Travel How to Cook, Drink, and Entertain Better in Your Vacation Rental There's only so much you can plan for, but one small insurance policy is to bring a few useful things with you. By Melanie Hansche Melanie Hansche Title: Deputy Editor, Food & WineLocation: Easton, PennsylvaniaEducation: Melanie has a graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a bachelor of arts with a double major in English literature and politics from Macquarie University.Expertise: food, travel, recipes, restaurants.Experience: Melanie Hansche has been the deputy editor at Food & Wine since 2018, where she spearheads both its travel and home coverage, develops recipes close to her heart (crumpets, anyone?), and often writes about her experiences of being a restaurant owner working in food media. Before joining F&W, she was the editor-in-chief of Organic Life at Rodale, oversaw the company's test kitchen, and acted as food director across all its brands. Melanie spent her formative years at one of Australia's most successful food brands, Donna Hay magazine, as its executive editor. Since 2017, Melanie has been the co-owner of Tucker, an Aussie-inspired cafe and general store. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 27, 2021 Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Even before the Great Disruption of 2020 necessitated short trips closer to home, one of my superpowers was booking vacation rentals that met (or exceeded, even!) my every whim. I'm that person who trawls booking sites for hours on end, poring over every detail of a listing, its photos, and reviews. I look for design-forward interiors and curation with character, lots and lots of natural light, a comfy bed, generous entertaining spaces—but above all, a well-equipped kitchen. Chef Doris Is Serving Detroit's Best Soul Food from Her Front Lawn I've especially honed this skill during the past year. With international travel off the cards and a cautious avoidance of planes and hotels, my husband and I took to the road. What kinds of things did we look for in listings before we booked? Beyond the obvious descriptors, there are a few key giveaways in photos that point to a thoughtful kitchen space: a stand mixer, a lineup of sharp-looking knives on a magnetized rack on the wall, the brand of cooking appliances, an ample-looking spice rack and pantry, and Dutch ovens, cast-iron, or enamelware on open shelving. We'd also read all the reviews, looking for specific comments about the kitchen, hoping that other food nerds would offer us valuable clues. Live Your Best Hotel Life—Even in Your Own Home Naturally, there's only so much you can plan for, but one small insurance policy is to bring a few useful things with you. It comes as no surprise that many on the F&W team are just like me, keen to cook with local produce and eat delicious things while on vacation. Here is a collection of our go-to tools we take with us on the road to ensure cooking is always a pleasure. Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Aeropress Coffee Maker Caffeine fiends who prefer a better brew than what a French press can offer know to travel with a small, lightweight AeroPress. Get the reusable Fellow Prismo filter attachment and do away with single-use filters.($30, aeropress.com; $25, fellowproducts.com) Atmos Vacuum Canister Use these Atmos canisters to transport coffee beans, loose-leaf tea, cereal, or marshmallows. The lid never comes off by accident, and the air pumps out of them to seal in your ingredients, keeping them super fresh.($30, fellowproducts.com) Messermeister Adventure Folding Knife For the past eight years, my go-to knife has been a Messermeister. I used to wrap it in a dish towel to transport it; luckily, they released a six-inch foldable version, ideal for trips and camping.($80, messermeister.com) Elemental Spices It's wise to travel with a few seasonings that will work with local ingredients wherever you go. Burlap & Barrel's garlic powder adds savory depth to marinades, and Spiceology's rosemary-Dijon rub perks up meats.($8, burlapandbarrel.com; $14, spiceology.com) Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Riedelo Wine Tumblers The last rental I booked had an exceptional kitchen, but only cumbersome tumblers—not great for the lovely wines we brought along with us. I always bring a box of these stemless glasses in the car for exactly this reason.($33 for two, riedel.com) High Camp Firelight 750 Flask Yeti Hopper M30 Soft Cooler I generally premix a batch of Negronis and take them in a glass mason jar, but this is a much safer way to transport your batched cocktails and has fancy tumblers included. Also, no leaks—this thing seals tight!($125, highcampflasks.com) Being a traveler means bringing home tasty stuff for later, like local cheeses, charcuterie, or veggies. A soft, insulated cooler bag that keeps everything chilled down for hours is key, like this hardcore Yeti cooler bag.($300, yeti.com) Jute Tote Bag My husband is in the wine trade and has been using these totes for years to cart bottles to wine tastings. They come with bottle dividers that store flat. Simple, sturdy, and inexpensive, they fit nicely behind a car's seat.($7, totebagfactory.com) Originally appeared: October 2021 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! 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