Hotel rooms

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by OneGiantStep on February 23, 2009 at 9:11am

This is one of the things I've been worried about.

J and I are not married, we do not have rings, nor share the same last name. I've wondered if we would be chanllenged in countries whose culture frowns upon (or outright bans) our type of relationship.

We have considered getting rings and traveling under one name, but that seems deceitful. On the other hand, I don't want to cause distress or discomfort to local people.

Any advice?

Permalink Reply by Dina & Ryan VagabondQuest on March 4, 2010 at 10:03am

Traveling under one name.. how will you prepare such traveling documents?

I know a couple of my unmarried friends that did the rings trick in some conservative countries, seems like it worked because they were not asked.

Permalink Reply by Melanie W on February 23, 2009 at 9:47am

Craig, that's hilarious...and aggravating! In ten years of marriage, we haven't yet been denied a double room. But, in the Cinque Terre, our particular hotel in Monterosso apparently defined "double" as "bunk beds."

Romantic Italy, my a--.

Permalink Reply by Craig Martin on February 28, 2009 at 8:06pm

In that part of Europe "double" often seemed to involve two single mattresses in a double bed. That took some getting used to as well!

Permalink Reply by Rachel Cotterill on March 23, 2009 at 9:39am

We pretended to be married, once, before we actually were. Married or not, we have over the years got used to pushing two single beds together (then rearranging the room the following morning before we leave). There's a special skill to not falling down the inevitable gap!

Permalink Reply by Doris Gallan on July 30, 2009 at 6:23pm

In the 26 month round the world trip my husband and I took, we were never asked for proof of marriage. We have different last names, often had to show passports to get a room and were never questioned. And you are right Craig that double rooms often means two single beds, especially in Latin America. You have to ask for a "cama matrimonial", literally a marriage bed.

Permalink Reply by Dina & Ryan VagabondQuest on March 4, 2010 at 9:59am

marriage bed! interesting..

Permalink Reply by Saben and Lin on September 22, 2009 at 7:26am

We have been traveling for the past 9 months and have only ran into this problem once I believe. We are not married (though lindsey does wear a ring, which seems to help ward off unwanted male attention) and were in Aleppo, Syria. The owner of a small hotel we were trying to stay at gave us the third degree because we had differant last names and wanted a double room. We told him we would happily go down the street and stay somewhere else and that cleared up the issue really fast!

Permalink Reply by Jessie Kwak on November 6, 2009 at 10:02am

Haven't had that problem in Peru--we considered bringing our marriage license precisely because we both kept our own surnames, but we forgot in all the chaos of packing. They don't seem to mind, though....

We'll definitely keep that in mind when going to more conservative countries, thougH!

Permalink Reply by Dina & Ryan VagabondQuest on March 4, 2010 at 9:58am

I and my husband have same rings, I guess that's why nobody asked so far. We have different last name, and it hasn't been problem. We bring some copies of our marriage certificate (in 2 language: Indonesian, where we got married, and English translation of it), but we haven't needed to present it out. We don't expect being asked in Europe, but even in Istanbul and Dubai, we were never asked.

Permalink Reply by To Uncertainty and Beyond on July 25, 2010 at 2:55am

My husband and I have never had that problem. We've been to a lot of places in Europe, but not to Asia yet. We aren't wearing our rings on the trip for fear of losing them. We do have the same last name though.

Permalink Reply by Jim McIntosh on October 1, 2010 at 4:20pm

I can understand the fear of losing rings on your trip.Wife lost wedding ring in a tatty room in Ethiopia last August.....38 years ....devastation...stripped that room...thought that was it, gone!... Just walking out the door next morning to leave, grabbed a backpack which displaced the duvet, and out tinkled one beautiful gold ring!!!
Highs and lows of travel together.
But never had problems with booking rooms , luckily.