CruzMartines

Sometimes hotel mattresses are far from my expectations. I know I can't expect much but I'm not talking about much anyway. Things like bed bugs, funny smells, lumps... So, can I use an air mattress instead?

I suppose people can't forbid me. But that's not what I'm concerned about. It's just... Would it be convenient? I mean, to travel with an air mattress. They are either bulky even when deflated or not really comfortable. Plus, it's possible that there would be no room for an extra mattress.

Anyway, what would you recommend?

nux

Stay in better hotels.

shuigao

Pony up a little extra cash for a proper hotel whose mattresses don't have bed bugs, funny smells or lumps?

MSPeconomist

Either lower your expectations or stay in better hotels. There might be an exception is you're traveling to remote areas of developing countries where nothing else is available, but then you might want to question whether you really need to visit such places. If someone else (your employer or perhaps a conference organizer) is picking such hotels, you need to renegotiate terms.

LondonElite

Welcome to FT, with a seriously weird question. Every air mattress I've ever slept on has been awful and uncomfortable, because there's no 'give'. Why would you want to carry this heavy, bulky thing around with you, then blow it up, only to enjoy an uncomfortable sleep?? As others have said, stay in better hotels.

CKA1

I haven't slept on an air mattress since I was a Boy Scout. They're heavy, and even the old milsurp ones were a pain to fill. I have slept in a lot of places like you're describing, and I can deal with smells and lumps. Bed bugs are kind of a rarity here, but my grandpa always urged me to stay in "dollar hotels" (he was a salesman from about 1950-1990) and that I need to sacrifice comfort in exchange for a cheap place to crash.

In all the rough places I've slept, I've never worried about bugs. I've seen spiders in the tub or mosquitoes, but nothing too serious.

Those small town hotels tend to be in good shape, because (at least before oil prices went way down) they were often fully booked by people who were staying for many weeks at a time. You used to be able to book a suite at a roadside motel for 50 bucks which had a stove, a fridge and a warm bed. Less money if you stay a week and less money if you stay a month.

edvasquez

We travel with a very small and light REI camping air pad - folds to about six inch wide by 3-4 inch thick. Use it for hotels in Europe who love to gouge when you tell them you have a child. We just sneak the child in and have him sleep on the pad. I've tried it - comfortable. BTW, if you're worried about bugs and such on the bed, they will probably be on the floor too.

beckoa

Thermarest.

Works well in rural Alaska where options are... limited. And there might be a bed, or not.

BearX220

The AirSoft mattress we keep around here for when guests exceed spare beds weighs 30 or 40 pounds, is incredibly bulky and cumbersome when deflated, and takes forever to blow up. It would be ridiculous to lug it or something like it into a hotel room.

michael.clark

Have you tried a water bed?

simpleflyer

I assume you will also instruct the bugs not to walk on the floor (against which your mattress will be resting) ?

ou81two

Stay in better hotels or just camp.

cur

stay in better hotels or spend that money on a nice hostel

chrisl137

This is what I was thinking, too, when I saw the subject heading. I just spent a week on one of these air pads, and it was extremely comfortable. It packs to almost nothing, weighs less than a pound, and takes a lot less breath to fill than the big thick ones we used to use when I was a kid. There are tons of similar pads available now.

But unless I was camping, I'd just aim for a better hotel.

Evenstar22

You definitely won't want to carry that much weight!