After the first few blissful days of staying in a hotel, I start to get tired of eating out for every meal and begin craving the simple, comforting foods I make for myself at home. So when a reader asked for advice about cooking real meals while staying in a hotel, I read the answers with interest — and then excitement. So many smart tips!

Whether you're headed to a hotel, motel or even a dorm room this summer, here our some of the best reader tips for cooking satisfying, healthy meals without a kitchen: what to bring, what to buy, and how to use that coffee maker to cook dinner.

Do you ever wish that you could have a little genie on your shoulder who would just tell you what to make for dinner? Me, too. I think this book Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals is that genie. It's a straight-shooting cookbook full of the kinds of quick, no-fuss recipes that we crave on any given weeknight.

It was really only recently that I discovered the simplest crackers ever and I still haven't quite gotten over how crazy-good they are. Now this new book from Ivy Manning has come along and broken the universe of homemade crackers wide open for me! Whether the aim is a healthy afternoon snack or a fancy cracker appetizer for our next dinner party, Ivy Manning shows us how to make crackers for each and every occasion.

Here's a scene from my kitchen this morning: early morning sunlight and a chopping board with ginger and lemons. Why? I am about to board a flight to Paris! (Lucky me, I know...) But what does fresh ginger tea have to do with a flight to France? 

When you have severe or multiple dietary restrictions, traveling can be frustrating, depressing ... or a lot of fun, especially if you do some advance planning. Here are a few things I've learned from personal experience on the road and in the air. 

My children are no more or less picky than any children at the table, and we do our best to encourage them to at least try a little of everything, if only to be polite, even if they don't eat a huge serving. On vacation, in foreign surroundings and in the public eye, they're far more likely to taste new dishes without hesitation. Sometimes, a change of scenery is just the thing to expand the palate.

I haven't traveled abroad in almost two years now — life just gets in the way sometimes. But my partner and I have been saving for a trip (hopefully this fall). While we both have different tastes in travel locations and haven't nailed down anything yet, I do know one thing for sure: there will be peanut butter. This is a lesson that's taken me many years to learn. 

We know it's important to conserve space when traveling, particularly if you're flying or backpacking and don't have the space luxury of a car. But that doesn't mean you have to give up the supplies you'd need to take advantage of an impromptu picnic opportunity. These five picnic essentials are small, light, and totally portable, so you can be ready for a picnic whenever, wherever!

File this under foods to try next winter. During my one-year stint in Scandinavia, this is an absolute favorite food combination I picked up. Never had I tasted these two rich but seemingly-opposed flavors together. But one fateful evening in Sweden, I was offered thin, crisp gingersnaps smeared with blue cheese alongside a glass of glogg. It seemed weird to me only for that split second between the offer and the first bite. Ever since, it's been a perfect combo in my book:

I know, instant coffee: ick! However, after having more than one afternoon caffeine-withdrawal headache while traveling, I never leave home without it. This especially applies when staying with friends who may not love their morning cup of joe as much as I do.