How to make a temporary home feel like it’s really yours (2024)

“Most of the other traveling teachers personalized their spaces using trinkets gathered from their different posts around the globe, trying to make their spaces feel homey, but the result was busy and cluttered,” Martin says. “Their apartments lacked cohesiveness or intentionality and gave off the vibe of a bazaar.” Martin realized that, for her, homeyness wasn’t about incorporating every favorite thing she owned; instead, she says, “It’s about creating a sanctuary.”

After teaching, Martin transitioned to interior design. She specializes in holistic interior design, an approach that emphasizes engaging all five senses. “[It] treats our living spaces as physical, emotional and spiritual extensions of ourselves.”

In recent years, Martin has continued moving around, living in northern and southern California and several spots in Mexico. When the pandemic hit, she Airbnb-hopped for six months around San Diego to be closer to family. “I started to love the challenge of coming into a new rental every month and figured out how to make it my own,” she says. “I carried around a Trader Joe’s bag that I called my ‘home kit.’”

Below, Martin reveals some of what was in her home kit, plus other experts share how to make temporary spaces feel like your own.

“In South Korea, we lived in high-rises, and nobody had curtains,” Martin recalls. “I’d look out the window and see all of these apartments lit up with cold, bright, LED light.” To create a cozy glow, Martin bought lamps and warmer bulbs.

She still travels with her own lightbulbs. “If the light is too cold, I swap them out for warmer bulbs and just change them back when I leave,” she says. Fairy lights and inexpensive tea lights can also make a significant difference: “A candle on a nightstand, desk or kitchen counter instantly changes the feel of a space.”

Jill Wheeler, a psychotherapist and avid traveler (in 2016, she took a year-long, around-the-world trip), agrees that lighting is key. She routinely packs her own options. “It’s nice to be able to control the lighting in the space before bedtime to slow down our circadian rhythm and get acclimatized to new surroundings or time zones.”

“When I was teaching, the first thing I’d do was buy a plant — or seven — to make my temporary apartment feel like home,” Martin says. Small succulents are often just a few dollars at a supermarket; try clustering two or three on a dining table. Or, grab cut flowers to stick in a jar or water bottle. “I like to buy a bunch of eucalyptus because it smells good and looks good even when it’s dry,” Martin says. If you’re on a road trip, a few sprigs can even be tucked under the visor to keep the car smelling fresh.

Plants and flowers look nice, but it’s deeper than that. “There has been extensive research that plants in our living spaces improve overall mental health and mood,” Wheeler says.

Hotels tend to be sparsely decorated — which is where plants and candles can cozy up a space — but if you’re in an Airbnb or subletting a home, you might feel overwhelmed by the visual distractions of other people’s belongings. “Most homes are cluttered and have too much stuff,” Martin says. You may find yourself surrounded by too many throw pillows or art that doesn’t resonate, and it’s okay to stash those things in a closet. To remove the stress of remembering where everything goes, take a photo of what the place looked like when you arrived.

“Tidy up and organize in a way that clears your mind and allows you to settle your mind and body,” Wheeler says.

Preparing a meal in an unfamiliar kitchen is challenging, so it’s worth taking time in advance to get your bearings before you start cooking. “Take a few minutes to open all the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen to familiarize yourself with the layout, and then relocate any items that were hastily shoved in the wrong place when the previous tenants were on their way out,” advises Samantha Danahy, CEO of organizing business In Place in Jackson, Wyo. “Knowing where things are will save you from burning your eggs while searching for the spatula you eventually find in the Tupperware drawer,” she says.

Rebecca Hendrix is a New York therapist who left the city during the pandemic to live for a month at a time in a number of locations. She still enjoys traveling for prolonged periods (her practice is remote), and she’s learned that it’s smart to bring along a few cooking essentials. “I bring my own knife, frying pan and electric kettle,” she says, noting that these items are often absent or of poor quality in her rentals. “No matter where I go, I can guarantee the same morning routine and less stress.”

“Unpack as soon as you arrive,” Danahy advises. “I’m that rare animal who uses the drawers in a hotel room because unpacking is the fastest and most effective way to feel at home in a temporary accommodation.”

Hendrix knows firsthand and through working with clients that traveling can be stressful because we leave the familiar behind. “Most of us feel safe in our homes, but in a temporary space, we’ve lost some of the sense of safety that comes with having everything exactly where we expect it to be, and some people can experience a loss of control,” she explains. “Unpacking and organizing our belongings can give us back some of this sense of control.”

Sleeping in a new place can be challenging, from dealing with flat pillows, to getting the temperature right, to contending with unfamiliar sounds and smells. Wheeler doesn’t spend a night away from home without three things: a white-noise app on her phone, an eye mask and an all-natural lavender linen spray. “The lavender creates a calming and comforting aromatherapy for sleep and relaxing, and doubles as a cleanser,” she says.

If you want to bring along your own comforter or pillows, Danahy suggests packing them in a sleeping bag stuff sack, compression bag or space bags to make items more compact and easier to wrangle.

One surefire way to feel at home is to bring along some favorite items. “If you wear a bathrobe to drink coffee for two hours in the morning, put it in a packing cube and throw it in your bag,” Danahy says. Same goes for a favorite throw blanket or pillow — plus, swapping your own for the communal ones left on the Airbnb sofa will alleviate some ick factor.

Wheeler always brings a lightweight Turkish towel, which can be used for more than the beach. You can drape it over an ugly chair or tack it over a window for darkening or privacy.

Jaime Stathis is a writer living in New York’s Hudson Valley.