Save Money By Cooking In Your Hotel Room

It's no secret that I'm a big advocate of vacation rentals, because having a kitchen can totally help you stretch your budget. But what if you don't have a kitchen, because you can only get a hotel room? Well, if you have a microwave, coffee maker and mini-fridge, you can still make actual food. You just have to be a bit more creative.

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Obviously, you can survive on microwaveable meals, but they can be packed with fat and sodium, so with a little ingenuity, you can make easy, healthy, and (mostly) fresh meals with minimal appliances.

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Breakfast

Oatmeal: Not only can you make packet oatmeal in the microwave with just water, but you can make regular oatmeal in the coffee maker as well. Do as you would on the stove top. 

Cereal: This is pretty much the easiest breakfast ever.

Peanut butter and jelly: A good pb&j sandwich can be really filling and you can switch it up by adding sliced bananas instead of jelly and/or honey. Delicious!

Omelette: If you like a good hearty breakfast, then you can use a zip top bag to make an omelette in your microwave. You can add all your veggies and other ingredients, pop it in the microwave and zap for 2 1/2 minutes. Use Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags for this. If you can't find them, you can make an omelette in a mug:

• whisk eggs plus salt & pepper in your mug
• microwave for 1 minute
• add toppings and stir a bit
• microwave for 1-2 minutes (done when all your liquid is gone and eggs are fluffy)
• eat out of the mug or serve on a plate

Soft-boiled eggs: Add your eggs to the coffee carafe, brew (without coffee, obvs) so hot water drips over your eggs. Let them sit for several minutes and then they're ready to eat!

Bacon: You can make bacon in your microwave, as long as you have a real plate and some paper towels. Hit up a local dollar store for a plate and towels (and bacon, if you're lucky). Lay out two paper towels, one on top of each other, on the plate, place your bacon on them without overlapping, cover with two more layers of paper towels and microwave for 5 minutes.

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Lunch

Grilled sandwiches: Whether you're looking to make a grilled cheese or something a bit more substantial, make sure to get some foil when you buy your ingredients at the store, put together your sandwich, butter both sides, wrap in foil, and then iron away with the iron that comes in your room. You can also do quesadillas this way. 

Macaroni and cheese: Use the microwave to cook your pasta, then drain and add your milk, butter and cheese packet. Of course, you could buy those little just-add-water cups, but they are twice as expensive and are only good for one person (if that).

If boxed mac and cheese sounds horrible to you, you can actually make your own from scratch as well. TheKitchn has this easy recipe that you can do in your microwave using your favorite shredded cheese and noodles.

Wrap sandwich: You can purchase pre-grilled chicken, then add hummus, lettuce and feta to a pita, or caesar salad dressing and parmesan for a salad wrap. You can heat up the chicken in your microwave if you want a warm wrap.

Salad: This is pretty easy and only requires a fridge. Buy all the ingredients and put it together when you're ready. You can make it even easier buy buying a bag of ready to eat salad that includes all the ingredients in the bag. Get some rotisserie chicken and add as topping.

Hot dogs: If you don't have a microwave, but you do have a coffee maker, you can have hot dogs, in about half an hour. Fill your carafe with 6-8 cups worth of water, add your frozen hot dogs to the carafe and turn the machine on. They will slowly cook in around 30 minutes.

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Dinner

Pasta: You can actually make pasta in your microwave, if you have a container large enough to cover it with water. Most pasta can be cooked in 8-10 minutes on high. Here's a handy website. I do this at home, too, because I'm not patient enough to wait for a whole pot of water to boil on the stove. You can heat up a jar of really flavorful sauce in the microwave as well, or you can heat it up in your coffee maker, so both are ready at the same time, but you may want to use the carafe to drain your noodles.

Rice: Use your coffee maker to cook rice as you would on  your stove top, then add something like Indian food pouches they sell at Trader Joe's and similar food sections in your typical grocery store. Purchase steam in the bag veggies to add. If you're into a vegetarian meal, mix in beans, a can of diced tomatoes, and some steamed corn. You can also do quinoa instead of rice. You'll add the rice to the carafe, put the amount of water for the amount of rice you're cooking in the top and hit brew. Then keep it warming until all your liquid is gone. If this freaks you out, there are those quick packs of microwaveable rice.

Baked potatoes: I love a good baked potato. You can bake them in the microwave with a bit of olive oil or butter. Prick them with a fork or knife, drizzle a little oil or slather some butter on the outside, cover with a paper towel and cook on high for around 8 minutes. Once done, you can top with anything you like. I enjoy baked sweet potatoes with chili, but also regular potatoes with ham and cheese, traditional toppings, or fajita toppings, which you can sometimes buy already cooked in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Mashed potatoes: Knorr and other brands make a just-add-water mashed potato pack that come in different flavors and are easily made in the microwave. If you want fresh mashed potatoes, cook your potatoes like baked above, but for a bit longer, then mash with a fork with milk, butter, and salt & pepper.

