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 Twitter 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

  • La Quinta Plantation, FL (SW 6th Street): Hotel Intel

    La Quinta Plantation, FL (SW 6th Street): Hotel Intel

    Let me guess… You’re looking for a hotel in South Florida but prices are high for your dates. You’re taking a hard look at all the cheapest options, reading reviews and they’re all bad. You wonder which Wyndham property will be least-awful. You think the La Quinta Plantation 6th Street might be the answer. But…

    Read Post

  • A Planet Fitness Black Card is a Travel Essential

    A Planet Fitness Black Card is a Travel Essential

    I never thought much about gym memberships before I began living in hotels full time. As a renter in a series of large, corporate apartments I’ve enjoyed the convenience of having a full gym at home for several years. When I decided to live in hotels I figured I could count on that same convenience…

    Read Post

  • Holiday Inn Express Plantation, FL: Hotel Intel

    Holiday Inn Express Plantation, FL: Hotel Intel

    Whether you’re an IHG loyalist or just looking for a decent deal on a hotel room Holiday Inn Express is hard to beat. The brand’s location in Plantation, Florida just west of Fort Lauderdale is no exception. Let’s take a closer look. I booked the Holiday Inn Express Plantation for three nights from a Monday…

    Read Post

  • Holiday Inn Miami Airport West: Hotel Intel

    Holiday Inn Miami Airport West: Hotel Intel

    So you’re looking to book a Miami hotel that’s convenient to the airport and you’ve stumbled on the Holiday Inn Miami Airport West in Hialeah Gardens. Is it any good? Let’s have a look. I booked this for a four night stay over a holiday weekend because I needed a four night stay on points…

    Read Post

  • Storage Solutions for Digital Nomads

    Storage Solutions for Digital Nomads

    While my work isn’t actually digital, my lifestyle is fully nomadic. When I decided to give up my apartment and begin traveling full time it was my first experience renting a storage unit. Unfortunately there’s not very good information online so I had to learn the hard way. There’s a lot to consider when you’re…

    Read Post

  • Comfort Suites Dania Beach: Hotel Intel

    Comfort Suites Dania Beach: Hotel Intel

    If you’re passing through South Florida and looking for a hotel convenient to FLL and Port Everglades you may have noticed two Comfort Suites Dania Beach locations near each other. Tonight I’m at the one on SW 19th Ct which is technically named Comfort Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport South & Cruise Port. I booked this…

    Read Post

  • Ibis Sathorn Bangkok: Hotel Intel

    When looking around at Asian hotel rooms on TripAdvisor or Booking.com it can be difficult to believe that rooms so cheap could match the hotel’s photos or be of very high quality. If you are considering booking the Ibis Sathorn a high quality room in a well kept property is not a gamble, it’s a…

    Read Post

  • Nanatai Suites Bangkok: Hotel Intel

    Anytime you’re visiting a very large city there’s a competing interest in finding a hotel. Part of you wants to be in the central district and near the heart of the action. The other part wants to find a secluded hideaway where you can sleep peacefully through the night. If you’re visiting Bangkok for the…

    Read Post

  • Thong Ta Resort BKK Airport: Hotel Intel

    Flying to Thailand from the US is a schlep. My trip from Nashville took more than 24 hours just in flight time. Even with everything going smoothly I arrived at BKK after 10 pm local time, which is early morning back in the US. Rather than spend another 90-120 minutes trying to deal with traffic…

    Read Post

  • Ramada Sea-Tac: Hotel Intel

    There are times it makes sense to splurge on a nicer hotel and times it makes sense to be as economical as possible. Spending one night near an airport before a flight is certainly not a special occasion and paying a premium for a pricier hotel brand seldom makes sense in this scenario. That’s where…

    Read Post

  • Caesars Diamond Upgrade: A Festivus Miracle!

    Shortly before this year’s Super Bowl I logged into the Caesars Sportsbook app and was surprised to see myself listed as Diamond status. The tiers are Gold, Platinum, Diamond and upward to Seven Stars. A match from Wyndham Rewards had given me Platinum status through 2022. After checking the main Caesars Rewards app and seeing…

    Read Post

  • Horseshoe Las Vegas: Resort Report

    Receiving Caesars Diamond status out of the blue was the perfect opportunity to get an up close look at recent renovations at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. I enjoyed staying at the hotel when it was Bally’s but there’s no denying the property was overdue for a refresh. Room rates were always low at Bally’s and…

    Read Post

Search

cool travel blogs