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Avoid these 6 hotel booking mistakes

Avoid these 6 hotel booking mistakes

When you plan for a vacation, you start with booking the tickets, planning the itinerary, and looking for accommodation. You may already have a few hotel options to choose from, or you may ask friends and family for recommendations. You may also look at places online as multiple platforms offer hotel rooms and resort stays. However, certain errors can make the experience unpleasant, which is you should avoid the following mistakes while booking a room:

Overlooking additional charges
If you are looking at rooms online, the cost you see initially may only be the basic room charges. However, as you proceed with the booking, additional fees and taxes will be added to the cost. So, when you set a budget, it is important to consider room charges, taxes, hidden costs, and additional charges for special requests like booking a pool-side room, in-room kitchen, or seeking pet accommodation. Further, you should contact the hotel before booking the room and talk to them about additional costs other than what is mentioned on its or the travel partner’s website. Without a detailed understanding of room costs, you may end up spending more than you expected. So, avoid being unprepared for surprise costs. Additionally, when looking for accommodation at your destination, try looking for inexpensive options so that extra charges don’t make a huge dent in your total budget. For instance, if traveling to Orlando, look up “cheap hotels Orlando” and try shortlisting cheaper rooms.

Not comparing prices
Comparing hotel prices is an effective step to save money, and it is just a click away. Once you decide on the location, compare room costs using third-party or price comparison websites to avoid rushing and paying an exorbitant price for a cheaper room. Sort the results according to cost and popularity and book on the platform that offers the best rates. Some hotels offer discounts and special prices, however, you should check the conditions for availing of these deals. Besides comparing costs, check out and compare hotels’ facilities like complimentary breakfast, round-the-clock room service, television, mini-bar, cleaning services, or fitness centers. If you are traveling with kids, check if the hotels have playrooms and kid pools. Compare the amenities carefully so that you get the maximum value for your money.

Not checking the hotel website
The benefit of booking through third-party websites is that you can compare prices in one place. However, direct bookings can offer better benefits as hotels are more flexible when guests want to change their dates. Additionally, hotels may cancel the bookings people make through third-party websites if they see a sudden rise in the demand for rooms. They may transfer your booking to another building or property, and you may not have much say. Further, hotels may choose to create customized packages and offer special services like free beverages or airport pick up and drop, which may not be available on third-party sites.

Choosing non-refundable rates
Third-party websites may offer lower rates for certain rooms so hotels can avoid having vacant rooms. Sometimes they may not reveal that the rates are non-refundable, i.e., if you change or cancel your plans due to a family emergency or illness, you may be ineligible for a refund. Before booking and making payment, read the fine print to see if the hotel will issue a refund if the booking is canceled. For instance, when looking for hotels in Orlando, you should check if the cheaper options come with non-refundable rates.

Not checking online reviews
If you find too many complaints and bad reviews left by previous guests on booking websites, you should avoid these hotels even if they offer special rates or discounts. Conduct thorough research and check out the online reviews and comments for the hotel. If you need clarification, you can contact the hotel and address your concerns before booking a room. Also, look at pictures posted by other guests and do not rely solely on the pictures uploaded on the hotel’s website.

Not using credit cards
A frequent traveler may have an exclusive hotel credit card, which can help them save money and earn points to use for airfare or miles. If you own a credit card with rewards programs, you can book at partner hotels and use the rewards. You can redeem these points for free upgrades, free additional night stay, or flight bookings.

Here are a few tips to follow while booking your stay:

Do not consider price as the only criteria for booking. Consider other factors like quality of service and food, amenities, cleanliness, and popularity by checking the ratings and reviews.
If you use third-party websites like Tripadvisor, HotelsCombined, Agoda, Hotels, or Booking, always check the benefits and deals they offer for early booking and full payment. Visit the corresponding hotel’s official website and compare prices.
Register for credit card and hotel loyalty programs so you can use these points and redeem them during your vacation. Credit card companies and hotels offer special benefits like free upgrades, breakfast, or cab services.
The best time to book hotels is two weeks before your stay, even earlier if you visit a destination during the peak tourist season. For instance, you can find cheap hotels in Orlando if you visit during the off-season—September to November.

