the best new spring denim i’m really really into (and everything is comfortable)

Fashion & Beauty

The Best New Spring Denim I’m Really Really Into (And Everything Is Comfortable)

Drescription

Ididn’t set out to buy new denim when I went shopping – heck, I don’t LOVE wearing restricting clothes at all (a covid holdover), but I loved some of what I found so much, in a refreshing way – like denim, but dare I say special? Also, if you haven’t checked out the spring basics post, there are shorts and jeans in that post (that are just great staples), but this one is more head to toe denim (with a few matching sets I’m obsessed with). Let’s dig into it.

Hands down my favorite “shirt of the summer” (tied with this one from the Gap – both so good). I’ve worn it so many times since I got it because it’s both casual and stylish (versus a denim button-up that mostly reads as casual). I also love the one I’m wearing in the opener for a more western inspired button-up (that is super affordable). Now the shorts I think are more on trend and stylish than my shorty shorts that I typically wear. I bought them (and modeled them) for those of you who don’t LOVE wearing short shorts, because they are really good. They flare in a good way and that cuff is strong and cool. They aren’t the trendy “bermuda shorts” that were in last year, they are more flattering and yet still long. I added the belt to make it look pulled together (which worked!).

Now, this denim dress is a real affordable winner, clocking in on sale at $29.99. So easy to throw on, dress up, dress down, light weight, cute, flattering, comfortable, not body-con – all the things I like in a spring/summer daytime dress. The sandals I bought last year, and they are the most wearable around town heels that I own (like I wouldn’t go out for an intentional long walk in them, but heels that you can wear all day, out and about, walking for hours and be super comfortable).

This is the other button-up that felt worth having (love the little western pockets and so affordable). It’s a bit thicker (less drapey) so good for more structure or to wear as a shacket. But the real reason we are here is to talk about the famous SWEATPANT JEANS!! Yes, these are the Rag & Bone, printed jeans that are actually sweats. My review of them is “darn incredible” because they are obviously incredibly comfortable. They look “real” (even the backpockets are printed). Now, I get why they are expensive ($238) as I’m sure they had to perfect and have the perfect printing ink and technique to look so real, but I ended up returning because I mostly work from home (where I can wear more affordable, comfortable clothes). Plus, if I am to leave the house and want to look cute I’d opt for actual jeans. But for people who have to leave the house daily to look presentable and still want to be super comfortable, these are 9/10 (again, missing a point because so $$$). If you want SUPER soft and comfortable but not seatpants and not $238, I bought and kept these Dean jeans from Madewell, which are not printed, but just somehow soft, a bit drapy and extremely comfortable. Like I would wear them on a plane kind of comfortable (always baffled by people who wear hard pants on a plane, TBH).

I’ve been wearing this on repeat since I got them – IMHO the easiest to wear denim jumpsuit I’ve owned – not trying to be all hour-glassy and therefore uncomfortable after lunch, but has a slim enough leg that you aren’t just one big box. I like the short sleeves and the tapered leg, and it’s mid-weight so it falls nicely, isn’t too constricting or thick and is just so darn easy to wear. Plus, huge pockets for your phone, etc – I literally throw this on when I want to look stylish but still need to work (i.e. on set, styling, shopping, etc).

Well this was a surprise – both from H&M and super affordable and so darn cute! Granted I like wearing boxy tops and tiny skirts, so this isn’t for everyone, but this is in my “spring date night” arsenal for sure. The sandals are Korkease (so very comfortable for heels).

I LOVED this outfit – it’s more of a city look for sure, but I’m so excited to have it as a go-to for when I go to New York for meetings where I want to look cool, be comfortable, make a statement, but not stress. It’s oversized but there are so many times where we all just want to look cool but don’t necessarily let people see our bodies, and this checks the box for me. Also, that dark wash is super in (with the silver buttons and contrasting stitching). LOVE THIS LOOK.

This last one that I’ve become super obsessed with is this denim dress that looks like a shirt and skirt!!! But it’s a dress!! Finally a non-body-con denim dress that is so flattering. I think a belt would even make this outfit look better. Cute with sneakers or sandals, great with clogs – just a nice “I’m casual, comfortable but still cool” outfit but with just one piece of clothing. HUGE FAN.

