There are two things Dian Griesel can't travel without: a photo of her two children playing on a beach and another of her husband holding their daughter when she was born.
"Recalling warm memories relieves stress and makes sleep easier," says the New York-based author of fitness book TurboCharged.
Frequent travel can be destabilizing and lead to higher stress levels and poor eating and sleeping habits, mental health care professionals say. One way to counteract that, they say, is to try to take along elements of your home life so that your hotel room doesn't feel so cold and lonely.
"Travel, particularly airline travel, can bring out the worst in people. The conditions are ripe for stress and more often than not we see people who are simply out of their element and as such feel out of control and as such engage in less-than-healthful behaviors," says Joshua C. Klapow, a psychologist at ChipRewards, a technology company that assists health care providers and employers. "Then they arrive at their destination – typically a hotel – and the backlog of stress interacts with yet another unfamiliar environment."
Melinda Fleming, a Los Angeles-based behavioral therapist, says frequent travel can cause stress for a number of reasons.
"Jet lag, new location, always on the go, missing personal connections with family or friends. It can take its toll on a person both mentally and physically," she says.
Many hotels have tried to do their part to make rooms seem more like home.
The Residence Inn, Marriott's extended-stay brand, has a complimentary grocery-shopping service, for instance. Give the front desk your grocery list, and when you get to your room, you'll have a fully stocked kitchen just like you would at home.
The Hotel Solamar in San Diego will frame any photo of a loved one you send before you check in so that you see a familiar face when you walk in.
But USA TODAY Road Warriors, frequent business travelers who log millions of miles on the road each year, say they've come up with their own strategies for making their hotel room feel more homey.
In addition to photos, Griesel travels with her own pillow. She also takes along a candle with her favorite scent.
"Having a room smell like home makes it feel fresher, homier and can help make sleep easier," she says.
Cara Slider, a senior public relations specialist, has a lucky necklace that reminds her of home. She bought the necklace with an elephant charm on it in spring 2011 and wears it every time she travels.
"It keeps me safe and grounded, and reminds me that while my geographic location may change often, the connections I make are always with me," she says.
Michael Szewczyk travels often as co-founder of Kapture, which lets merchants reward users for sharing pictures online. If he's planning to stay at a hotel for several days, he makes it a point to learn the names of staff members. That helps him develop an easy rapport with them, and they end up treating him better.
"It's a small touch that makes it feel more like home," he says.
HEALTHY SNACKS
Upon checking in, Francesca Zambello, artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival, a summer opera and theater group in Cooperstown, N.Y., asks for a large vase and finds a florist. She likes to put the flowers by her bed because she believes the aroma improves her health.
She also travels with her own tea bags and healthy snacks. If she's staying at a hotel for several days, she empties the minibar and fills it with healthy food. And she sets up tiny speakers to listen to opera on Sirius radio while she works or relaxes.
"I can stay home and curl up after a long day of rehearsals and not have to order room service," she says.
Mike Kelly, a New Jersey resident and CEO of On Call International, which provides assistance to travelers who get into predicaments abroad, tries to get as comfortable as he can at his hotel. He takes along travel-size products of the shampoo and soap he uses at home.
He has a playlist he listens to while relaxing at home and uses the hotel's iPod docking station to listen to it as background music while he catches up on e-mail. He also carries an HDMI cable so he can plug his iPad into his hotel TV to watch Netflix movies. But his most important carry-on item: a small picture frame with pictures of him and his kids during their travels together.
Having healthy snacks with him that he would eat at home also helps his mood on the road. "This makes me feel at home and keeps me healthy," he says.
'MOVE WHAT YOU WANT'
Fleming, the L.A. therapist, advises her clients to make their hotel room their own. In other words, move furniture around if you don't like the room's layout. If there's better light in one part of the room, move your desk there so you can see better when you work.
"Move what you want," she says. "You're paying for it."
She also tells them to maintain their normal routine, such as exercising or sleeping at the same time they normally would at home. "Routine is the key here," she says. "Re-create what you need in order to feel comfortable."
That's why Nitun Verma, medical director of Washington Township Center for Sleep Disorders in Fremont, Calif., tells his clients to load their tablets with the same TV shows they watch before they go to sleep back home. The same goes for music.
"This is important to treat sleep disorders," he says.
Unpacking your suitcase is another small step you can take that will make you feel more settled. Crystal Rice, a Maryland-based social worker, says too often travelers don't want to deal with the hassle of unpacking and repacking, especially if they are going to be at the hotel for a few days.
But, she says, "there is no less 'home'" feeling than living out of your luggage.
Dena Braun, managing director of Fitglobetrotter Wellness Consulting, has perfected a routine for hotel living. "I create a sanctuary when I travel," she says.
When she checks in, she asks for a room away from the elevator or noisy street. When she gets to her room, she lights candles or sprays it with a scent she prefers. She clips the curtains together so an early sunrise doesn't wake her. She uses a white-noise machine with the sound of the ocean or rainfall. She keeps earplugs on her nightstand in case she has a noisy neighbor.
And she takes a long bath before bed if she's lucky enough to have a hotel room with a tub.
"Staying at a hotel," she says, "should be an escape, not a nightmare."
Source: USA Today
