Making These Hotel Choices According to the Trip
Essential to Remember
To choose your accommodation: budget (hostel, hotel, Airbnb), location (close to transport/center), Google/Booking reviews (3-4 star filter), recent photos, cancellation policy. Compare 3 platforms before booking.
Choices for Planning Your Trip
There are 3 main areas that we will inevitably focus on to plan the trip:   ;- Transport,
Choosing your plane ticket and planning your movements from one point to another is essential, so you need to find out about the possible means of transport on site. I actually wrote an article on this topic for getting around in Europe.
  ;- Excursions or activities,
This is one of the components that varies according to countries, so it’s better to get at least some information about daily prices if you don’t want to blow your vacation budget in one week while you still have another week left. It is also essential to choose your vacation based on excursions and your budget.
For example, if you go to Australia, there are many excursions such as scuba diving, skydiving, rafting, cruises to beautiful islands, or visiting deserted islands. So if you don’t have the budget for these excursions, it’s better not to go and wait a bit before going. I also have my TOP 10 activities in Australia
  ;- Accommodation,
I will only address small and medium budgets because I don’t have the experience to advise you on high-end accommodations. Besides, if you had money, you wouldn’t be here :D, looking for good deals.
Did you know?
Booking, Expedia, and Hotels.com belong to the same group (Booking Holdings, $130 billion USD market cap). The “exclusive deals” shown on one are often identical on the others: check in incognito mode to avoid price tracking.
Choosing Your Hotel According to Your Budget
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Tight budget
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Several choices are available to you. For true savers, you can try the couchsurfing experience, which consists of borrowing a person’s sofa for a few days. This person opens the doors of their house or apartment and also offers you food during your stay, all for free. However, it is recommended to give them a little something! It is also best to arrange this in advance.
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Another choice is for you if you are younger and dynamic and want to meet people: youth hostels are made for you. However, you usually have to share the room with others because you book a bed, not a room.
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Another option is to go camping, which won’t hurt your budget.
My experience
My reflex: book on Booking for simplicity, but always call the hotel to check the conditions. Many hotels offer a discount (5-10%) if you book directly, without Booking commission.

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Medium Budget for a hotel
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BED & Breakfasts, for couples or people wanting a quieter environment, B&Bs offer you a bed and breakfast, it’s already a bit more expensive than youth hostels and it’s less of a factory feel. There are fewer people and you find older people than in hostels.
Platform Strength Booking Maximum choice, simple Airbnb Long stay, family Hostelworld Backpacker Hotels.com Loyalty program Expedia Flight+hotel bundles - Classic hotels are also a good choice for your trip. I also recommend checking hotel booking sites because there are often reviews from people. It is actually on these details that I base my hotel bookings.
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Apartment rental, you feel like at home
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Choose your accommodation according to your trip
Advantages
- Very wide choice
- Verified reviews
- Often free cancellation
- Easy comparisons
- Loyalty programs (Booking Genius)
Weak points
- High commissions (Booking up to 18%)
- Sometimes biased reviews
- Over-retouched photos
- Sometimes hidden fees
- Variable customer service
- Going for summer holidays,
The wisest choice is to rent an apartment near the beach or go camping.
- Going on a long trip,
The hotel and youth hostel solution are the best in my opinion.
- Going for a weekend,
Some choices are more suitable than others for a weekend, I would personally choose the B&B solution.
The classic trap to avoid
Never book a “special offer 80% off” without checking the normal price on other platforms. Many “fake discounts” are based on artificially inflated reference prices.
My little favorite for choosing my accommodation
For booking my next weekend in Rome, I came across a site called hotelcub that offers discounts for summer weekends, it also offers to get back a % of the booking price so to book a hotel in Rome with HotelClub.
Along the same lines, the article on accommodation in Australia provides useful insight. Our feedback on his accommodation during also gives good leads, and the guide dedicated to steps to monetize nicely rounds out the picture.
If you want more information on travel advice, it’s here :
http://www.conseil-voyageur.fr/conseil-voyage
What is the best hotel booking platform?
Booking for simplicity and choice. Hotels.com for the loyalty program (1 free night every 10 nights).
Should I book in advance?
Yes in high season (summer, school holidays, events). 1-2 months in advance for popular hotels.
How to avoid hidden fees?
Read the T&Cs carefully (tourist tax, parking, breakfast). Use the “total price” filter on Booking.