Our Regrind Driveway Review – 3 Years Later Would Asphalt Have Been Better?

Now that our latest construction project is done (the garages) and until we start the next one (the carriage house), we have fewer trucks, cars, and equipment wreaking havoc on our property, which made me stare at our regrind driveway with fresh eyes. I just reread the original article, from three years ago, debating all the driveway options and unsure if we made the right decision. We compared concrete (too expensive), gravel (would wash away in rain), chipseal (would also wash away with rain), asphalt (cheapest but very black and new-construction-esque/wrong vibe), and regrind (compacted recycled asphalt with a layer of loose gravel on top). We chose regrind, which was $2k more than asphalt (done by our asphalt contractor). I left that last post on a cliff hanger – did we make the right $40k decision???? Three years later, let’s see. Before – 2019 As a reminder, here’s how busted it was before – SUPER BUSTED. And I wish I knew the exact square footage of our driveway, but I’d say it’s around 1/4 of a mile (at least it feels that way when we take the trash cans to the street – so freaking long). While I had hoped to not invest in the driveway (boring way to spend money), we had to and belabored the decision of what to do. Read the article where I break down all our options, with the pros and cons of each. First Year Of Our Regrind Driveway – 2022 As a reminder, we wanted something that felt older, appropriate to a 120-year-old farm. Listen, however fancy our house has turned out, it still has a casual vibe, and we were (and still are) afraid that asphalt would not be the right choice, style-wise. And as a reminder, gravel would have washed away because we are on a hill and we live in the Pacific Northwest, where God blesses us with months of rain every year. Our initial reaction was “it’s fine,” then months later, “it’s actually GREAT”. And since then, it’s honestly not something we ever think about. It’s just our driveway and I give zero attention to it. Listen, I barely know which of our two cars I drive (not joking, I have what the kids call “car blindness” where I get into the closest black SUV), so we all have the things we care about, and driveways aren’t one of mine. Now, Our Regrind Driveway in 2025…3 Years Later It looks mostly the same but dirtier and looser in parts. I just asked Brian what he thought of it now, and he said, “I don’t know – I guess it’s fine?”. That’s kind of how I feel. I still prefer the charm of the gravel sound under my feet. I love that it’s more rustic and not a harsh dark new color (or broken concrete). You can really beat it up without leaving a trace. I do fear that had we done asphalt, we would have to have it redone already since we deal with so many trucks here, likely damaging it. Over time, some areas have gotten a tiny bit “bald” of loose gravel, but the compacted asphalt underneath is still there. I didn’t even notice it, to be honest, until I forced myself to look. I think it’s mostly the same, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the top layer of loose gravel is shaken up a bit. My Official Verdict – Regrind Or Asphalt? Regrind is still the best choice for us, even if we aren’t vocal Regrind enthusiasts. It’s just great, appropriate, and works here really well. Listen, if we didn’t have an older, more rustic property AND have a sports court for biking/roller blading, then I think asphalt would probably have been our choice. If you have young kids and want a place for biking or blading (or playing basketball), then regrind isn’t the best for that. They are about the same cost, so like most things, this is a personal preference, and we are happy enough with what we chose. We have zero regrets, but really don’t think that asphalt is a bad choice, just stylistically not what we wanted. We don’t love dragging the trash cans down to the street (feels like 1/4 mile) on the regrind driveway, but it’s better than gravel. But the look and feel is worth it to us. Will give you an update in another 3 years :)

In Search Of Green, Blue, And Pink Upholstered Family-Friendly Dining Chairs (And My Favorite Options Ones Thus Far)

