smigaldi said:
But think of the good things, getting up at 4am for 7am flights
Or 4:30 for a 7 AM breakfast, one and the same...
I almost never do room service. I'd go stir crazy sitting in the room. Have to get out and see/do new things. Room service is only when I fall ill, or I'm just plain too late to get food elsewhere (like a midnight arrival)
"Whadda you want? Service or cheap prices" - TWA flight attendant when a trim strip fell off on a transatlantic B-767 takeoff clonking a fellow passenger on the head. Good riddance.
Westin and Marriott have very nice beds now. Very, very comfortable. OTOH, if you're still stuck in fleabag hotels due to corporate policy, it can be a problem.
Speaking of beds, you forgot bedbugs.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2006-03-08-bedbugs-catskills_x.htm
strange new cities where you get to eat the same food as everywhere else,
Simple solution: go out to eat. Find a local restaurant. There is a reason hotel concierges exist. I always ask the concierge for restaurants that are off the beaten path, places where locals go. I have been rewarded by doing so. There was a place in Barcelona where the owner spoke no english (his daughter did), and to show his hospitality, he served what the daughter described as "homemade" hooch after the meal. It was very good, and I think a second glass would have knocked me on my ***.
being able to know what time it is home from every other time zone in the world,
I keep a clock, and usually the laptop, set to home time. Had a dual-time watch for a while. Worked well.
knowing all the IDD codes no matter where you are,
and in the old days, before hotel broadband, knowing the Compuserve access numbers and procedures for each country.
the comfort of knowing that at sometime you will be at home in Narita airport, etc.
I believed you overlooked the hug and smiles from the flight attendant when you board the plane, because she recognizes you from the last 10 flights together. (that does have it's benefits, I used to be offered a jar of caviar or a bottle of wine or champagne when leaving the plane, especially international. Unfortunately, airlines put a stop to the practice
...)