'Referrer-Policy': 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin' YouTube Embed Relay
best travel blogs

A Site About Being at home in hotels around the world

Let’s Connect

Know where the Ice Machine is in real time by following on BlueSky and Instagram.

Solo Travel Blogs

Subscribe to The Ice Machine

Sign up here for email updates and reader exclusives.

Featured Content

Nomadic Living

” All that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going…” -Jack Kerouac

travel gear

Travel Gear

“He who would travel happily must travel light.– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

luxury travel blogs

Hotel Intel

“I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room – and God damn it – died in a hotel room.” -Eugene O’Neill

Recent Posts

  • Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    Review of the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel around Boca Raton you’ve got plenty of choices. But if you’re coming in peak season and not made of money those choices get narrow pretty quickly. In that case you might find yourself looking at the Boca Suites Deerfield Beach as I did recently. Can this Best Western property

    Read Post

  • Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Review of the RTIC Everyday Cooler: Gear Guide

    Personal day-use coolers have always been a staple of road trip travel. Driving around the Florida coasts as much as I do, mine was getting daily use. Eventually an upgrade was in order and I wanted something with some size and substance. But I was still a bit hesitant to shell out Yeti money for

    Read Post

  • Review of the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport: Hotel Intel

    Review of the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport: Hotel Intel

    If you’re searching for a hotel near FLL or Port Everglades the La Quinta Ft Lauderdale Airport may not be the most obvious choice. I’ve been staying in hotels in this area for two years and still haven’t booked it until now despite being very budget conscious. Was it worth the wait? Let’s find out.

    Read Post

  • Florida’s Best Free Attraction? Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach

    Florida’s Best Free Attraction? Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach

    I’d been aware of West Palm’s Manatee Lagoon for a while and had it on a list of attractions to check out. Manatees are found throughout Florida but Manatee Lagoon is known as the best place to observe wild manatees in Florida. When a post popped up in my Instagram feed recently I clicked through

    Read Post

  • The Cost of Living In Hotels: Update #4 July-December 2025

    The Cost of Living In Hotels: Update #4 July-December 2025

    There’s not a lot of content on the Internet about the cost of living in hotels full time. Most people who adopt a nomadic lifestyle opt for some combination of AirBnb, monthly leases, or extended stays in hostels. The purpose of these updates is to provide a picture of what it actually costs to live

    Read Post

  • How to Fly With Overweight Bags for Free

    How to Fly With Overweight Bags for Free

    After nearly 20 years of going to sea I’ve learned how to pack exactly 49 pounds of gear to avoid being charged for overweight bags. But that was before I threw in the towel on carrying a military type sea bag and capitulated to the practicality of a bag with wheels. I settled on a

    Read Post

  • Review of Aonang Villa in Krabi, Thailand: Resort Report

    When I set out to live full time in hotels, Aonang Villa in Thailand’s Krabi Province was exactly what I had in mind. It’s the kind of place you come to and immediately say “I wish we could run away and live here forever!” Rooms at this beachfront resort are typically around $150 on Expedia.

    Read Post

  • What’s It Like in a Japanese Business Hotel?

    “Japan loves miniature things” is a trope so overdone it’s a stereotype. It also happens to be true. Tokyo is a massive city absolutely packed with people. Miniature things are a necessity because so many Tokyo residents live in miniature apartments. Space comes at a very high premium. Thus we have the Japanese Business Hotel.

    Read Post

  • The Best Way to See Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak

    No matter where you are in the world “go to the top of the tall thing” is one of the simplest and most fun things you can do. Victoria Peak in Hong Kong provides one of the best views anywhere in the world. But the Peak is a little different from most tall buildings or

    Read Post

  • The Cost of Living in Hotels: Update #1 Jan-June 2024

    There’s not a lot of content on the Internet about the cost of living in hotels full time. Most people who adopt a nomadic lifestyle opt for some combination of AirBnb, monthly leases, or extended stays in hostels. The purpose of these updates is to provide a picture of what it actually costs to live

    Read Post

  • Hilton Honors Surpass: Zero to 200k Points in Two Weeks

    Often the best time to acquire a new credit card is when you have a large amount of purchasing to do in that card’s specialty categories. If that spending happens to line up with an offer for an elevated sign-up bonus, that’s even better. So when American Express announced an offer of 130,000 points plus

    Read Post

  • A Quick and Dirty Guide to Hong Kong Food

    Hong Kong cuisine can definitely be a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated. After almost a month of eating out here 2-3 times a day I’m just now starting to wrap my head around it. At least, I think I have it down enough to let a reader know what to expect if they’re about to

    Read Post

Search

cool travel blogs