Shame on the market for having so many cream or white boucle seats for dining chairs – I mean, what fantasy land do you think we live in? Should we put a white rug underneath it??? Use white cloth napkins? Wear white on spaghetti Tuesdays? Where am I supposed to I wipe the marinara after eating penne arrabbiata with my fingers? A “napkin” you might suggest and sure, whatever, we have “napkins”, but if you have kids or have friends with kids or neighbors with kids or grandkids, dogs who eat at the table (true story) or just general marinara fingers then a light fabric will not do – napkin or not. Sure, we could cut marinara from our diets. Shun teriyaki and soy sauce from our sushi. Only drink clear sodas or “water”. However, light or white fabrics are generally a bad idea when you have children nearby. Oh, and please don’t suggest a flat mid-tone gray fabric. What is this – 2007??? I’d LIKE A NICE COLORED FABRIC DINING CHAIR PLEASE!!! And NOT one that’s a million dollars. So today I’m going to show you all the ones I found – high, low, and in between. I wish I could say there were more but I’m hoping after this there will be (for the love of God a good modern pattern PLEASE). Of course, my history with colored upholstered dining chairs is long. Let’s start with these vintage beauties from 2011: These are still some of my all-time favorites. The chairs were vintage from MidcenturyLA, I think $300 a piece including the new blue upholstery that I chose. Not nothing, but they were perfect. If I could go back in time I would not have sold these with the house. They are awesome and brands try to knock them off, but can’t quite do them as well. RIP. Then when we moved to Los Feliz we had these chairs with Crypton fabric. The color was nice and sure Crypton cleans up WAY better than non-performance linen but they were still too light in color and had too many arms to withstand my marinara-filled double toddlers at the time. Sure the marinara comes off but not without a parent cleaning it off (stains aren’t physically repelled even when you have performance fabric). In short, the toddlers won, I lost and my best friend got the chairs. But only after I found my dream chairs at the flea market (shout out Cherner), redid them in leather and while I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, Brian couldn’t handle how fragile they were on a daily basis. They creaked so badly and I’m super sensitive to that stuff. And it wasn’t easy for the kids to get in and out of them. I still have them and plan on putting them somewhere someday (see? I learned my lesson about selling my favorite things) but they couldn’t be our daily dining chairs. Brian’s dad joined the complaint choir about them, the kids acted like they didn’t know how to get in and out of them and I had to come to terms with the fact that perhaps these aren’t good family sit-for-hours chairs. FINE. At the mountain house, we had that huge built-in dining nook and then bought three chairs that worked well with them. When I say huge, people come from all over the country to see the world’s biggest dining nook. SHE FAMOUS! It’s comically big (but I love it). They are all good/fine but the chairs are pretty heavy and the kids (until previously) would act like getting into one is like wrestling a shark – like they scrambled and wrestled and the noises of the grunts and the wood legs on the floor – it was always a thing, ALWAYS. Once sitting, they were locked in, imprisoned temporarily, which was nice for us parents, ha. The leather and wood repelled all marinara easily, but the arms and the heft meant work for me to get them in and out every single time (god, this sounds like my kids have no motor skills, but trust me, even when they are older pulling out a chair on a wood or tile floor is so loud and annoying! And then having them scoot themselves in by jumping the legs forward, just no. You want them to be able to pop in and out without assistance! Where we have currently landed in our dining room is truly excellent. The tone of the green is so pretty (enough blue in it to not look primary or collegiate), and they are extremely comfortable. They are pretty from the back (because that is how you see them the most!) and are easy to pull in and out or slide into. I sit in one for 6 hours a day on my writing days. 10/10 But for my brother’s river house (with two young kids) I didn’t want to use the same ones (and yes, they would work PERFECTLY with the green island, but c’mon, I can get more creative than that). So here is where we are with the room: It’s pretty but very neutral, with the only color coming from the trees outside. Now, the kitchen and living room will both have color (all TBD to be honest) so I can’t just design in a bubble. I did lean towards black chairs for the longest time (and at the time of publishing this post nothing has been decided) but what I really want is a colorful, patterned chair that isn’t busy but is just more interesting. There is truly nothing on the market, readymade that is under $1k a chair. But I did find a decent amount of green, blue, and pink dining chairs (basically non-neutrals) for those of us who have dreams of upholstered colorful dining chairs (i.e. not painted wood or metal). Wait, Why Do You Just Use Wood Or Metal? This is less of a comfort thing because there are a lot of comfortable wood or metal chairs. This room wants and needs texture, softness, and color. I could get metal/wood and buy cushions but I’d rather find an upholstered mid-toned colorful chair. OK, here is what I found after hours, days, weeks, and months of shopping online and in person:) There’s a range of budgets but honestly, dining chairs just don’t come cheap. Blue-Toned Upholstered Dining Chairs Green-Toned Upholstered Dining Chairs Pink-Toned Upholstered Dining Chairs

My Infrared Sauna Blanket Review – One Year Later. Is It Actually A Weight Management And Mood Boosting Tool Or A Really, Really Hot Sleeping Bag?

