When I go on road trips, sleeping bags and a tent are always packed in the trunk so we can camp for most of the journey—staying in a hotel or motel is usually a last resort when we really need a shower or if the weather turns. However, for longer trips to a city, renting an apartment has always been the plan. Renting gives you access to a kitchen and laundry, plus provides a comfortable home base so you feel a bit less of a tourist and more like a resident. 

 

 

However, this month, I'll be traveling to New York City and will be staying in Brooklyn at a hotel. When I was planning this trip way back in March, I bookmarked a ton of potential apartments using all the big vacation housing websites like Air BnB, VRBO, and Homeaway. But when I did a bit more research, I was shocked to discover that New York state would be passing a law for May 1st to prevent "illegal hotels" which would make some of the rentals on Air BnB and similar sites illegal. Part of it seemed like the hotel lobby muscling in on alternative markets, but the law also seemed to protect the very scarce NYC rental market that was being marketed to tourists by greedy landlords and condo owners. What was and wasn't legal was a bit murky and I didn't want to take my chances with neighbors giving me the hairy eyeball, so when I found a fantastic rate at a new hotel opening in downtown Brooklyn, I jumped on it. 

 

 

Now the main problem with the staying in a hotel is that I won't have access to a kitchen. If it was a short holiday, I wouldn't mind so much, but since I'll be there for a few weeks, I need to keep my food budget in check. Eating out in restaurants and cafes for every meal will definitely break the bank. Though I have to admit that I do plan my vacations around restaurants and food carts, so I plan on eating well and eating out at least once a day. But what about my other meals? The plus side is that I'll be in New York City in June, so I imagine that picnics will rule the afternoons. Stopping off at the Chelsea Market  to pick up cheese, bread, fruit and some sausage and then eating lunch on the High Line sounds just about perfect. 

 

 

For breakfast, I'll probably fix myself some granola and yogurt courtesy of the local food markets and my mini fridge. But when I did some online research for what kind of food I could make in my hotel, I came across some interesting options. I probably won't have to resort to making a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with an iron like in this YouTube video, but there are some good tips over on Wikihow—like using the in-room coffee maker as a vegetable steamer. Maybe I wouldn't want to be the next guest making tea where someone just steamed broccoli, but we all need to get in our quota of daily vegetables even while on vacation. This article from the magazine about snacking on the road also has some valuable tips for easy meal ideas. 

 

So how have you coped with a long hotel room stay? Did you just throw out your budget and eat out for every meal? Did you picnic in local parks? Or did you use your hotel room hair dryer on your open-face sandwich to get your cheese ooey-gooey? If you've got any useful or funny tips, let me know because I might just use them!