This is a tough one, but we've had good luck with Emma and pottying in places we've stayed overnight.
First off, I'll say that we keep 2 pads available at all times at home-one in our bedroom near her playpen, and one in our guest bathroom. When we're not home she gets one in the pen with her.
We went to my brother in law's for Thanksgiving, and she DID have an accident, but it was on his bathroom rug-it was thin and beige, so I don't blame her-at least she went to the right place!
And..it was easy to clean up being that it was on a rug. We took her to a hotel that night, and just put the pad in the hotel room in the "same place" relative to our bed in our own bedroom setup. She went immediately to it, and didn't have an accident at all that night or the next morning.
At friends houses, I put one down in a logical place-bathroom or by the door, or in big places, in the room we're in-then I put Emma on it and say, "potty" a couple of times. She then just GOES to it on her own.
We'll be going to my grandparents' place for Christmas, and I plan to put a pad by the back door, and one in the bedroom we stay in. That worked for the most part the last time we were there (but she was much younger too). I also plan to take her outside frequently when we're there, since she is trained to go indoors on pads or outside as well.
To sum it up, I'd say the most "logical" place for your puppy to find it is the best place to put the pad. Also, I find that physically SHOWING her where it is helps her identify the place to go, just in case she isn't sure.
Good luck!