The delights of a motorway service station hotel were not immediately apparent to me. McDonald's and KFC are not exactly haute cuisine. The noisy and very functional hotel was not Shangri La. I was working in Bristol, living in London. To avoid a daily commute, I used a variety of cheap hotels. This one week I had forgotten to book my usual hotel, and all I could manage was the Ramada at the Gordano Services on the M5 jus...

After my experience with various hotels, I discovered a better alternative - staying in a local house in a 'spare room'. The benefits were manifold. It was cheaper, I could leave clothes and toiletries rather than carrying back and forth, and lastly, I met new people. So it was that I found people with a spare room who were happy to have someone contribute to the costs of running a house. I stayed with a number of people....

When I first started contract work away from home, I was staying in hotels. Apart from the odd night out with fellow workers, it was a fairly lonely existence. I used a few dating sites to see if I could get some dates, not so much for a relationship or even sex, but mainly just some company over dinner or drinks. One of the first I chatted to seemed quite lonely and was quite agreeable to meeting up. We met in Clifton. I...

Of all the places I stayed when I was working in Bristol, the strangest of all was a self-contained room above a garage. It had an area with a bed, a small shower room, a bathroom, and a kitchenette. I could come and go as I pleased. The family living in the house were friendly and they invited me in for food or a drink occasionally. In return, I helped with problems they seemed to have with technology from time to time....

I enjoyed working in Bristol. It has a buzzy atmosphere, with lots happening. I made good use of my time there, going to a wide variety of concerts, comedy gigs, and even a wine appreciation course at the local university. I also enjoyed visiting local pubs, often sampling the pub quizzes with work colleagues. One of the friends I'd made in the office was an Asian chap called Raj. He knew I enjoyed (and was pretty good at...