Four years ago, I went on my first trip to Europe during which I visited Rome, Paris & Barcelona. I was traveling with a friend who wasn’t interested in trying out hostels so we decided to stay in hotels, which we selected based on their prices (cheap!). This worked out ok for Paris and Barcelona. However, for our Rome trip, the daily 40-minute bus ride from the hotel into the city to visit key attractions was not something we were expecting!
Reflecting on my Rome trip, I realized that time is just as valuable as money! It’s all about finding the balance between having an affordable stay and taking advantage of every opportunity so that you can maximize your vacation time.
If you want to achieve this vacation sweet spot, here are 3 key things you need to do before you book your accommodations:
1. Have an idea of the activities you’d like to do.
Having an idea of what you want to do during your vacation is a key part of determining where you will stay. If all your desired “things to do” are concentrated in one area, you should consider booking an accommodation that is not on the opposite end of town.
2. Identify the distance between your accommodation, key attractions and public transit.
I love Berlin's transit system. It's so easy to navigate!
This is a biggie and something I clearly didn’t do when I planned my Rome trip. When I travel, I tend to ball on a budget and try to avoid unnecessary expensive taxi rides (especially in cities with solid transit systems). Once you get an idea of what you want to do, identify the distance between your accommodation, your key attractions and public transit.
Something to think about:
What is the maximum amount of time you want to spend in transit (bus, train, etc.)? I typically aim for up to a 20 minute commute (this includes the time it takes to get to the public transit from my accommodation).
My go-to resources for identifying places to stay are Air BnB & Trip Advisor.
Air BnB
Even if you don’t decide to book an accommodation through Air BnB, you can still use its location feature to identify neighborhoods to stay. When you select a place, navigate to the Location tab to get a geographic sense of where the neighborhood is relative to attractions and public transit.
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor’s Location tab offers another way to help guide your decision by looking at top-rated nearby attractions and restaurants!
3. Read reviews
The last thing you want to do before booking your accommodation is to read recent guest reviews. Pictures and descriptions provided by the business can be misleading, but guest reviews and pictures can provide you with a realistic idea of what to expect during your stay. Tripadvisor has over 435 million travel reviews. Tripadvisor reviews follow a badge system where you can identify the knowledge and expertise of the reviewer. In a world of unmonitored comments, Tripadvisor’s comprehensive system helps me trust the reviews shared on their site.
Now that you’ve thought about what you want to do during your vacation, identified neighborhoods that are close to those activities and public transit, and read guest reviews, you are all set to book!
What are some other key things you consider before you book your accommodations? I would love to hear about them in the comments section!
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I always read reviews, although sometimes you have to take with a pinch of salt otherwise you would never book anywhere!! I also ask friends/travelling buddies if they can recommend anywhere too 🙂
I agree, reviews are meant to be taken with a grain of salt!
This is such a great list. I had a similar ‘too far away from everywhere I want to see’ problem while I was in Prague and ever since then I’ve been careful to check exactly where everything is on Maps before I book.
Thanks for reading!! <3
My motto in life is "you get what you pay for" – I love how you recognize time is money as most budget travelers neglect that part. Great tips!
Thank you!! And I agree the "you get what you pay for" is a very humbling attitude.
researching location is so important! i recently booked a trip and researched safety of my area, but forgot to map out to attractions i was visiting! needless to say, i’ll need to bring good walking shoes lol.
http://www.alwayserin.com
haha bring your fitbit too! Get those miles in 🙂
Great tips! We are looking to book a vacation soon, so I will keep these in mind!
Thank you! Happy trip planning!
Trip Advisor is my go to site for everything! Restaurants, activities, and accommodations. It is a great way to verify the big ticket items and avoid unpleasant surprises.
It’s so comprehensive! I love it!
Thats really good tips; I never thought about using the Location Tab in Airbnb to actually check good or convenient but it’s a great idea! Paris is relatively small so it’s easy to get around or to find a location close to key attractions.. but in wide cities it can be really difficult to estimate distances! What looks like a 10 minutes walk can be easily turn out to be a 30 min walk.
Thanks for reading! Yes distance is key. I’m from Manhattan where the city blocks are really long, so it may take you longer to walk than you anticipate.
Yes all good points. The other thing I check is wifi. I want to know if I will have it in my room and if it will be free. This could be a deal breaker for me.
That’s true! Wifi is a deal breaker for me too!
These are great tips! I love just winging it when it comes to staying somewhere, but I definitely aim to make sure I’m still in close proximity to the best nightlife, restaurants, etc.
Thanks for reading!!
Totally agree with these! Proximity + good reviews are key!
I love Trip Advisor. It has saved my butt a few times. Great tips I will be using as I prepare to go to Ireland.
Trip Advisor is awesome! Ohh Ireland should be fun! Happy trip planning!
I am planning to travel this summer, and was looking for more informations about Air BnB, so thanks for sharing your opinion xo
http://www.theninebyivana.blogspot.com
You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s helpful!
You are right, staying close to the sites and things you want to do is critical, especially when visiting for a short period of time. I think it is important as well to have a general idea of what you want to experience. If your traveling to see the monuments, staying close is key. If food is the reason for travel, then knowing where the "hot" food spots are helps. If you want to relax and chill, then staying away from the busy parts of town is helpful. Great tips, especially for first time travelers.
Thanks for reading! And yes having a general idea of what you want to experience is helpful.
Yes, it’s so smart to look up the distance between your accommodation and what you are going to be doing. That can save you lots of travel time! 🙂
Yup!! And time = money 🙂
I like to consult Trip Advisor as well. I spend so much time looking at maps before I go anywhere but it helps so much to be within a short commute of activities!
Yea, I find it extremely useful to do the legwork before your trip. Especially when you have limited time, you want to maximize it.
Nothing can make or break a trip like your accommodations! In Cuba, my BF and I stayed at an Airbnb that threatened to ruin part of our visit in Havana. We decided to stay at another place and it made a world of a difference.
I’m glad ya’ll were able to switch your accommodations!
I follow the same process while booking my accommodation.
Great minds think alike 🙂