Here are some tips and things for you to consider when searching for a place to stay
1. Number of rooms
If you travel with company make sure that you have separate rooms or at least all have normal beds instead of a couch or an extendable sofa. Very often when traveling in 3, the 3rd person gets the couch or the extendable sofa, which let’s admit is not the most comfortable place to sleep on.
2. Having an activity plan
Take some time to plan your vacation activities ahead, as well as the places that you would like to eat in. This will help you understand which location is best for you to choose within close proximity to the places you are to spend most of your time on, most often that would be the city center.
3. Nearby public transport
Usually, if your accommodation is in the city center you won’t need public transport as much as if you weren’t. However, you might still need to go someplace further than the place you’re staying at, which would make sense to have public transportation nearby. If you have identified that there is, get curious about the prices since in some locations public transport can get quite pricey.
4. Budget spending priorities
Most likely you are traveling to see the city however, for some, accommodation can weigh the same importance as the city itself. So if you are traveling mostly to see the city, make a list of the things that are essential and important for an accommodation to have, things such as heating, blinders, hot water, fridge in the room, etc. However, if you wish for your accommodation to be as a relaxing space and would like to benefit from more facilities besides the necessities, try to list the benefits you would like to profit from, that could be massage, spa room, gym, restaurant, club, etc.
5. Noise level
If you prefer silence, staying on your own, or going early to sleep, it could be a good idea to choose a place that is more remote or that is in a quiet area. However, if you enjoy partying and socializing with people, going late to sleep, it would make sense to choose a place that corresponds to this behavior, for example, places that organize parties, that own a club, etc.
6. Convenience
Identify for yourself which facilities and benefits such as having breakfast and room service, laundry, spa, pool, medical help, wifi, etc you’d like to get. In addition to the necessities, many apartment and home rentals provide a nice host gesture such as cake or wine. Hostels don’t usually supply toiletries or towels to their visitors, but they have great deals on activities like guided tours, pub crawls, adventure sports, and concerts.
7. Available parking
If you are going to have a car, consider places that have parking available at your accommodation. Otherwise, try to look up the prices for parking – you might get surprised about the high prices in some locations. Also, consider the fact that in some cities the parking spaces are tightly positioned, so you might need some skills to park in such spaces.
8. Cooking facilities
This one is one of those things you don’t consider when choosing accommodation, however, you might want to. In a hotel room, it is less likely for you to find any cutlery or other cooking facilities since most hotels want you to dine in their restaurants. However, rented apartments and houses do usually have some basic dishes but might have them in small numbers, so if this is important to you then you should specify these details from the landlord.
9. Safety
You may question the fact that some accommodations are considerably cheaper than others, of course, the reasoning behind it can be different, however, some places within the same distance from the city center can have totally different prices. One of the reasons for that could be that you are more likely to find cheap accommodation in not-so-safe sectors where the crime level is high. Always remember that your safety values more than money, so do your research and think about how much of your money will make you feel safer and where.
10. Vaccines
Depending on the country you are going to or coming from, there could be certain regulations for having a vaccine taken a certain period prior to checking in at your accommodation. That could be the case if you travel to some regions where there are certain viruses or particular illnesses. A vaccine document could be mandatory to present for worldwide viruses as well.
11. Opposite sex restrictions
Consider that usually private landlords of certain countries might forbid two or more people of the opposite sex from checking in the same accommodation or at least room. That could also be the case for staying overnight at monasteries or religious places.
12. Scams
It isn’t a rare phenomenon for fake placements with attractive prices to appear on popular accommodation search platforms. In order to avoid any of that, make sure to proceed with a booking strictly through a trustworthy service like Booking or Airbnb, which has a moneyback guarantee. However, sometimes, the landlord of an accommodation placed in a trustworthy place might indicate a phone number or email for price negotiation and therefore persuade you to transfer the money through an individual transfer. Be very careful who you trust, you might get scammed this way.
13. Reviews
Always, but always read the reviews to make sure that your preferences correspond to the reality of other people’s experiences. Also, make sure that the reviews you read are of real people and are not framed. Reading reviews is the best way to ensure a good quality stay, meeting your expectations.
Hopefully, taking into consideration these factors will make it easier for you to find a great place for your stay. Always remember that the most important factor to consider is for you to feel comfortable and safe in a great environment, surrounded by nice people. Should you be curious about how to get cheap accommodation or flight tickets, check out the other posts on our blog and start your travel journey from now.
