3/23/2020 –

My husband’s company called him in off the road.  We had 72 hours to “go home.”  For everyone else in the company, that was not a big deal at all.  We, however, do not have a home.  We had 72 hours to find lodging in our hometown.

We called two extended stay properties (hotels) and checked their Trip Advisor reviews.  I am a BIG TA user.  I write lots of reviews and I read lots of reviews.  One property was basically the “no-tell motel” with reviews and photos that were pretty shocking.  Photo of a blood-filled condom found under the bed by the family dog, anyone?  Yikes!

I also called a corporate housing company that had a fully furnished condo available. They did not have a way for us to see it though.  The guy said he would email me an invoice; I would pay up front and then he would send instructions for accessing the lockbox with the front door key in it.  That sounded sketchy so we moved on.

We had hoped for an AirBNB but those don’t give a lot of flexibility on booking/cancelling.  We don’t know how long we will need to do this for.  Not having an end date is tricky when there are cancellation fees.  My husband’s company is not paying for this. 

In the end, we moved into an extended stay hotel that is SUPER basic.  It has a full-size fridge and a two-burner stove though, so at least we will be able to cook a little bit.  We paid for 30 days all at once.  That sets us up through April 20th.  Stay tuned for updates on what it’s like to live in a 300-square foot hotel room with your spouse! Oy Vey!