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We often set out on a journey to reach a charming destination. What we miss out on realizing is that being on a journey itself should be a beautiful and enriching experience. A cruise vacation is a great example of that. You spend a couple of days or weeks on a ship, bask in the luxurious services provided on the cruise, and unwind yourself. You do not necessarily have to save up on a lot of money to go on a cruise vacation. Let’s take a look at the top four budget cruises you can choose from.Costa CruisesCosta is one of the most affordable and budget-friendly cruises of the Mediterranean. One of the more exciting parts about being on its cruises is befriending different kinds of people. It will give you ample opportunity to do that as it attracts guests from different countries across the globe. A large number of people come from the United States and different countries in Europe. You can choose a cruise for two days or a complete and elaborate round trip of 112 days. Whether a short trip or a long vacation, being on the Costa Cruises will be a memory you will cherish for life.MSC CruisesDuring certain parts of the year, you get to spend a night on the MSC Cruises by paying just around $100. If you happen to be on its cruises during the peak season, the charges will not be very high either. If you are planning a cruise vacation with family, MSC Cruise would be a very good bet for you. It offers several perks to families like letting kids under the age of 11 sail for free and allowing those aged between 12 and 17 to sail without paying during specific seasons. It has some wonderful attractions for grown-ups, too. It offers an adults-only pool and a bunch of theatres where 4D movies are screened.Princess CruisesIf your kids are too young and good with staying back home while you go on a vacation with your partner, then Princess Cruises is a good option for you. The Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival, are exclusively for individuals who are above the age of 18. With 17 ships under their fold, the cruise covers Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Alaska, and Europe. You can either spend a leisurely day on the cruise or be a part of the complete itinerary, which goes up to 72 days. The poolside movie screenings are one of the cruise’s major highlights. Norwegian Cruise LineMost of the cruises come with their set of dos and don’ts – rules and protocols which you need to follow while you are on-board. The Norwegian Cruise Line lets the travelers be themselves. There is no dress code, guidelines, or any map you need to follow while you are sailing. The cruise consists of 17 vessels in its fold and can accommodate as many as 4,266 passengers at any given time. There is one crew member to cater to two or three passengers. Thus, you will have nothing to complain about when it comes to the service provided on the cruise.

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6 travel mistakes one can easily avoid

Traveling to different places to enjoy new traditions, cultures, and cuisines can be an endearing experience. However, it can be equally disastrous if one makes a mistake or overlooks certain travel-related aspects during the process. While some mistakes can be quickly resolved, some can be expensive, confusing, and time-consuming. Getting yourself stuck in difficult situations can lead to an unpleasant trip experience. Here are some common travel mistakes one can easily avoid: Overpacking Traveling is already an arduous task. The last thing one should have to do while on journeys is carry multiple heavy suitcases from one connected transport alternative to another. Heavy luggage bags, a consequence of overpacking, could leave travelers with aching shoulders and forearms by the end of the journey. As a result, some of the enjoyment of traveling (especially on holiday retreats) is taken away. To avoid this problem, one can carry a smaller bag with only the essentials needed for travel and stay. Carrying neutral clothing enables multiple travelers to reuse outfits, reducing the weight and space taken by clothes in the luggage. Overlooking passport issues Forgetting one's passport before leaving home for the airport is one thing. However, looking past passport details such as expiration date, unutilized blank pages, and visa information before making a flight reservation is on another level. To avoid passport-related problems, one must check the expiration date carefully. Some countries require travelers to have a passport with a validity of at least six months. In such cases, pushing the travel date slightly before renewing one's passport can simplify the process. Apart from that, passports also need to have sufficient blank pages for trips. Mostly, two blank pages are required for most journeys. If the number of pages is lesser, then a renewal will also be needed. Not reading online reviews The internet has made it easier for people to rate places based on their experiences during their time of stay. More importantly, such ratings and online comments act as a guiding light for others looking to travel or stay at a hotel or other accommodation. As a result, reviews have become an integral part of traveling. Booking accommodation without checking out all the reviews can be considered a travel mistake today. One must read reviews for the hotel, transportation company, restaurants, and other aspects of the journey before setting off on one. Doing this leaves no room for disappointment or shock later during the traveling of one's journey. Creating an overambitious itinerary One cannot see everything and be everywhere in a single travel trip. Creating an overambitious itinerary may involve visiting ten countries in four days. To achieve that, one would constantly need to be on the move. The relentless mile-crunching involved in such an itinerary means that one cannot wait and thoroughly enjoy any location to the maximum possible degree. Instead, travelers can create a travel schedule that involves visiting just one location so that they can soak in the experience and ambiance of the place and create lasting memories. Apart from that, travelers also need to plan with flexibility in mind. Flexible plans enable travelers to deal with possible weather issues, money shortages, and last-minute schedule changes without hassle. Having a jam-packed travel schedule does not allow travelers this luxury of flexibility. Booking connecting flights with short layover duration Traveling to an international destination often involves connecting flights or other modes of transport. While booking flights, one must always consider scenarios involving delays, cancellations, and other flight disruptions. After maintaining adequate buffer time, one can book a connecting flight. Having adequate time between both flights helps travelers to prevent a scenario wherein a delay or cancellation of the first flight also affects consecutive travel and, as a result, ruins the itinerary entirely. Not buying travel insurance Travel insurance helps travelers recoup their expenses lost in unused reservations. Additionally, insurance covers the cancellation fees or penalties imposed by the airline on an unused reservation. So, if a traveler needs to opt out of their business trip or holiday retreat due to personal or professional reasons, they can do so without losing out on hundreds of dollars in cancellation fees. However, the range and scope of travel insurance coverage differ from one insurance service provider to another. Therefore, individuals need to carefully read the terms and conditions before purchasing a policy.

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