Now that my husband and I have been exploring longer-term furnished vacation rentals for a few months, I’ve found there are certain multipurpose products that seem to meet our needs across numerous situations. Some relate to housekeeping, others to pantry stocking and cooking. All of them are affordable, and available in most parts of the world. Whether you are stocking your rental in order to meet your temporary needs on the road, or equipping it for potential renters as an income property, here are my favorite powerhouse value items that can go the financial distance.
Cleaning: Housekeeping services may or may not be part of your rental agreement. I’ve found it runs the gamut from weekly or a couple of times per month to not at all, although typically I haven’t had to worry about more than a light sprucing when we’ve departed. Even if minimal cleaning services are provided, however, it’s usually necessary to keep up with the basics between staff visits. Speaking for myself, one of the biggest perks of full-time travel is relief from certain domestic responsibilities. This includes being able to avoid dishing out the monthly equivalent of a utility bill on cleaning supplies. I’d much rather channel those monies toward more enjoyable things, such as a museum entry ticket. Or wine.
One product that delivers me from such financial drudgery is liquid dish soap. While good for its obvious intended use, it can also be pressed into service for other tasks. For example, when I’m in a more permanent living situation, I thin out a half-empty bottle with a little bit of bleach and shake to blend. It makes a great toilet bowl cleaner. On the road however, I skip the bleach step. Also, since I tend to choose vacation rentals that are sized for affordability, it’s usually only about a step and a half from the kitchen sink to the bathroom.
When I notice the toilet bowl is about ready for a swish with the long-handled brush, I simply step to the side and give it a squirt with the dish soap so I can deal with the situation when I’m finished cleaning up the dinner mess. I also put a bit of the same product on a sponge and dampen it to routinely wipe down counters and stovetops as part of general kitchen maintenance and prevention of ants. Since I haven’t seen any of my favorite ecological brands on the store shelves, I’ve released my guilt over using the generic bargain variety. The fact a medium-sized bottle can be scored for a euro a pop is an added bonus. Other cheap ideas include using bar soap on a scrub brush in the shower, and bagged salt as a substitute for scouring powder.
Tools: Disposable baking pans are a great value item for making the most of your travel kitchen. Whipping up quick casseroles, roasting root vegetables and preparing inexpensive baking mixes is much more affordable when you are not trying to replace high-ticket cookware at every new location. Additionally, it’s nice to have a readily available solution for holiday meals you may want to prepare for yourself on the road. Sometimes your craving for a favorite traditional dish trumps any convenience you might be able to enjoy at a local restaurant. Clothespins and binder clips are also multitasking workhorses in the pantry, making it easy to secure open bags of shelf-stable products such as brown rice, lentils, sandwich bread and more.
Groceries: Nobody wants to buy a bunch of food that doesn’t have a prayer of being consumed prior to departing for your next destination. That’s why having multipurpose groceries to mix and match with your fresh produce finds is a good idea. If you are on the other side of the coin and trying to provide an added service for guests, the same concept applies. They will appreciate having some plug-and-play options for meal preparation.
If you aren’t eating vegan, eggs are about as versatile as you can get. While I’ve gone years without eating them, they have crept back into my diet out of necessity as I explore product availability here in the Andalusian region of Spain. As a result, I am now remembering just how many things I used to do with them. From hard boiling them to have as a ready-made snack or salad item, to drizzling a whisked raw one into simmering soup for a quick-cooking protein addition, they get the job done.
Tahini is also quite flexible, and can form the base of salad dressings and dips. It’s also a great bean spread seasoning that’s full of flavor and leaves you feeling satisfied no matter how you consume it. Since it’s a seed paste, it’s a decent additional protein source. Need some starch? Potatoes can be baked on their own, turned into a salad, shredded for breakfast hash and added to hearty curries. Rice is another affordable powerhouse that doesn’t require refrigeration. Toss a handful into a homemade soup, prepare some ahead to fry with vegetable leftovers, or serve some with sauced beans for a simple weeknight meal when driving to a restaurant would take more energy than you have.
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(Trekhound.com founder Myscha Theriault has sold her home, all her furniture and most of her other belongings to travel the world full time with her husband. You can follow her adventures on Instagram via @MyschaTheriault.)
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