I mentioned that a few weeks ago I started a work assignment on the Tahoe National Forest. While a lot of the world is in a remote work situation due to COVID, a lot of my job has to be conducted on-site and in the field. Which means that I don’t always have the luxury of waking up, making coffee and plugging in to start my workday from home in my pajamas.
While I’m back in Flagstaff for a few weeks, I spent the first three weeks of my new work assignment in the Tahoe area, for a few reasons. Given that I work in land management, I have to actually take some time to familiarize myself with the land itself. It’s really important for me to tour districts and see things like recreation sites, project areas and burn scars. Talking about something you haven’t actually seen is really, really hard. And, since a lot of what I do is photo and video work, I need to be physically located in the area to do that.
I managed to find a long-term Airbnb to book for the rest of my time on the Tahoe (I head back at the end of the month!), but my first few weeks were spent living in a hotel.
Which meant packing was a little unusual.
While I’ve traveled quite a bit and have had some unique living situations — roommates, host families, bumming at my parents’ house during my unemployment period — this is actually the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel for an extended period of time.
Some hotels have kitchenettes, and while I tried really hard to book one… I just couldn’t find anything that offered a government rate within a reasonable distance of my office.
So a lot of what I packed was cooking-related.
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Extra hangers. Hotel rooms always have, like, three, and when you’re turning your clothing rack into a makeshift closet filled with three weeks’ worth of clothes, extra hangers always come in handy.
Laundry hamper. Luckily, my hotel did have a washer and dryer, but I had to carry my clothes to and from the facility.
My camp kitchen. I didn’t really feel like living on takeout and microwave meals for almost a full month (plus, the mini-fridge freezer is TINY), so I brought along my camp stove (plus fuel), cookset, knife set, dishes and silverware. Obviously I didn’t get SUPER fancy or anything, but I turned my media stand into a full out kitchenette and was able to make oatmeal and noodles, which is much better than canned soup for days. I also brought dish towels, a sponge and camp soap so I could do dishes in my hotel sink and not worry about staining hotel bath towels. I also brought my camp mug so I didn’t have to throw away disposable coffee cups every morning when I made coffee with my hotel coffee maker.
Obviously, using an outdoor camp stove in the doors is not recommended. I’m not recommending you do this.
My yoga mat and foam roller. These basically come everywhere with me if I know I’m going to be somewhere longer than a few days and I have space to pack them. My hotel did have a fitness center, but given ever-changing COVID regulations, it was nice to have a back-up. Plus… I just truly love yoga and do it almost every day.
My slippers. My feet get really cold, and it was really nice to be able to wear my fuzzy slippers while I was working at my desk.
Spices. I last-minute grabbed a few jars of Trader Joe’s spices from my kitchen while I was packing in Flagstaff, and I’m glad I did! Between those and the mini pepper grinder/ salt shaker that perpetually live in my camp kitchen, I was set.
Reusable grocery bags. I always have a few of these stashed in the back of my Jeep, but California is one of those states with a plastic bag tax (plus, I absolutely hate single-use plastics) so I’m extra glad I rely on these.
Pyrex. These are just great for storing leftovers, like extra pasta and oatmeal… and can also be used as bowls and dishware. I also brought Bee’s Wraps and Stasher bags as alternatives to plastic wrap and Ziploc bags because of my aversion toward single-use plastics.
And, some of the best things I didn’t pack, but bought once I got to my hotel:
Lysol wipes. The hotel I stayed at had suspended housekeeping due to COVID, so I had to clean my hotel room myself. The Lysol wipes came in handy after cooking and eating.
Groceries. I technically get a per diem while I’m out here on assignment, but look — sandwiches cost $20 a piece and filling my gas tank costs about $70. Shit’s expensive out here! I bought groceries because making sandwiches in my hotel room is an easy way to not spend $150 a week on lunch.
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So, there you go. Do I want to live in a hotel again? No, absolutely not. No thank you. I’m very much looking forward to moving into an Airbnb — with a kitchen! — once I get back out to northern California to resume my work assignment.
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This post was originally published Jan. 22, 2022. Its timestamp has been updated.
