We don’t know about you, but we’ve stayed in a lot of different places while traveling. And by that we mean A LOT. We have also stayed in everything from 4 star luxury resorts to hostels with 24 beds in a room to pitching tents and camping. While some of the most “interesting” make great stories years later, we’re hopeful we can help you avoid some of our pitfalls.
This list is in order. Whenever you proceed to the next number always remember to go back to those above and make sure that rule still applies. We think this will give you overall the best lodging experience.
1) Location Matters
We’ve stayed in town, we’ve stayed out of town. We’ve stayed off subway lines, train lines, a short drive away with free parking. We’ve made mistakes with this a lot, so we’re hoping to stop you from repeating ours. Part of your overall experience of a city includes the location you stay when you travel. Generally staying in the “old town” in cities that have them are a good idea. Everything you’ll want to see will be easily walkable. Make sure when you’re using booking.com or your preferred travel site you Google Maps the location. “0 feet from city center” may not be the part of the city you want to stay in. While a train or bus sounds easy to hop onto to get to the cute part of the city, it will limit your going – you’ll pause getting onto a train again at 8pm for dinner when you’ve just gotten back to change from a day of walking around. A few examples: we stayed in a lovely old French farmhouse near Sarlat, France which was beautiful, however a 15 minute drive into town. That meant we couldn’t easily wander the stunning town at night (which is part of the fun) or easily walk to the bakeries in the morning. We stayed at a stunning 4-star property in Hanoi, Vietnam, however it was about a 30 minute cab ride to get into town. While convenient for leaving town for day trips, we missed out on the vibrancy and culture of downtown Hanoi since getting into town was such a hassle. Even if the lodging looks nicer, even if it’s less expensive, even if it offers a better breakfast, it’s more important to stay close to the crux of what you want to visit. Ask yourself, can I walk to the sites I want to see in town? Is it really worth a 5 or 10 minute drive into town to stay at this other property (and how will I park once I get to town)? When booking, always think: location, location, location.
2) Reviews Matter
We like booking.com (though this could change given a recent experience attempting to get reimbursed because of Covid) and their reviews are very helpful. We filter properties first by review score – only clicking “awesome” or “very good”. We also take time to read the reviews, especially the mid-range reviews. Typically people give a 1 star when they’re angry. They give a 2 or 3 because they think it deserves a 2 or 3. Look for buzzwords like “dirty”, “unresponsive host”, etc. Even when we pick lodging out of a guide book, we look at the reviews the property received online. Example, we had an ill-fated experience near Tallinn where we trusted a guidebook for our lodging. The lodging ended up being dirty with stained sheets, the breakfast was aggressive and we were physically pushed by folks on a tour bus that had stopped, and a drunk man followed us fully into our room…needless to say, checking the reviews online after suggested it was not a great place to stay (it was also a bad location, so always follow rule #1 – it could have saved us). Don’t read the reviews on the hotel site itself (those are often cherry-picked). Instead find a hotel booking website you trust and be picky.
3) The Priciest Hotels are Almost Never Worth It
We won’t say they’re never worth it – we have stayed in some amazing places that have broken this rule on a handful of occasions, but if you’re traveling on a budget (as most of us are), lodging is not the place to blow that budget in our opinion. There are a lot of mid-range options that are lovely. Look at point #1 and #2 and then look at options in a price range that sounds reasonable to you. Stay in a nice but reasonable place with good reviews and save the rest of your money for excursions and dining.
4) Why Choose a Hotel Chain when you can have Character?
I mean, we know the answer: loyalty program and points. We too have points and use them. However, if your trip is not points-driven, we’ve had better experiences at boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts than we have at big hotel chains. Over the years the vast majority of these boutique accommodations have found their way online (either through booking or airbnb or online vacation rentals) and typically offer a cheaper and more authentic experience. Often these reside in historical homes/buildings and the staff tends to be passionate about the area. Plus supporting local business is always a great idea. To be frank, not all of these locations will have air conditioning or a hair dryer – so if amenities are important to you, check that they have what you need ahead of time. Of course Marriott or Hyatt will always be there as perfectly solid options, but when you can go boutique, do so.
5) Always Choose Refundable
This is a new “hard rule” for us during Covid, but really, it’s a better idea and we’re going to keep it moving forward. How many of us lost a money during Covid because of non-refundable bookings (we’re raising our hands)? It’s just not worth the $50 you’ll save booking non-refundable. While travel insurance used to cover it during a severe illness or other legitimate reason to cancel a trip, it certainly does not cover a pandemic. It’s just not worth the risk in these tumultuous times or this unpredictable world.