Shrimp: Use a high quality zip top bag to cook your thawed (peeled) shrimp in the microwave. Add them to the bag with a bit of water or sauce and then cook for 3-5 minutes and use them over rice, pasta, or make your own easy shrimp tacos.

With a bit of smarts and a trip to the store, you can totally make a complete meal in your room for any time of the day. Don't forget about bringing back leftovers and repurposing them as new meals too, like meat and veggies that you can throw on top of potatoes or rice. 

If you bring some of your favorite spices from home (you can use empty Tic Tac containers), your meals will be even more flavorful. Just don't forget to get out and actually eat at some restaurants for a taste of your destination too. 

What's the best thing you've ever made in your hotel room?

Breezing Through Airport Security

I love the airport, even during the holidays. I’m a weirdo, but I like shopping/browsing and trying the different places to eat. I love the fact that I’m going to go somewhere. I like to people watch and I enjoy checking out the airport art and other cool things they have that other airports don’t. I’ll pay $3 to park so I can wander around. Sometimes I find awesome stuff there, plus Portland International is America’s Favorite Airport four years running. How can I resist that?

Anyway, if you want to make sure that you actually make it onto your flight to go somewhere fun (or at least to visit friends and family), then you’re going to want to be prepared for what TSA has in store for you.

Get to the airport early

This is a must! Security lines are longer than ever during the holidays, even on the slowest days. Just plan to wait in line twice as long as you usually do. You never know what’s going to happen and traffic sucks from November 1-January 2. Allow yourself time for all the inevitables and surprises and plan to get to the airport at two hours before your flight if you’re traveling domestic, and at least three hours if you’re traveling international. Bring a book, a battery back-up for your phone or tablet and a game. This way you’ll have something to amuse yourself in line and at the gate if you get there with plenty of time before you flight. Remember: flights generally board 30 minutes before take-off, so you’ll want to get there before that window opens.

Wear easy-on, easy-off shoes

Do you want to spend 20 minutes untying your hiking books to take off and put in the security bin? Probably not. Also, the people behind you do not want to wait for you either. Make sure you wear shoes that can easily be taken off and put back on, so you can make security procedures that much less painful for you and everyone else involved.

Do not wrap your gifts 

TSA is all about seeing everything in your bag. Even if you only have one gift in your bag, don’t wrap it. You will have spent all that time and energy making it look pretty and then getting it into your bag, only to have an agent rip your paper to shreds to find out what you packed. Bring small gifts that can be packed without boxes and wrapping paper. By all means, bring those staples with you to wrap at your destination if you have room in your bag.

Have your photo ID and boarding pass in-hand 

You can’t even get to the security conveyor belts and scanners if you don’t make it past the TSA agent in the line. Make sure to be prepared and keep the line moving, by having your photo ID (or passport) and boarding pass at the ready. Nobody wants to wait for you to dig around in your bag to find it and you will just make enemies of those people in line behind you. Even better, download the airline app and use the e-ticket to check in and get through security. You can use your phone to show the passes of everyone in your travel group, as long as they have their identification out.

Have your 3-1-1 bag out 

Don’t wait until you get to the airport to start rummaging around in your toiletry bag and finding all your liquids and gels. Buy a TSA-approved 3-1-1 bag online or at the store or pick up a box of 1-liter zip-top bags and fill it up before you leave home. It will make you less stressed and you’ll know that everything fits in there.

Make sure your laptop is easily accessible 

If you’re bringing a laptop, netbook or iPad, make sure you can quickly access it and slide it in and out of your carry-on. It will make the security line that much faster when you have to dump all your individual things into a bin: shoes, jacket, purse, pocket contents, laptop, 3-1-1 bag. The quicker these things can be put into a bin, the faster you can push them towards the X-Ray machine and make room for other travelers’ items and bins on the counter. (Another way to make this easier is to get a checkpoint-friendly bag, like this Travelon one.)

Don’t stuff your bag

Before I got Pre-Check (see below), I was always singled out for “random” bag checks and extra security. I don’t really care. I have nothing to hide and I don’t get embarrassed by my underwear being handled by strangers in front of a bunch of other strangers, but a lot of people do. Also, if you have Tetris-ed your bag so well that everything inside only fits in one way, it’s going to suck when you have to shove it all back in there (or are mortified when the agent tries unsuccessfully to do it) and it doesn’t fit again and you can’t zip it and half your stuff is hanging out on your way to your gate where you can try to get it all back in some order like before. Note: it never works. You’re going to end up shoving a pair of pants in your purse because they somehow no longer fit.

