Home away from home

Being a rather homey kind of person, a lot of my friends have never understood my choice of career. They know I love to be on familiar territory, so that everything that represents ‘me’ is near. They wonder how I survive travelling from one end of the world to the other and staying in foreign places all the time.

Here’s my little secret: I just make every place I visit my own home-away-from-home.

Most of the time, we arrive at our destination towards the end of the day (local time). It could be late afternoon, but might just as easily be late in the evening. So we have anything between a little time and quite a lot of time to meet and have a drink. It’s a great way to get to know each other a little better and leave the flight behind us. I hardly miss any of these ‘crew drinks’.

But before meeting up with the others, I first change my hotel room into my personal home-away-from-home. Even for a one-night stopover I unpack my suitcase completely. I hang out all the clothes I brought with me. In the bathroom, I neatly spread out the contents of my toilet case. Toothbrush and toothpaste in one corner, facial wash, cream and lotion in the other. And in between, the whole hotchpotch women tend to bring along. Last of all, I put a towel in arm’s reach of the shower, if it’s not already there.

Back in the bedroom, I switch on some cosy table-lamps instead of the main lights that were on when I entered the room. With a favourite song playing on my iPhone in the background, I put the book I’m reading on the night table, install my laptop on the desk and spread out all the other personal stuff I brought throughout the room. At this point, I might even remake the bed, especially if a blanket is used. Otherwise I might struggle with tight covers all night, being used to a quilt at home. After having a shower and changing, I never leave the room without folding back the sheets.

And when I get back to my room after our ‘crew drink’, I feel very much welcome and at home.

Call it pathetic but for someone as fond of trusted surroundings as I am, it works. I have found a way to create my home-away-from-home wherever I go.

Caroline