightening, adventurous, and always an adrenaline rush for me. The long walks exploring a town, waiting in queue for the next train, or simply walking through a museum is all exciting. But, it does give me sore feet, tired legs, and fatigue with zero motivation to get up the next morning. Yet, all this is gone through a good night’s sleep on a comfortable bed. While planning my travels, I make sure I check out the room photographs’ beforehand to gain insight into the bed. I remember the time I was in Prague for a weekend-budget trip. Booked an Airbnb right in the city center next to the old town square. A cute little studio with all the basic amenities with the advantage of a great location but with a horrible bed. A cheap quality metal bed moving with every breath of mine. Despite having such an amazing time in Prague, I wasn’t satisfied, because I couldn’t get proper rest. Apart from minimal tidiness, I expect the hotel/ homestay to have a proper bed with a comfortable mattress. Clean bedsheets and nice cushioned blanket can get me through all the burnout from the long day of travel. Never underestimate the power of a comfortable bed while traveling.

Natural light – Suzy from Suzy Stories / Instagram

You wake up after a satisfying rest, open the curtains to the sunshine streaming through the window, bathing the room in light. For me, this is just what I need to get excited for a day exploring a new destination. Natural light doesn’t even have to equate to a view, just a warm glow filling the space is enough to make you feel at home. Although accommodation is not often intended to be somewhere you’ll spend extended amounts of time there, the right atmosphere can and does make a difference.

The benefits of rooms with good natural light is more than just providing the right mood. When doing my hair or applying my makeup, natural light is always best. And for those times when I just want to relax indoors, sitting by the window reading a book in the evening sunlight is the perfect way to unwind. Compared to rooms I’ve stayed in without any windows, there’s no doubting that lighting has an impact on comfort.

When booking your accommodation, a quick Google maps search of the location will tell you if other buildings nearby block or overshadow your hotel. If you’re looking for a hotel in a city, this can be a challenge. But, if you’re smart about the type of room you book, you can find what you need. For example, rooms with a balcony or veranda have a greater chance of gaining natural light. Lastly, if you don’t ask you don’t get! There’s no harm in requesting a room overlooking a courtyard or garden if possible, maximizing the likelihood of direct sunlight. Better still, if you’re savvy in knowing the direction you’d like your room to face you could always request a room on a certain side of the building.

Peace and quiet – Kiyoko from Footsteps of a Dreamer / Facebook

When reading through reviews, one of the main things I keep my eye open for is people complaining about the noise. I’m one of those whirlwind travelers that is going from morning until night. By the time I make it back to my hotel room, I just want some peace and quiet, and most importantly, a good night’s sleep so I can get up and take off again the next day. For this reason, when I’m looking through hotel reviews, I’m always keeping my eye open for complaints about noisy air conditioners, thin walls, and loud neighbors.

When I’m searching for hotels, I usually start in the three-star range. It changes from city to city, but in general, I’ve found that the three-star hotels are nice enough that you don’t have to worry about thin walls and being able to hear your next-door neighbors. They’re typically well-kept, meaning you don’t have to worry about loud air conditioners and heaters or squeaky bathroom doors. Sure, it’s not as cheap as staying in a hostel, but I still find it to be a relatively cheap accommodation and is well worth it in exchange for peace and quiet.

Air Conditioning – Sarah from Travel Breathe Repeat / Instagram

During my 13-month trip around (some of) the world, accommodations were a huge consideration. I travel with my husband and being in our late 30s, we are a bit older than many of the “quit your job to travel the world” population. We said absolutely no to hostels or shared Airbnbs, and always booked accommodations with en-suite bathrooms. The trickiest necessity to ensure we had, however, was air conditioning. We are both unaccustomed to and uncomfortable in extreme heat. But we would be “chasing the sun” for much of our trip. We were most nervous about our time in Southeast Asia. We’d never been to any of these countries before, so would be exploring them to their fullest. We knew we’d need a cool room to come home to during the hottest parts of the day to relax and recharge. It took a little more research, and obviously more money, but we were able to find pretty great and quite reasonably priced accommodations complete with delectable air conditioning. One tip I can offer is to always read accommodation’s reviews from the last few years. Even if something like air conditioning is listed as an amenity, in the reviews you’ll learn if it truly works reliably and well. We never booked the nicest resorts or 5-star hotels but were cool and comfortable pretty much everywhere we went. From hotels to apartments to guest houses island bungalows, we were set!

