Making Corporate Housing Feel Like Home

Most of us are lucky to have a permanent housing unit that we are proud to call "home" with a smile and a grin. Even if it's not much, it's ours all the same and we can do what we want with it. From painting the walls to chucking an old stove, we have complete control over our private property. Unless dictated by local laws or neighborhood ordinances, we can live in a pink house on a whim or decide to cook eggs outside on our new solar grill.

Not all people experience the same lucky situation that we may find ourselves in, and housing situations change depending on your job, location on Earth, and income. For some who are wanderers by nature or profession, they may find themselves staying in a lot of peculiar places (from corporate apartments to campsites) that are standardized and don't allow them the natural comforts of home that we take for granted.

The Reality of Corporate Housing

For those that spend a lot of their time traveling and either do not have a permanent residence or have decided it is more affordable to stay in what is deemed "corporate housing" or "short term housing" (hotels, short term apartments, and residences), it can be hard to get back that "home" feeling. At the end of the day every person, diplomat, or engineer, or something in between, likes the comfort that comes from their primary shelter being cozy and customized. Since hotels and corporate housing residences try to standardize their property for maximum efficiency. Sometimes they add comfort into the equation, but often it is an afterthought.

The term "short term housing" can also be misleading, as the average length of stay at a corporate housing unit for a typical client is approximately 84 days. That is almost three months, in which a lot can become stale and comfort is an important factor to consider. Whether you are staying in a hotel, one-bedroom apartment, or Airbnb, the reality is the same. Corporate housing can never really feel like "home," but it can certainly try to approximate something that comes close if you try hard enough to customize it to your tastes and specialties.

Little Things That Add Up To A Whole Lot

You can only fit so much in your suitcase, and unless you're being put up in a furnished apartment that has been specially made to have things like photo albums or nice cookware, you're going to have to bring some of these things yourself. Something as simple as a coffee grinder or photo that display next to your bed can make a whole host of difference for claiming a place as "yours," no matter how long you'll be residing there.

Buying your favorite foods at a local market and utilizing any cookware available can also give you that semblance that you're "at home" because you're cooking instead of eating take-out or going out to fancy restaurants. Even if the nature of your work necessitates that you do these activities, you can still reserve certain meals (breakfast, for example) to be enjoyed at home and prepared by you so that you have an inkling of really being at home.

Keep Up With Your Usual Activities

You're living in a new place because of your life situation, but that doesn't mean that you necessarily have to become a new person. If you're into seeing the local sites and locales that's fun, but if you're a daily reader or runner you should try to keep up that habit as much as possible. Bring along an e-reader and running shoes is now lighter and easier than ever, making these easy hobbies to keep up with and center you as you travel from place to place.

Finding new hobbies from your travels can also be things you take "home" with you as well. Don't hesitate to try new coffee blends at the cafe near your corporate housing, they might just become your new style. In the same vein, you might discover new fashions or habits necessitated by where you are that become part of your life and you end up incorporating long term. What starts off as a regular journey might end up as a destination, and vice versa.