An apartment is the way to go when travelling with parents

Travelling can be exhausting and a good night sleep is important

One of the challenges of travelling with parents is that they’re not on the same sleep cycle as me. I mean, who wants to stay up past 9? Well, Mama and Papa do and when you share a hotelroom it can be pretty annoying when they’re not quiet.

Most hotel rooms don’t have a separate room where I can sleep in peace. When Papa and Mama put me down to sleep, they leave the room and sit out in the hallway otherwise I’ll keep yelling their names. I can’t help myself, it’s a compulsion. When I’m asleep they come back in and put blankets over my crib so I won’t notice the lights or TV. It works but it’s a production and I appreciate the effort.

A better solution is renting an apartment with a separate bedroom. We’ve done that a few times through Airbnb. If you’re not familiar with it, Airbnb is a website where anybody can rent out a private accommodation. We usually end up in a nice apartment that also has a kitchen. I have my own room and the place is big enough for me to run around. And I like running. Hotels are nice because you get breakfast and I can ride the elevator but sometimes cleaners also bang on the door in the morning. And I like to sleep in.

Tips from Papa

We prefer to stay in a private rental where Mari can have her own room. It makes things so much easier. They’re often in quite neighbourhoods as well and we make sure it’s close enough so we can walk places.

Airbnb has a good rating system so you know if the place is nice or not. There are other services as well. In Europe housetrip is big and there’s also wimdu and 9flats you can check out. Make sure to check with the owner there is a crib though or you’re be building one with pillows.

  • Heidi Sørvig

    Great blog – and thanks for the tips Airbnb. Gonna check them out for our trip to California in December. Not easy with kids aged 4 and 6 and one hotel room :)

  • Laura Plant

    Couldn’t agree more Mari! We have used VRBO (vacation rental by owner) and it has been great finding apartments to rent while on vacation. I also just heard about myglobalhomes but haven’t checked it out. Good tip about sitting outside the door. Better than sending your parents to hide in the bathroom!