PAX_fips

Typically stop at a shop on the way between airport and hotel; usually at the train station I change from/to train/taxi/..

Lovethecabin

Whether or not we make a point to obtain snacks/drinks prior or shortly after arrival depends on location and hotel.

If we are staying at a hotel where I know we have lounge access, no I don't take anything along. Same goes if we are staying someplace where we can easily walk to an enjoyable bar/restaurant for a post-arrival refreshment.

If in a location with limited options (happens mostly on business trips) or we are on a tight schedule (arriving at night), I do take supplies along or stop on the way.

I have no problem drinking tap water but some municipal water tastes so bad, I prefer bottled water. I could charge the $4 in-room bottle to the company but since I am the owner, I elect to take my own $1 bottle.

KevinDTW

When traveling for leisure my wife and I always bring/buy enough supplies so that we can have breakfast in the room at our convenience. We tend to get up very early and it's nice not to have to get dressed and go out etc. just to get coffee and something to eat.

Proudelitist

I like to check in first, if only to dump my luggage in the room.

I DO use grocery stores because while on the road, I get sick of restaurant food quickly, and it's both healthier and cheaper to pick up some things in a store. I save tons of per diem by doing this. My daily meal allowance rolls over, so if I what I don't spend I can add on the following days. As a result, I tend to buy a VERY nice dinner out near the end of my trips

pinniped

If it's the type of rental where we need groceries, I usually go to the unit first and get checked in. Make sure everything in the unit is working, get the keys, figure out where we can park, figure out if we need extra provisions like dish soap, wood, ice, charcoal, corkscrew, etc. Then I usually leave the rest of the family there to unpack and I head out for the grocery and wine run. Or wine and grocery run, as the case may be.

If I'm in the developed world, I just drink the tap water. If I'm *not* in the developed world and I have reason to believe the local tap water won't agree with our sensitive innards, then yes I pick up a few big bottles of drinking water.

Always, always, always check the kitchen for the corkscrew and bottle opener. @:-)

TObject

Before drinking from the tap, go to the roof and check that there is no dead body in the water tank. Happened before.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/us/cal...er-tank-death/

Grouchy

It depends on the location/country/place. Like to shop in different countries, shops that have all those different brands/articles that you normally don't see at home.

If i am in the developed world i will drink the tap water. In countries like the USA, India, China etc i always make sure i have bottled water available.
Germs, no thanks. While in the USA it might be safe to drink but that smell/taste of chlorine... Holy Chlorine batman! If those germs don't get killed by it they surely will drown in it. Taking a shower/brushing your teeth can also be very unpleasant thanks to the strong irritating chlorine smell/taste.

MissJ

As with other people, depends on where and for how long. If I don't have breakfast included, I'll grab something from the store along with a few drinks. I almost always drink water but have encountered some terrible tasting tap water in a few places.. one time was just about three weeks ago. I ended up filling my water bottle at the office and bringing it back to the hotel with me.

gfunkdave

Depends where you are in the US. Every area has different water treatment standards.

I rarely encounter chlorine taste.

moondog

Are you honestly implying that the USA is not part of "the developed world"?

moondog

I used to be an advocate of "drain the mini bar and replace stuff the following morning", but the hotels i frequent do an amazing job at stocking products that are almost impossible to find in convenience stores.

emma69

I don't drink tap water in hotels (but quite happily do at home!) My reasoning is that most will have large, often unsealed, water tanks that frequently house insects, mice, rats, etc. I was warned of this danger years ago by a plumber who said it is very very common to be called out to fix blockages caused by dead rodents getting stuck in the clean water tank where it flows to the pipes.

Or if it got really bad, something like this: http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/us/cal...-water-corpse/

Think I'll have the Evian...

milepig

In reading the entire post it seems that at least in terms of the water that is indeed what the poster is saying.

jbjelloid

In places where I need to take a taxi, I'll often ask the driver if he can stop along the way so that I can stock up on essentials. If I'm taking transit (or walking), my eyes are peeled along the way for the closest bodega to the hotel.

lmashton

We check in first, then go shopping. I usually also bring a small supply of snacks with us - I have numerous food allergies, so it's necessary to have something safe to tide me over. And in countries where tap water is not safe or it's fluoridated, we buy bottled water - I have terrible reactions to fluoridated water (and toothpaste and other things). We also don't drink coffee or tea, but do enjoy hot chocolate in the morning, and hotels don't tend to provide that. So yes, we do some grocery shopping after we arrive.