Hot water

Depending on where you are traveling, your hotel may provide coffee/tea facilities in the room, including a little hotpot.

i think the tea/coffee making supplies are much more common in the UK then they are in some countries.. i haven't found them in France yet. I guess best bet is to rent an apartment . I had a friend who i visited Paris with one year ,, she always slept in,, and so i would just leave room quietly and go have my coffee in a little cafe around the block, i suggest thats an idea for you too,, you don't really want to sit around the room while hubby sleeps anyways,, way too boring for me. Just throw on clothes and creep out, you can do the hair makeup etc after you come back from coffee.

Some hotels provide electric kettles routinely. Others will have them if you ask. Most hotels have some kind of breakfast facility, so they may just oblige you with a cup of hot water if you go down and ask. But if, like me, you want your caffeine before people see you, you might manage coffee from the night before kept in a thermos bottle. I have been looking for years for a 1/2 liter electric kettle that I could travel with. It would be great, not just for morning coffee or tea, but also for instant soup or noodles in the evening, or an afternoon snack.

Other than larger corporate hotel chains or rooms with kitchenettes, you will rarely find materials to make your own coffee. Your best bet is to get coffee at the hotel's breakfast or walk to a nearby cafe. Keep in mind that some hotels may frown upon helping yourself to a cup at their breakfast and leaving back to your room. You are best to ask first.

If you tell us where you are going, we might be able to offer some suggestions. Lots of hotels and B&B's offer coffee and tea making facilities, not just corporate business hotels. Have seen this in Normandy, Edinburgh, Brussels, and Ostende.

I bought an immersion coil heater about 30 years ago and it still works. Recently with only occasional use but for its first years of ownership almost daily. Only weighs a few oz. Mine is not dual voltage so I never brought it to Europe. The only downside I would say is that you need to use it with great care. NEVER use it around children or when intoxicated.

I had a 120V immersion heater that worked great until my daughter (2 yrs old at the time) plugged it in on the carpet. But it wasn't dual voltage so I wouldn't have been able to use it in Europe without a voltage converter. Amazon does sell a dual voltage immersion heater. It doesn't have very good reviews but maybe the people didn't know how to use it. Maybe you can find a 230V, single voltage, one over there. Other than that, and the thermos, in Germany, stay in five star hotels. They have to have 24 hr room service. Or find Verienwohnungen (vacation apartments).

I doubt you are addicted to coffee. You're addiction is to the drug caffeine. I have the same addiction. While my favorite delivery device for said addiction particularly in the early am is coffee. However, I will use soda if that is my only choice. Nothing quite like Mt. Dew for breakfast.

In my travels throughout europe most of the hotels do not have a coffee maker in their room or hot water warmer. An exception is the Hilton Chain in France. Since I like coffee when I wake up my son bought a water warmer in Paris that comes with 2 cups that fits inside. This has been great as the last trip to Switzerland the breakfast at all the hotels started at 7:00am. I like to get up early and use my computer. I bring my own instant coffee in a jar or packets.

While visiting England, Ireland and Scotland recently, many of our hotels had kettles to heat water. In Germany, we had to rely on the breakfast area for our early morning coffee and tea. On that trip I developed a sinus infection and needed to "create" a vaporizer. Went to the local Saturn store and purchased a Kenwood 2-cup kettle - helped relieve my sinus problems, and now when I travel to Europe I take my little kettle with me. Sooo nice to have coffee (even if it is instant), my favorite teas, or instant soup if he weather is cold. Great investment.

I carry the following two items if I think my hotel will not have a coffeemaker/water heater: http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkEF123 and http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkFP589 It works great. Just remember.....never plug the immersion heater into the wall unless the other end is submerged in water. If it's out of the water, it will short out. The cup handles the heat with no problem. And they weigh practically nothing.

If you go to the UK, you will have no problems. Almost every place I stayed had an electric kettle in the room. I think I would look for something when you arrive. You can then find something that is appropriate for the voltage and you don't have to drag it across the ocean. ; Pam

Mary - I do the same as Frank II. I take a dual voltage immersion heater (though my cup is a light weight metal cup with folding handle from REI.) Pack the immersion heater inside the mug for travel. As others have said, it is MOST important to put the heater in the water before you plug it in. Doesn't weigh much and doesn't take up much space. And it heats a cup of water faster in Europe than in the U.S. I don't see the cup on the REI website but I think this is the same cup. http://www.amazon.com/Cup-Joe-Camping-Coffee-Mug/dp/B002919PO0

I think, there have always been hot water available at the hotels, inn, etc. You can have coffee everywhere! :)

In the USA it is easy to get coffee or hot water early in the morning. However in europe at the smaller hotels that RS tours stay it is near impossible to get coffee or hot water before breakfast opens which is around 7:00am. That is why I bring my own Kenwood hot water warmer.

Thanks for all the great advice. Will be in Germany mostly. I'm going to try the dual voltage immersion heater and with care hopefully I won't burn it out. If that fails me I will look for a small electric pot there.... I was thinking I might pick up a coffee cup when I get there since I like them as souvenirs any way.

I have a 220v immersion heater that I must have bought in Europe; it has the Continental 2-pin plug. It has made seven 2-week trips with me and is still fine. I am very careful about unplugging it before I remove it from the water.

After traveling to Europe I am a lot more critical of the coffee I drink. The thought of sitting in the room drinking instant, or whatever you make with a coil, compared to what you can probably get around the corner doesn't make sense anymore.