If you have ever wondered what it’s like to sweat your pants off in a crazy heated plastic sleeping bag while watching bachelorette, then I’VE GOT A POST FOR YOU. So many of you have asked about my infrared sauna blanket, because it’s frankly totally weird so a few weeks ago when Mal was visiting she saw it, asked me all the normal questions and then INSISTED on seeing it in action, and of course shooting/documenting it for y’all (in a highly unproduced way as you can see). So today I’m going to answer all your questions. BY THE WAY I’m not a scientist or expert in any way – this is just my personal experience with the product. Like you, I was very curious and skeptical when I heard about this, wondering ‘is this just another expensive LA wellness gimmick that privileged women fall for then end up in a landfill and make us feel bad about our bodies when they don’t work? My “sauna blanket journey” started 2 years ago, after reading about infrared saunas on lots of lifestyle blogs. Curious and open (but skeptical) I wanted to try without a big investment. I used to live near Shape House in Larchmont in LA and a friend of mine and I started going there for a healthy night out where we laid in their sauna blanket, sweating, while watching TV with headphones next to each other. As you do in LA! (If you want to have a true LA experience start at yogaworks down the street, then Shape house, then eat at Cafe Gratitude across the street after, it’s HILARIOUS and delicious – I can’t tell if restaurants like that are what made me want to leave LA or what I actually miss the most:)). Anyway sweating feels and is REALLY GOOD for you, regardless of how you sweat. But it was also very expensive to do the shape house (like $60 a pop) and not really sustainable (I think you can get a membership). Around the same time (pre-pandemic) we were talking about infrared sauna blankets as a more long term option with one of our friends, Whitney (the one that knows everything about beauty and products) and she was like “I did the research, I have the best one, it’s amazing’ and then sent us the link. She was very convincing and talked a lot about EMFS and safety, so convinced, both of us “asked” and got it for Christmas. When I say I ‘asked’ I reached out to them to see if they did influencer marketing and they shipped it immediately with zero strings attached (after they vetted me of course). So while product was gifted, this is NOT a sponsored post (I do not work for them and there was no guaranteed trade for press) it’s been a year since I’ve been using it consistently and I have a very honest review for you today. I’ve gotten so many questions from friends/family and those who’ve seen me doing it on social so I thought it was about time. So today, with the help of Mal, you’ll see how its done, what you need to do it, the pros and cons (and warnings), and my review. First off – WHY?? What is the point Of A Sauna Blanket? For me, it’s to feel good – both mentally and physically. Sweating is good for you – we know this scientifically. It’s good for your skin, getting your heart rate up is good for your cardiovascular system (it stretches your veins making them more flexible which is good to avoid plaque build up) and it boosts your mood. They claim other things about it on their site that I’ll get to at the end, but after a lot of research those facts convinced me to try it and indeed it DID boost my mood. You feel SO GOOD afterwards. As someone who likes to have something fun to look forward to every night (I’m an enneagram 7, it’s annoying) this has become a great substitute to having a glass or more of wine. It was a ritual that I could do while watching bad TV by myself and then afterwards I take a shower, crawl into bed and I’m OUT. So while people have other reasons why they do this, I do it because it makes my brain and body feel really really good and it’s a healthy substitute to less healthy nighttime wind down habits. So what do you do exactly in a sauna blanket? You literally just lay in it, velcroed like a straight jacket for 50 minutes and it makes you sweat. A LOT. You will not look like one of the models on their website. Not even for a second. You can have one arm out to change channels, drink water, etc, or sometimes I’ll just do my bottom half if I want less of an effect, but to still feel super warm. Its very very very easy, although if you get claustrophobic it might not be your thing. STEP ONE – Prepare your bed and get situated You will be unable to get out or up so you HAVE to be prepped and dressed properly. You MUST cover your body with medium weight loose fitting clothes. No workout tights and not thin pajamas – I like thinner sweats or joggers (I’ve done it in lightweight pajamas but my body was red underneath – it was too hot). you have to wear socks (again, not too thin or thick). You get it – baggy and loose, long sleeve and never tight. Then you lay a towel inside to catch the sweat – make sure its under your neck where it will be the worst and you don’t want that sweat on