How to Find The Best Accommodation For Your Vacation
How to book a perfect stay for your holiday?
In this article, I will list ten tips to find the best accommodation for your trip. Whether you are traveling to Europe, Asia, or Australia, these tips will help you plan your trip easily.
1. Use trustworthy booking sites
Safety first!
Imagine that you almost get to the city and realize that your host canceled at the last minute or the hotel declined your booking request? You can receive excellent support and the best deal by using trustworthy sites.
I have traveled to 31 countries and stayed at different types of accommodation. Here are a few trusted websites that help me to save money and time searching:
- Booking.com
- Hotels.com
- Airbnb
- Expedia
2. Choose the location carefully
Location is an important factor in choosing accommodation. Before booking any place, you should consider:
- How to go there from the airport? Does the hotel provide an airport shuttle?
- Is it near the center/ train station/ bus station?
- Are there any restaurants and shops around?
- Is it easy to reach the main attractions of accommodation?
There are several cheap accommodations on booking sites, but many are far away and not convenient to reach or commute.
Unless you’d like to take a cab or get on a long bus/ train ride every time, you should stay in the central area close to public transport, airports, local attractions, restaurants, and can get out and walk to most things.
How to choose the best hotel location?
Unfortunately, you can choose the location wisely with Booking.com interactive map. Using Booking.com‘s map view to compare options and prices, you will be able to find the best accommodation that fits your needs.
3. Read reviews
Reviews written by other guests are informative and helpful. Text reviews and scores are two factors you should consider when looking for accommodation.
The best way to read reviews is to check reviews from travelers who have similar trips like you – solo travel, family travel, couple travel, and which type of room that they booked – Dorm bed, Dingle room, Double room, Twin room, Triple room (for family), etc.
Also, you can read reviews from different booking sites if you have more spare time –Booking.com, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia.
4. Consider scores in all features
You should consider the overall rating of the accommodation and take a closer look at other scores such as Cleanliness, Comfort, Facilities, Staff, Value for Money, Location.
5. Use stars as a guide only
You should not consider much about the hotel’s star because it can vary from country to country.
One 3-star-hotel in one country can be better than a 4-star-hotel in another country. You should consider the facilities and services to choose the best accommodation.
6. Look for extra hidden cost
Sometimes the accommodation does not show all the prices as their “final cost.” The most common hidden charge is a tax (per night/ per stay).
Also, you may need to pay extra for service, facilities such as towels, bedsheets, property service charges, etc.
Therefore, you should check whether there is an extra cost, so the actual price will not add up than you expected.
7. Check the facilities & services
It is worth checking the facilities and services carefully before booking your stay. Some accommodations may charge for necessary facilities such as wifi although major places don’t.
Some places may have a restriction on using time of services.
For example, you cannot use the hairdryer after midnight till 6 am, or you will need to leave the hostel from 10 am to 2 pm during the stay for cleaning purposes (It happens a lot in Osaka, Japan).
Also, you should check other facilities such as parking, swimming pool, spa, gym, washing machine, etc., to have a great stay.
8. Book early
Don’t book at the last minute because the price can go up or the place is sold out. The worst thing is opening the browser to book your dream place and realizing that it is sold out on the day you intend to stay.
Also, you can cancel at no cost before arrival day withBooking.com, so even when you change your mind, it will not matter much.
9. Sign up for the loyalty program
When you sign up as a member on any booking sites such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, or Airbnb, you will get a discount or deals from them.
For example, you will get one free stay after ten stays at Hotels.com. Isn’t it great? Check it out here.
10. Don’t hesitate to ask
If you have any questions or inquiries regarding the facilities, services, etc., don’t hesitate to email or call the property. Sometimes you can even add more services with discounts by negotiating with the hotel.
Also, it is recommended to double-check with the property to make sure that your booking is correct.
I like your idea to read reviews when choosing lodging. My husband and I want to go on a relaxing vacation soon. Following your tips should help us choose the best bed and breakfast to stay at!
Thank you for stopping by. I’m glad that you like the tips!
You’ve got some solid tips here! I completely agree that choosing the right location and hotel is key and can make or break your holiday. I love to travel and explore new places and I plan these things properly first and then I start to explore. Anyways, thank you for sharing this great and helpful blog with us. I will shre this blog with others and bookmark this pag for future reference. Keep up the good work.
I’m about to take a vacation trip this holiday season. I’m looking for a lodge with complete amenities and near the tourist spots that I’ll be visiting. Thanks for pointing out that I have to use a site that has a full map view that shows the pricing, alternative hotel options that best fits my needs. Cheers!
I’ve been planning to take my family on vacation; such as we can stay in a lodge. Befoe choosing, I’ll keep in mind to check the customer reviews from the site that you’ve mentioned. I am hoping to find a lodge where we can do some fun activities as well such as hunting.
My family and I will be in an out of town trip this coming holiday season to spend our vacation wisely. Thanks for pointing out that location is one of the main considerations in choosing the best place to stay in every destination. Hence, it is truly suggested to plan ahead of time and try to book as early as possible to get some promotions and discounts.
I like how you mentioned to choose the best location for your next vacation carefully and make sure there are main attractions nearby. My wife and I like to exercise while on vacation and we’re thinking about running vacation races because they combine both exercising and relaxing for enjoyment. It seems like a good investment to mindfully plan where we’d like to stay fit and unwind on our time off.
It’s good to know that an important factor is choosing a location. My husband and I are wanting to find a cabin to stay in for a family trip coming up a couple of weeks and we want to make sure we choose the best place to stay. We’ll make sure to keep these tips in mind as we search for a cabin to stay in.
I’ve been traveling for years and until now, I still don’t know how to pick a hotel that best fits me. Your tip about visiting the installation and find about their service is a great way to find the one I need. I will remember doing this next time I need to book a room for my trip.
I didn’t know before that we could save money one a hotel if we are to book it early, so I appreciate that you mentioned it. My wife and I have been wanting to go on vacation, and it will be important for us to know that we could find the best hotel to stay at once we do go. When we look for one, I will be sure to book it early, so we could save some money.
You made a great point when you explained that it is important to avoid waiting until the last minute to book vacation accommodations. My wife and I want to do some traveling next month, and we are hoping to find a good deal on a hotel so that we can spend our trip money elsewhere. We’ll be sure to book as early as possible when we find a hotel we like.