Go left

Most people head to the right after their ID or passport has been checked. Go left instead (if you have the choice) and you’ll likely get through the line faster. Another tip for choosing the best line is to look for one that has the fewest children. Nothing against them, but they are slow and their parents are basically trying to do the job of a cat wrangler while also doing all the security procedures. Don’t blame them. Parenting is hard. But that doesn’t mean you have to get stuck in the slow line behind them.

Get Pre-Check (or Global Entry)

If you travel a couple times a year, then this is a great investment. For $85, you can leave your shoes on and everything in your bag and just breeze past those other suckers waiting in line at security for 40 minutes. It’s like FastPASS for your travels. Read more on my post here.

Stop rushing the gate

You’re checked in, you have a seat. Nobody’s going to take that away from you. Unless you have a small child and you need extra time to get settled in, just chill out. While everyone else is freaking out and crowding the poor gate agent to get on the plane, you can skip the stress and just hang back until the crowd thins out. It might even help you get in the good graces of the crew to help you with this next tip:

Board last

This is one way to get a free upgrade, because when you’re the last passenger on the plane, you have a choice of any available seat, maybe even a first class seat if you’re really lucky. It helps if you only have a small carry-on with you that can fit under the seat. I’ll tell you why: there will likely be no overhead bin space left and having to wait longer for you to either find a place to put your bag or check it to go under the plane will not win you any friends and everyone will blame you when the plane leaves late.

Hopefully, these tips will allow you to get through security with minimal stress and get you on your trip faster.

What are your favorite security tips?

Budget-Friendly Travel for Families

Traveling is about adventure and independence. We are great at coming up with excuses why we can’t take time to explore new lands. When you start making travel a priority, you discover ways around the excuses. Many people think once they start a family, their wild days of globetrotting are over. This doesn’t have to be you. You can have a family and travel, too.

Travel Tips for Families

Don’t be daunted by the thought of family travel. It doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some tips for family travel on a budget.

• Shop for flights. Do your research on airfares. Plane tickets can be the biggest expense of travel. This is especially true for trips abroad. Find ways to reduce costs. Many secondary booking agencies work directly with airlines and extend deals to customers. Search their websites for the Cheapest Flights available. Be flexible with your destination spots. When shopping for tickets, split your family up into groups if possible. It is easier to find two sets of two seats than it is to find four seats all together.

• Rent an apartment. If you are staying in one area for an extended period of time, consider renting an apartment instead of a hotel room. Airbnb offers great ways to get in touch with locals. By renting a home, you get the benefits of a kitchen that allows you to cut costs more. Longer stays also give you the opportunity to negotiate prices. Avoid traveling during peak seasons and book accommodations in advance.

• Be a tourist for cheap. Just because you are on vacation doesn’t mean you have to pay for all of the expensive tours. There is a misconception that you have to spend a lot of money to experience a new place. Most places have lots of free things to do. Some museums offer free admissions. You can do a walking tour. Where rates for monuments and museums are higher, purchase a city or museum pass. Take public transportation. Many activities give kids free or discounted admission. Talk to your host and learn what the locals like to do. Sometimes the touristy spots aren’t the best attractions anyway.

• Do what the locals do. In every city, you have families living their full time on a budget. Go to local shops, markets, beaches, and parks. Although living like the locals when traveling is not the most traditional way to vacation, you might find you get a more culturally immersive experience. Having a picnic in the park allows you to shop at local and outdoor markets, and your kids have the opportunity to run off some energy with the local children.

• Be flexible. When traveling, be flexible. Rigid schedules are harder to work around and you will usually pay higher prices for specific dates and times. Be ready to roll with the punches. Life happens. Enjoy the crazy nuances. It is part of the adventure. Figure out hacks that work best for your family. A tight connecting flight might work fine for you while others would find it not worth the savings.

Winter1 by shereentravels featuring mid-rise jeans

Benefits of Traveling Light

Lighten your load as much as possible. Traveling with your family means more bags already. If everyone chooses a sensible flexible wardrobe, you can reduce your luggage. When you have few and smaller bags, you are more likely to be able to check them on flights. This means less lost luggage fiascoes.

Practice working with a capsule wardrobe at home. You will be surprised the different outfits you can come up with using just a couple of care pieces. Choose neutral colors for your base. You want every piece to have the ability to mix and match. Reduce your toiletries to the bare necessities. If you wear makeup, learn ways to feel pretty with fewer products.

Depend on your destinations to entertain you. Don’t bring a bunch of stuff you will never use. Invest in a kindle and have all the books you could ever desire on one device. Download audiobooks to your phone. Make a small bag of travel-friendly entertainment for the kids. They can bring it on the plane as a personal item.

Traveling with your family is more possible than you may think. Practice some budget-friendly methods like shopping for cheaper airfare, avoid peak seasons, and living like the locals. Take some of the stress out of travel by learning to pack less. You would be surprised at how flexible a small wardrobe can be.

With some creativity, you can make budget travel work, even for a large family. What are your favorite ways to save?