I've stayed in tiny spaces around the world. Here's what they've taught me about the best — and worst — small home design tips.

As a renter of a 500-square-foot NYC apartment, I book travel in the small accommodations so I may learn new ways to efficiently maximize tight spaces, starting with my own.

Read more: I paid $500 for a private room on a 30-hour Amtrak ride that came with 2 beds and a toilet. Take a look inside.

2023-05-28

From trailers to sleeper train cabins, some of these tiny spaces have taught me clever storage hacks while others have shown me inefficient designs to avoid in my own space.

Read more: I'm a tiny home enthusiast and stay in small spaces around the world. This tube-shaped home in Europe is the coolest yet, with 6 features I've never seen

 

While not all of these hacks are applicable to my rental, learning them has given me ideas for saving space in homes throughout my life, no matter how small.

When I stayed in a 400-square-foot geodesic dome in Canada that I found on Airbnb, I learned about how a floor plan can impact how large a space feels.

Source: Airbnb

I thought it looked small from the outside, but to me, its open floor plan made the space feel larger since there were no divisive walls taking up space.

Read more: I glamped in a geodesic dome in the woods. It rained the whole time and was still one of the coolest places I've stayed.

At a tiny home hotel in Germany that I also booked through Airbnb, I learned a tip for doubling the square footage of a small space.

Source: Airbnb

At 53 square feet, the first level included the bathroom, a sitting area with a fold-out table and a coffee nook. A ladder to the second lofted floor made an additional 53-square-foot bedroom.

Read more: I spent 2 nights at a 2-story, 100-square-foot tiny home in Germany that was smaller than any I've seen in the US. Take a look inside.

The bathroom gave me more ideas for saving space with a unique layout.

A shower curtain separated the shower head and sink from the toilet and storage shelving. I thought the shower was positioned far enough away from the toilet to make them feel like two separate rooms.

A found an even smaller full bathroom inside a 45-square-foot sleeper cabin on an Amtrak train from Miami to NYC.

Read more: I spent $1,000 to have a room to myself on a 30-hour Amtrak ride, and it's easily the best overnight train accommodation I've ever booked

Separated from the rest of the room by a door, the bathroom had a shower head above the same space as the toilet.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I was fascinated by the efficiency inside the smallest full bathroom I'd ever seen, but it felt too cramped to replicate in a home to me.

However, the room had some unique space-saving hacks I would definitely use, like a fold-out table between two seats.

Another example of this was the pockets on the walls next to the top bunk. This created vertical storage without taking up any of the square footage.

When I stayed in a 250-square-foot home in Miami, I noticed more uses of wall space to maximize storage, as well as decor.

Read more: I spent 2 nights in a 250-square-foot tiny home that's half the size of my NYC apartment, and now I think I could live in one

The wall decor included paintings, prints, and sculptures that went all the way to the ceiling, drawing my eyes up and elongating the space. It seemed to make a huge difference in making the room feel bigger without much effort.

In the bathroom, I noticed that some of the decor doubled as storage, eliminating the need for furniture.

In the same room, the closet had a curtain instead of an actual door that would have taken up much more room, especially when open.

Outside, the yard's additional furniture gave me more space to hang out. This made me think that maximizing outdoor space can make living tiny more bearable.

I had a similar experience with the outdoor space when I stayed in a wine barrel that was converted into a tiny accommodation in Switzerland.

Read more: I paid $400 to sleep in a barrel in Switzerland and had the best glamping experience of my life

Outside the barrel, which was 14 feet long with a sitting area and bedroom, there was a garden with potted plants alongside communal dining spaces. I thought this made my stay more fun and relaxing.

While many of the tiny accommodations I've booked have had efficient layouts full of storage hacks, others felt like something was missing, giving me insight into how not to design a small space, like this Airstream trailer I booked in Vienna.

Read more: I paid $300 for 2 nights in an Airstream trailer. It was my first time sleeping in one, and I'll never do it again in a city.

Inside, I thought the 22-foot-long trailer looked like a mid-century modern dream, but it lacked storage solutions such as cabinets or drawers.

Without them, the space got messy fast as my clothes covered the floors. This made the accommodation feel cramped, I thought.

Hotel Daniel, the company that operates the trailer on the same property, told Insider that it is meant to surprise and inspire travelers, but is only designed to be comfortable for a short stay.

Source: Hotel Daniel

Another tiny accommodation I booked showed me how not to design a shared small space — a bunk in a sleeper train from Austria to Italy in a cabin for up to six people.

Read more: I bunked with 3 strangers in a shared cabin on an overnight train in Europe. It was bumpy, cramped, and I wouldn't do it again.

At 74 square feet, the space felt cramped, which I expected. But I didn't think the bunks would lack privacy.

Although there was a curtain covering the windowed door to the corridor, there were none between the bunks. This made me feel less comfortable in the shared cabin.

"We are constantly working on improvements to our product and also take into account the requirements of our customers," a representative for OBB Nightjet, the company that runs the train, told Insider.

Source: OBB Nightjet

These tight spaces have taught me so much that I'll keep booking tiny accommodations to continue to educate and inspire me when it comes to using space efficiently.

Read more: I spent a night in one of the most wish-listed Airbnbs in the world. Take a look inside the Great Smoky Mountains cabin, which is worth a visit just for the views.