floor/bed/sofa. I like to do it while watching TV so not fully reclined, but you can lie flat and even put a pillow under your knees even. Just make sure you are comfortable. STEP TWO “Pre-Heat” your blanket Choose heat setting with the dial. I started out doing level 8 and it was hot AF, but now I’m up to a 9. If you are a newbie I’d start at 6 or 7 – no matter what you’ll be hot. Read the manual, I’m just giving you advice from my personal experience but I’m NOT an expert or an ambassador for the brand. Turn it on – It’s like preheating an oven. You don’t really want to get in until its fully warmed up. You have 10 minutes to get situated while it warms up. It will go for 1 hour – 10 minutes warm up then 50 “active” minutes at the right temp, and then turn off on its own and you can’t extend it, so make sure you are ready to go at minute 9. I usually lay it down, get dressed, turn it on, gather my stuff, then get in. STEP 3: Gather your ingredients Make sure to have a side table that is easy to reach and near your right hand (as that is where the velcro opening is – sorry lefties!). On it you’ll need: Any and all devices you might want – TV remote, iPhone, kindle, music player, etc. (no books as you’ll only have one hand) Water in some sort of grown up sippy cup so you don’t have to sit up – and a lot of it. Heart monitor – OPTIONAL. I only just got my iWatch for my bday so I didn’t watch my heart rate the first 9 months of doing this, but it is satisfying (although now that I say that should apple watches be in such hot environments like a sweaty sleeping bag?). Y’all, I’m NOT a scientist nor am I an ambassador for the brand in any way, again, so read the warnings and use common sense. Make sure you can see the red light on the control panel from your position so you can see when the time is up. Trust me, in about 50 minutes you are going to be desperate to see that little red light turn off, indicating its over (there absolutely should be a timer on it – more on my product notes in the review at the end). STEP 4: Just lay, sweat and watch TV Some people really love to just listen to music or meditate but I like to watch gripping reality TV. I’ve found that it can’t be something I have to pay too closely attention to or a serious drama because you will be distracted by the heat/sweat and if you are bored you’ll be watching the clock and desperate for it to be over. I watch Bachelor or RHOBH, mostly (the kids are in bed, obviously). If you’re wanting a video visual of this whole process, feel free to watch it here (after the ad)! The First 10 minutes 7:30 PM At first you are going to be so snuggly and warm and you might even think that this is easy. And yes, if you want to jump in just to get warm you can but getting out before the 50 minutes is up defeats a lot of the effects (more on that below). 7:50 – Heart Rate At 110 bpm This is where it starts to get pretty hot and you realize that you have 30 minutes left. Again I’ve done this probably 40 times and while you mentally know what to expect it doesn’t actually get easier. I’ve gotten better at setting myself to be the most comfortable (thus the first 3 steps) but the heat is what it is – and it’s hot. Twenty minutes in though you feel hot and sweaty but good. 8:00PM – 30 Minutes In & It’s Really Hot. (still at 110 BPM) 8:10PM – The Last 10 Minutes Are The Hardest (128 BPM) I don’t really have anything new to say except it gets hotter and hotter and your body is working harder and harder to keep you cool, thus the high heart rate. This is where I often take one arm out and fan my face, and start staring at my phone every two minutes, willing the time to go faster. I’m laughing, but 45 minutes in you aren’t having “fun”. But, again the point of this is not FUN, it’s to get your heart rate up and sweat so that afterwards your body feels amazing. Like a lot of things that are physically good for you, there is a little bit of suffering or pain and that has to be worth it to you (it is to me). 8:20 PM – The Grand Finale (167 BPM) – DON’T GET OUT EARLY I made it. Normally when the timer turns off I rip myself out of blanket, literally panting desperate for fresh air. Now from what they say it is very important to do the entire 50 minutes because the last 10 minutes are the most effective. So slipping out early can negate the last 40 minutes of work and you might not get the effect (again, this part has not been scientifically proven with evidence). HOW DOES IT FEEL? SO GOOD. As you can see I’m CRAZY sweaty, dripping. And you keep sweating for a while. At the Shape House they would tell you NOT to shower for a while – hours even, to let your body cool itself down naturally and that if shower you aren’t getting the benefits of that work. The Shape House claims that you continue to burn a lot of calories as you cool down, which I didn’t find any scientific evidence on and Higher Dose (the blanket) doesn’t say that so who knows. I usually watch TV for another 15 – 30 minutes or longer just in case, then I take a quick shower. This is not my