While the proverbial “tomorrow never comes” is indeed true, it’s important to plan for it. That’s true regarding many situations in life, such as when booking an accommodation in advance. After a long day of traveling to your destination, the last thing you want to experience is not having an accommodation. Even if you drove your own vehicle, sleeping in a car or truck is typically as much fun as watching grass grow. So it’s absolutely, positively critical to plan ahead and to book in advance. That said, it’s still possible that you’ll need to deal with various issues. Here are some of the main ones…
1. Changing/cancelling a reservation
Even if you took the time to reserve an accommodation, there’s always a chance that you’ll need to change or cancel it. For instance, it’s possible that there could be a delay or cancellation regarding your transport. If you made your reservation through a travel agent, you might have to make the cancellation through him or her. Otherwise, you can contact the accommodation directly. When making your accommodation reservation, it’s critical to take note of the lodging’s cancellation policy. Then you’ll know what to expect. : For example, you might be charged if you make the cancellation under a minimum notice period, which tends to be from 24-72 hours. So it’s important to learn the details of a particular accommodation’s cancellation policy.
2. Off-season
Have you considered traveling to your destination during the off-season, instead of the peak-season? You can enjoy huge benefits such as smaller crowds and cheaper entrance fees. When making a reservation for accommodations, you can often find off-season discounts for resort hotels during weekdays, and business hotels during weekends. Keep local holidays in mind, and keep seasons that are non-peak as an option. Certain attractions might not be open during the off-season. This is based on your particular destination. So before you book your trip, verify whether or not the attractions you wish to visit will be open. If they’re not, you could be in for a huge (and unpleasant) surprise when you get to your destination.
3. Last-minute deals
As a general rule you should never wait until the last moment to make your accommodation reservation. One main exception is last-minute offers. Usually the discounted rates aren’t advertised within the hotels. If you’re already a customer there, they typically don’t want you to pay less than the full rate. However, you can get in touch with a consolidator, who can help you to find last-minute deals. This can save you a ton of effort when you’re staying in a huge city. Search for consolidators who offer both online and telephone booking. Then you’ll have more options.
When planning for a trip, you should definitely consider booking your accommodations in advance. Don’t forget issues such as changing/cancelling your reservation, and off-season/last-minute deals. Being in the know can help to save you even more money when you make your reservation. That will free up money for other things. And you might even be able to extend your vacation 1-2 days!