You don’t need a tent or a campfire to chase down adventures. Staying in hotels can be just as exciting if you know how to approach it. Comfort doesn’t mean boring, and convenience definitely doesn’t mean that you have to miss out. With a little bit of planning and the right mindset, a hotel can be the base for great stories. Here’s how to turn your next hotel stay into a weird adventure.

Photo by Eric Sanman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-person-walking-in-mountain-1365425/

Pick the Right Location

Choose a hotel that puts you close to the action. If you love hiking, find one minute from the trails. If you want to explore a city, pick a central spot. Skip the resort designs that keep you inside; go for small hotels or local guesthouses that help you connect with the area. Places with character, a family-run inn, a historic building, or even a quirky motel, can add to the experience. Use your hotel as a launchpad, not a retreat. Sleep there short but spend your days exploring.

Ask Questions and Follow Local Advice

The front desk isn’t just for check-in. Use it for local insights. Ask the staff where to eat, find out what locals do on weekends, and get tips on hidden spots guidebooks can’t match. Not infrequently, many hotels offer walking maps, free bikes, or partnerships with tour guides. 

Take advantage of what’s on offer. Even chain hotels often have someone keen to share their favorite local spots or lookout points. Be curious. A 5-minute chat can change your whole experience.

Say Yes to the Unexpected

Adventure often hides in small surprises. 

You might notice a street market while heading out for coffee or hear music from a park and decide to follow it. Hotel stays give you flexibility. You’re not tied to gear or strict plans. That means more freedom to go off script, wander around without a goal, and take a different route back. 

Talk to strangers, eat something you can’t pronounce, these are the moments that you’ll remember the most when you are traveling, and they’re just as easy to find if you are staying in a hotel as if you were staying in a tent.

You Don’t Need to Rough It to Have an Adventure

Many people believe that they have to rough it in order to have a true adventure; however, that is not the case. Hotels offer comfort, but they don’t take away from the fun of discovery and adventure. You get a good night’s sleep, a hot shower, and maybe even a decent breakfast, which puts you in better shape to hike longer, explore further, or even stay out later in the evenings. 

It’s not about the walls you are sleeping in; it’s all about what you are doing outside them and how you are exploring when you are there. 

So book that hotel room and get there. Chase the unexpected! Adventure is everywhere that you look, even if you have clean sheets, room service, and a cozy place to stay at the end of the night.