favorite part – because I usually sauna blanket after kids are down and by the time I’m done it’s at least 8:45 or 9 and I just want to get into bed, so waiting for my body to cool itself down is sometimes annoying. But trust me, you can’t get into bed without showering it off (and annoyingly I can’t go to bed with wet hair so then I’m drying my hair at 9:30 when I really just want to be in bed). I really appreciated the flattering photos, Mal. So as you can see my ending BPM was 167, which is VERY high. Mal did it after me (clean towel, I promise) and her plug accidentally came out of the wall so after we plugged it back in we think she accidentally stayed in for 55 minutes and her heart rate at the end was 184 – which is CRAZY. It’s also VERY not safe to be in more than 50 minutes, which is why it automatically turns off. final heart rates: 167 bpm (me) & 184 bpm (mal) My official review I mean, as you can see I love it. On a good week I’ll do it 3-4 times, but rarely less than once a week. So I must really like it to commit that kind of time. Like I said above, it gives me something to look forward to, I love the dumb TV ritual, and my body feels so good afterwards. I feel like I’m doing something good for me while I’m literally just laying down. Yes, it’s a massive mood booster What I feel confident in telling you is that everybody I’ve ever talked to about infrared or normal saunas love how they feel afterwards, so I think it’s very safe to say its a guaranteed mood booster. It’s like doing a cold plunge (which I started doing in the lake in winter) – it’s really effing cold, but the feeling afterwards is unbeatable. Pushing your body to do something hard (as long as its healthy) gives a release afterwards that gives you a hit of dopamine, which makes you feel happy. Pro: #2 – You’ll probably sleep better Now while sleep science has a lot of factors like diet, excercise and mental health common sense tells me that when your body is THIS relaxed, and has worked hard for 50 minutes, not to mention warm you are more likely to sleep better, harder and longer. I sure do. Do you really burn more calories? Is it really like a workout while lying down? Well, like a lot of these new wellness tools there really isn’t any evidence because in order to get ‘evidence’ backed by scientists and the FDA you need years of research, control groups, etc. and this stuff is too new. Like I wrote at the top science supports that sweating is good for your skin and that getting your heart rate up is good for your cardiogascular system. Some scientists say sweat releases toxins, but that is not a consensus yet (I’ve read that it’s nominal as most toxins are released through our bodies natural biological processes). BUT what I did a deep dive on is if your heart rate is as high as a cardio workout are you actually burning a ton more calories? Can you call this a “workout”? And there really isn’t any evidence for it, but it honestly doesn’t seem like they know. So I’m going to give you my common sense perspective. Let’s compare hot yoga to normal yoga (same class just one in a heated room) – while I coudln’t find a study on this either its my belief that if you sweat a TON MORE that yes, your body is working harder to cool itself in addition to the muscular work. But how much to make it actually worth it? Who knows. My common sense perspective So without scientific evidence yet we can rely on our common sense. Do I think that I’m burning more calories watching TV in the sauna blanket than I am when I’m just watching TV not sweating in a sauna blanket – YES. My body is working MUCH harder, struggling to keep me cool and there is no way that doesn’t translate into some calories. Do I believe 50 minutes laying in a sauna blanket is the same as 50 minutes doing physical cardio? Not really. because you aren’t moving your body or activating any actual muscles. So I feel like there are some weight management benefits if you are into that or seeking that, but I do NOT think it’s a guaranteed way to lose weight. During Souptember I lost my “hazy IPA weight” and I was doing it 3-4 times a week, but I was combining it with other healthier lifestyle choices – no sugar/alcohol, mostly plant-based and doing a lot of real cardio so of course the scale moved. But I want to be clear that without evidence I think it’s hard to believe that you are burning the proclaimed 600 calories by just laying there. If i’m wrong and there is evidence out there then WHOOPIE (and please send article in the comments!). I also don’t think we or the companies should highlight that as the biggest benefit, when there are other benefits of the sauna that feel more substantial, important and healthier. When I do the sauna blanket I do feel like I’m taking care of myself more than if I were just watching TV, and when I’m kind to to my body/mind and prioritizing my health I feel less guilt, shame and anxiety. In conclusion, for me its one of the easiest ways to feel proud of myself, like I’ve checked a ‘good for me’ box, while just watching TV :)

