subject: Finding the Right Hotel at the Right Rate. Even at the Last Minute [print this page] Finding the Right Hotel at the Right RateFinding the Right Hotel at the Right Rate. Even at the Last Minute
So you've composed your "Bucket List" and the first item is "Visit the Great Wall of China." You and your buddy look at each other and both agree it is the moment to do it: you're off to China! Then the realization sets in: you will need to pack, you have to finish up last minute work responsibilities, and you have no idea where to stay; besides that, you really can't handles the costs of a big, expensive vacation. what is to be done? The bright side: you can certainly oprt for the "low cost" route and reduce your accommodations costs massively by using cheap hotel deals or staying at budget hotel chains. Or, if the stars are in alignment and you've got everything going just right, your idea to travel magically coincides with the slow-season in China; if this is what happens, you can count on locating awesome discounts on accommodations, as hotels have to book their rooms during the off-season and are likely to accept as much as 75% off just to get you to stay. However, no matter what time of year it is, there are a few things you can do that will aid you in finding discount hotels that fit your last-minute travel needs.
Above all: shop on the Internet, shop on the Web, book on the Web! There is virtually no part of the world where computer connections can't be found: in your apartment on your laptop, in a favorite coffee house during a short packing coffee break, even at a kiosk inside the airport while you are waiting for your flight to board. Today there are endless Internet discounts available and you are even able to vie over the Web for a room. All you need to do is jump on the Web and become your own travel agent, reserving exactly what works for you, as most online hotel deals include pictures of the hotel and even the rooms themselves.
Speaking of travel agents, that is an additional option: call up a nearby travel agent and let them do everything for you. This simplifies the process on your side and gives you extra time in your last-minute running about. but there is one potential downside: remember that travel agents have alterior motives in convincing you to stay at more expensive places, as they usually work on a commission basis. However, if you really feel crunched for time and a bit overwhelmed about figuring out hotel deals in a country you've never seen in the past, a travel agent is the best option.
If both options seem wrong to you, there is always the super-cheap route: staying in a hostel or pension house. Remember that where you rest is not your main concern: your goal is to get out and see and do whatever you can on the trip. With those facts in mind, sleeping at a hostel makes good sense: you have a safe bed to sleep in and can use your cash for all the activities you want to do in the daytime. And, if you find you truly can't bear to exercise the ultra-economic plan, you could always search for low rates and hotel deals while you are out and about and move to that place instead, spending only a night or two at the hostel.
More than anything else, relax! There are lots of tricks to make this first activity on your "Bucket List" a reality, and do so without spending a fortune.
