I know you’ve seen the hidden camera investigations revealing the disgust of hotel rooms. Ugh. Those shows are enough to keep even the most non-germ-a-phobe home for years.
One of the first things I used to when I was a flight attendant and sleeping in a hotel three nights a week (after checking for creepy strangers hiding under my bed) is use sanitizing wipes on the phone, remote and door handles. (Have you seen those shows?) Now that I’m thinking about it, this is a habit I should pick up again.
Another habit I acquired, which is unlikely to ever cease, is not using hotel dresser drawers. I either hang up my clothes or keep them in my suitcase. Why? Because once I opened a hotel dresser drawer to find it filled dirty, stinky shirts, socks and underwear. That moment was enough to make me swear off using hotel drawers forever (you don’t really think hotel dresser interiors are ever sanitized, do you?). Of course, if everyone used Rojeti Travel Laundry Bags for their dirty clothes, I might be more inclined to reconsider. Have you seen these bags? They are cute zippered laundry bags that hang on clothes hangers. They come in a variety of colors and are eco-friendly since they replace the need for using disposable plastic bags.
My personal phobias don’t stop with hotel rooms. After those thousands of hours spent on aircraft I’ve also become quite squeamish about airplane ick. As you’ve read before, I stock up on hand sanitizer and taking precautions to avoid getting sick. I also bring my handy dandy (and super cute) hot pink Plane Comfort pillow/blanket combo (don’t worry, guys, there are other colors, too). The blanket is such a nice size it covers my entire body and is so soft and keeps me warm. The pillow easily blows up and you can use the carrying case as a soft pillow case. When the flight is over it all goes back into the bag and has a strap for over-the-shoulder carrying. To top it off, each pack comes with a matching handle cover for your luggage.
How do you deal with travel ick? I’d love to hear your stories.
I’m more likely to use the drawers then the closet. Probably because one hotel I stayed at had green mold halfway up the closet wall inside the closet. It was in Aruba so chances are that people tended to keep scuba gear in the closet hence promoting the growth of mold.
Whether I use the drawers or not depends on my length of stay. Of course if the quality of the hotel is suspect then my length of stay will be short and my suitcase will simply be on that folding luggage stand for the night. However I do believe some moist wipes to wipe down the interior of the drawers would be a good idea.