6 Things I Always Do When I Check Into a Hotel to Make My Stay More Comfortable

I tend to travel at least once or twice a month, whether that’s a road trip within a few hours of my hometown or a plane ride across the country (or even globe). Obviously, there’s so much prep work that goes into planning a trip—what outfits I’ll wear, which toiletries to pack, and some research on local activities or restaurants. Years ago, though, I learned that sometimes it’s just as important to do some tail-end work once I arrive at my destination to ensure all goes smoothly. Whether I’m staying in a quirky B&B or cozying up in a hotel or resort, there’s a checklist of things I always do that helps me settle in. I Do a Quick Cleanliness Scan I do not expect absolute perfection, but I do expect clean linens, towels, hot water, and vacuumed floors when I arrive at a hotel—especially if it’s a nice one I paid a decent chunk of change for. Rarely do I need to call the front desk for a cleanup or restock, but it has happened. I’ve also needed to notify staff that hot water wasn’t working, which is usually just a quick fix. It’s important to do this stuff right after arriving so you can have the issue tended to right away, or so you can move rooms easily before you unpack. I’ve also requested a room change if I’ve ended up right across from an elevator or ice machine. I learned the hard way that these high-traffic areas are extremely noisy with people, beeping, and ice dispensing, which is a recipe for awful sleep. I Unpack All My Belongings There was a past version of myself that figured if I left it all in the suitcase I’d have less work to do when packing up to leave—wrong. This method creates chaos every time I’d go to look for a garment, and the end result is still a messy suitcase that needs repacking. No matter how long or short the trip, I remove everything from my suitcase within an hour or two of arriving and hang whatever I can. (Sometimes this involves requesting more hangers, which is never a problem.) This really cuts down on wrinkles and allows you to visualize what you brought, helping you plan your outfits. I also take out all my toiletries, then tuck away my luggage out of sight for a less cluttered space. I Store My Valuables While unpacking, I’m careful to put all my valuables in the room’s safe, or I do my best to tuck them out of sight. This includes my passport and laptop, and any nice jewelry I’m not wearing that day. I don’t expect these things to be stolen even if they’re left out, but it does give me peace of mind knowing that even if I’m out all day, my most important items are secure. That also allows me to enjoy my traveling adventures more! I Create a Landing Zone Near the Door Oh, the number of times I’ve lost my hotel key card or a pair of keys. I have a landing zone at our front door at home, so I figured I might as well create something similar for when I’m traveling. This is a little area—ideally a basket or tray that was already in the room—for my hotel key card, sunscreen, chapstick, and car keys/valet ticket. Having a landing zone means these items always have a spot, and I’m way less likely to lose them. I Plug in All My Chargers Right Away We still live in a world of cords, which means things need to be plugged in and charged. Crawling around on the floor at night and shuffling furniture around to find outlets isn’t a great way to wind down, so I try to identify all the outlets and plug my items in shortly after arriving at a hotel. It’s such a tiny thing, but preventing the Great Outlet Search at midnight really does cut down on chaos and stress. I Photograph Important Details Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m traveling, I tend to forget important details like, say, my room number or where I parked my car! I’ve found these details are surprisingly easy to forget after a fun day of exploring, or even after the commotion of checking in and jetting off to get food ASAP. Along with photographing my room number, I’ll either take a picture of where I parked (if driving) or my valet ticket (just in case), a photo of the WiFi information, a picture of the hotel grounds/map, and even a picture (or screenshot) of the transportation map if I’m using public transit. All these habits help me enjoy my trip even more, and now that I have them down to a science, I’m never going back.