Location – Kyntra

When looking for accommodation location is essential. I have had a couple of terrible experiences where I sacrificed location because of the price. We stayed in the outskirts of Paris once, it was only $40.00 per night! However, when we got there the hotel was closed for renovation. We ended up finding an ibis to stay in for the night then stayed in the 7th arrondissement and I am so grateful that we did. We have also stayed on the outskirts of Rome which we thought was fine because it was close to metro, but there was a metro strike when we were there and we paid a crazy amount of money through taxis and Ubers to get to where we needed to be. After these terrible experiences, I have decided that it is better to pay more to stay somewhere that is safe and close to great sights. My favorite experience was when we stayed in Barcelona and were a quarter of a mile from Sagrada Familia. I can handle a small room or shared bathrooms, I have even sacrificed air conditioning in Italy in June. I have always been most satisfied with accommodation when it is in a central, safe location.

Private bathroom – Katie from Creative Travel Guide / Facebook

In my early 20’s I didn’t care about accommodation. My husband and I never liked sharing rooms in a hostel but we weren’t fussy about the standard of the room we had. We would often get small rooms with no windows and that was fine. After a recent stay in a Beijing hotel with no air con, I realized my needs have changed. The front desk encouraged us to “open a window”, letting in 300+ AQI pollution in. Not great.

So now, these are my requirements; our room must have a private bathroom; I am not fussy about whether it has a bath or shower as long it the bathroom is private. I always prefer free wifi so we can blog whilst we travel and the room must have good air con no matter where we are. A mini-fridge is always a bonus, especially in a hot country and I always love a place with a stunning view – but this isn’t essential!

Personal touch – Amanda

As we’ve traveled around and got older there are a few comforts that good small independent places seem to be able to provide that larger and more expensive hotels miss. It’s the personal touch, like the small place in Koh Samui that provided proper sized mugs alongside more than enough tea, coffee and milk for a couple of cups each. Elies Hotel in the Peloponnese that had the best DIY breakfast we’ve ever had, there was a large container of fresh oranges and a proper juicer in the kitchenette, a selection of homemade preserves and each morning you collected the most amazing picnic of eggs, vegetable, olives, and Greek yogurt. Somewhere comfortable to sit outside and enjoy the views and atmosphere, a good shower, somewhere to charge up all those electronics, free WIFI, a clean comfortable bed, bedside lighting, somewhere to hang your clothes and a comfy chair should be the bare minimum. Though it’s the extras like a friendly bar or taverna run by the owner and just a short walk away that make some places extra special and what we look for now and why we will go back. Then there’s that something extra that you can’t find on an Instagram picture, the friendliness and personal touch that you get from getting to know the owner in the family-run places we’ve been to in the Greek islands, like the Hotel Nymph on Rhodes or the Nefeli Hotel on Leros. Beautiful relaxing places where you feel at home.

Breakfast – Jamie

Though it might not be a popular opinion, having breakfast provided by a hotel or other accommodation is huge! Traveling requires a whole lot of decisions to be made: what to do, when to do it, how to get there, how much money to spend, what to wear, plus the stress of having to figure out your way around a new place, possibly in a new language!

I find that when my accommodation provides free breakfast, it’s just one more decision that I don’t have to make. I don’t have to think about where to go, not spending a whole lot, and deciding what to order. Plus, the first meal of the day provides a lot of brain energy to make the rest of the decisions that I have to make.

Instead of forgetting to eat breakfast in the first place, forgetting to make that decision the night before, or starting the day out with an unnecessary bucket of stress, I find that having a convenient meal already prepared (especially the warm ones in colder climates) is a great way to start a travel day smoothly, and not hungrily. For me, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the highest quality breakfast, just as long as it’s there.