Packing for a Home-Away.

As I've mentioned in a few previous posts, the Home-Away is an excellent alternative to hotels, and Europe does them well. Most are the size of a small apartment, because they actually ARE small apartments. The owners tend to do a great job of keeping them stocked with kitchen stuff like pots, pans, utensils and plates. You may or may not have to pay extra for towels, and there may be rules about cleaning up (as in, you may or may not have to take out your own trash.).

Anyway, I really like them. They're usually located much closer to where we're hoping to be, and I don't miss the hotel experience all too much. They feel more homey. Expect to see a lot of Ikea furnishings.

Your views can be this in Prague....

Or this in Varenna, Italy at Lake Como.....

Since they aren't hotels, what should you bring? Here's a short list:

• Toiletries (including a small bar of soap to wash your hands at the sink). If we're only doing a carry-on for a short trip, I just grab some little bottles that were leftover from hotels we've stayed at in the past. I opt for the bar of soap for hand-washing because then you don't need to put it in with your liquids. I also go for the makeup remover towelettes over a liquid for the same reason.
• Single-serve bags of tea or espresso (like these, mmm!) to have in the morning. Important if you have a caffiene addiction like me, and need that first thing when you wake up.
• Snacks, snacks and more snacks. Or breakfast-y foods. I'm a big advocate of snacks on trips in general, but when you've got a stocked kitchen, you can get a little more creative, and save some cash at the same time. Think packets of oatmeal, single-serve pastas, granola bars, etc. Revert back to college-age survival food items. When you're traveling you're more likely to overeat so it's probably a good idea to integrate some lighter meals.
• A map (physical or on your phone) of the closest grocery store. That way, you can go grab some stuff for the fridge (like cheaper bottles of water) or even find something quick to whip up for a nice meal. At Lake Como we searched in vain for a grocery store... I would have loved to find somewhere with fresh pasta and make something, but alas. Oh bring a folding shopping bag, too.

If you don't see it written online, it never hurts to ask about sheets, towels, hair dryer, WiFi, etc.

Here's the link to Homeaway.com.