Booking accommodations
In step one of ‘How to plan your next vacation’ I covered how to book a cheap flight and now it’s time for step two, how to book reasonably priced accommodations.
Going Solo
There’s nothing wrong with doing some solo traveling in your life and it’s better to start when you’re young. With no college debt to pay and not many responsibilities other than passing your classes, there’s no better time than now. Think of all the things you want to do and things you don’t want to miss out on. Going solo allows you the option to exclusively experience everything that you want to do on a trip that may have not happened, if you had to consider what other people wanted to do.
A fear you may have is being completely alone and I assure you that’s never the case (unless you pick a destination or outdoor activity where that’s the purpose). People are a lot nicer than you think and when traveling solo you’ll without a doubt meet some incredibly inspiring people. Going solo may push you out of your comfort zone and I assure you, the benefits are worthwhile.
If I convinced you to go solo, you may be thinking “Sure I can buy a plane ticket but, where do I stay?” The short answer is this; anywhere a pair or group of people would stay.
When solo traveling there are many cost effective options out there when looking at accommodation. One of them being hostels; Hostels (if you don’t know what they are) is an accommodation where you rent a bed (often being a bunk bed) and sleep within a room of people (the number vary’s) who are all the same gender as you or even cheaper options to sleep co-ed if you’re comfortable with that as well. There are kitchens on-site and usually a grocery shop near making it a perfect place for you to cook food. Hostels are meant to provide cheap accommodation and is an atmosphere for you to meet people.
I was mistaken to think that Hostels only exist in Europe, in fact there are many hostels around the globe even in cities in the United States. If traveling solo and don’t mind sharing a communal space, this is an option for you.
If wanting a private space but don’t want to break the bank by buying a hotel room for the duration of your trip, I recommend using Airbnb. Most people know what Airbnb is so I won’t go into depth about the explanation of it. But I will say this, wanting a private space is easy when using Airbnb. There are tons of options to rent a private bedroom when looking at the destination you intend on visiting.
More people
If going on a trip with multiple people it’s easy to find cost effective options. By adding an extra person you’re splitting the cost of accommodations. Airbnb is still a great option with many “stay’s” being an entire apartment, condo, or house. There is always the option of picking a hotel room and the the site I use for that is usually google lodging or booking.com. Sometimes it’s worth it to call the hotel to book over the phone to ask for student discounts (I’m not kidding this is happened to me once). If looking to go someplace warmer there are a multitude of options when considering staying in an all-inclusive resort.
Remember to be centrally located to the things you have planned to do. Booking things can be simple but sometimes transportation can be tricky.
Helpful Tips
Always make sure your accommodation has high reviews, a simple google search can answer if you’ll enjoy your stay there. Another thing is to always remember a towel and travel sized products, you’ll never know when you need it.
Also, be aware of your check-in time you don’t want to get there too early and wait around to check in. But, if that’s the case usually hotels and Hostels allow you to drop off your luggage before check in.
Lastly, always check prices of all options before you think that something is the cheapest option. There may be a great hotel deal that’s offer only lasts a few days. Have scrutiny and get excited because you’re almost done with booking the trip you’ve been looking forward too.