6) Airbnb and VRBO
We sometimes love these as options. We have rented some fantastic cabins and apartments. We have also rented some horrible places. We also rent out our property, so we are no strangers to these sites. Our best recommendation is to be cautions. When are these rentals great? If you have a large group, if you have a prolonged stay (more than a couple of days), or if you’re in an expensive city. When are these rentals not great? When you’re staying for one night, when a hotel may be the same price, or when these options are further outside of the city center. First, check what kind of rental you’re getting – a booking with or without the owner. We personally have no interest in a “room in an apartment” – when booking, we want the apartment minus the owner, however we’re ok if the unit is split and the owners live in one unit. Know what you’re comfortable with. You can filter for this. Read the reviews. Seriously. This is even more important than when booking a hotel. If things seem suspicious or recent reviews slam them, I’d avoid the property. You’ll have to pay a cleaning fee which is why staying a few days is typically what makes this type of property worth it. Check the laws in the city you’re visiting and make sure this type of rental is legal – we got burned on this in Amsterdam and had some very angry people yell at us for renting an apartment. Be wary if the owner’s “rules” seem strange or off – such as “don’t interact with neighbors”, “keep the shades down” – it’s probably not legal. Specify how many people there will be so there are enough linens. Don’t expect basic cooking supplies (salt, pepper, oil) – you’ll most likely have to provide them yourself. Our favorite horror story includes the time we accidentally rented out an entire hostel in Dubrovnik…sold as apartments on airbnb. Not only did we sleep in cheap hostel bunks and were awoken by backpackers at 8am the day we left wanting to drop their things, we later found the listing on hostelworld.com. It was terrible. We also have rented apartments above a music club and above an adult store (covered in graffiti) – good stories, but would not recommend. We spend more time picking lodgings than the average people, so if we can make these mistakes more than once, it can happen to anyone. Be ultra vigilant and picky on these sites.
6) Transportation
When you pick the place you’re going to stay, at least consider how you’re getting there. If you’re driving a car, is there free parking or will that be an additional cost you need to budget for? Is there actually street parking nearby and do you need a permit (email the property and ask)? If you’re taking the train, can you walk with your luggage or will you need a cab? If you need a cab, is it easy to just hail one (and trust the cabbie/force a metered fair), is Uber an option, or should you have your lodgings send a car for you? Does the hotel offer a shuttle and do you need to arrange it ahead of time?
7) Check-in Time
Verify what time you can actually check in and then arrive on time. We have had issues with this in the past, where our day took us longer than we thought and we didn’t get to a mom-and-pop property until 9pm and the host was very unhappy with us. It’s a quick thing to check and a quick thing to let the property know ahead of time to avoid this.
8) Number of Guests
Be up front about the number of guests you have. If you need a rollaway for a kid, verify a few days before that they still know this. Don’t forget to mention you need a rollaway – you could end up without one. Don’t claim 2 adults for an airbnb when there are really 3. There very well may not be linens on all of the beds.
8) A Note on Hostels
We’ve done hostels. We’ve done them in the 1970s and 80s, we’ve done them in the 2000’s. Hostels have changed. Often they are not the great deal they used to be 50 years ago when they were exceptionally cheap and you could show up asking for a bed. In the past 20 years they have become more expensive and if you have a travel companion, often aren’t a better deal than a hotel. The benefits of a hostel: cheaper if you’re traveling alone, often in a good location, sociable. The downsides of a hostel: not always a great deal unless you’re willing to bunk with strangers, you can’t always protect your stuff, the snoring (I’m sort of serious). If you’re in your teens or 20s it can be fun traveling solo, meeting people in the common area of hostels. As a female, I’d recommend a female only dorm or a private room if you can afford it – I felt safer in those, though I’ve stayed in both and it’s almost always fine. If you have a travel companion, spring for the private room. Bring flip flops for the showers. Bring a lock for the lockers to store your passport (or sleep with a money belt on or put the passport and wallet in your pillow when you’re sleeping). Bring ear-buds if you’re in a shared room – many people who stay in hostels stay out super late at bars and clubs. If you’re getting on a 6am train, this can be extremely annoying. Don’t expect a decent breakfast – often it’s bread. Bottom line: ok to consider if you’re young, traveling alone or with one other person (but again hotels may be the same price), or really love night life. Otherwise, accept you’re too old and look elsewhere.
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