It’s a new year, which means new trips! The early stages of planning your new adventures, is obviously one of the most important steps to take before going on a trip. But another key ingredient to note is your accommodation.
Whether you intend on staying at a small Bed & Breakfast, hotel, or Airbnb your accommodation can make or break your trip experience. So here are a few tips that we use when finding a hotel for our trips.
Budget
The amount of money you are willing to spend on accommodations is entirely up to you. Try to pinpoint the maximum amount you are willing to pay nightly and on many hotel search engines, you can filter through hotels by prices.
We like to book mid-range budget hotels which are often 3 or 4 star properties but still offer 5 star amenities.
Speaking of location!
Location
Unless you intend on driving yourself around, we recommend booking a hotel that has easy access to public transportation and sightseeing. This was super helpful on our first 2 week Italy trip because we used the metros, buses and our feet to get around.
We use a lot of public transportation on most of our trips, so besides the hotel rate, location is another important factor.
Amenities
Some important things to consider are the amenities offered on the property. Do you need a pool? Perhaps a spa or concierge service? Or how about on-site dining?
Another cool thing to look for is free wifi and even free breakfast included in the room rate. Not only is it a great perk, but it can help you save money on daily meals expenses.
I’ve said it before and will say it again – free wifi and breakfast included is a deal breaker for us. Our phone service does not work outside of the United States so we use the WiFi on our phones to FaceTime or message our family and I’m sure many other travelers do the same.
When it’s just me and Meshach traveling, then WiFi is the only way we can talk to Tristan back home. Plus as travel bloggers, we need internet to keep up with our social media accounts.
Guest Reviews
I am so glad there are blogs and hotel review sites out there who give a firsthand experience at a property. We value the opinions of previous guests because a hotel’s website can only give you basic information about their property.
Read as many hotel reviews as you can, and take notes. It will help you decide if you want to spend your hard earned money staying at a property. Plus, guest reviews can give you the inside scoop on which room has less noise, best view, etc.
We hope these tips will help you book your next accommodation with ease.
Where will you be traveling to this year? Comment below and share this post!
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