All travelers look for ways to extend their stay, pay a cheaper price, and find the ultimate accommodation option. This is where travel hacks come in. They give you workarounds that can come really handy when you’re far away from home, helping you save money, and make more time for adventures. In the following guide, we’ll include tips that cover everything, from booking your stay to checking out your hotel. We’ll also explain how you can find accommodation alternatives when traveling to a new destination. So without further ado, here are 6 travel hacks that every traveler should know before booking their accommodation.
- Avoid Cancellation Fees by Changing the Dates
This hack is very helpful if the time allowance for a free cancellation on your hotel reservation has passed and you decide to cancel but don’t want to pay the charge. You can simply call the hotel and request to change your original travel dates, once the dates are adjusted, you can ask to cancel your reservation within the cancellation allowance. Without a deposit for changing your travel dates, you’ll be able to cancel your reservation without paying cancellation fees. Very useful if you find a better option for accommodation after you’ve already booked a hotel room or a place to stay.
- Only Book Your First Few Nights
One of the best travel tips you’ll receive is booking only your first few days in a vacation rental if you’re traveling to a new place or destination. As a traveler, it’s good to have a place where you can sleep and get some rest for the first couple of days you spend in a new country or city. You’ll be backpacking around the new place and meeting all kinds of different people and other travelers. This option ensures that your accommodation is flexible as you will be bumping into local families and other travelers who may offer you free or cheaper accommodation options.
- Check for Airbnb Cleaning Services
Before booking your accommodation, you’ll want to make sure you’re going to be staying in a clean place, especially, during the current pandemic. All Airbnb vacation rentals are required to offer cleaning services to maintain sanitary standards and prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you’re staying in Toronto, managing your Airbnb cleaning services on your next stay can be done by contacting the rental home you made reservations at, and confirming your preferences. Usually, the Airbnb 5-step cleaning process is the standard protocol in most destinations. You should be able to contact your host and inquire about the steps of the process used in cleaning the place you choose to rent.
- Hotel Packing Aides
If you’re staying in a hotel, it’s important to know that many of the supplied items and kits in your hotel room can be very helpful when packing your bags. For example, you can use the shower cap provided with your bathroom toiletry as a shoe cover to pack dirty footwear in your crowded bag. You also don’t need to buy travel-sized toiletry before moving to a new location, just take whatever you need from your hotel room bathroom, use it or empty it, then use it later instead of buying new toiletry.
- Look for Package Deals
If you’re traveling with a company or a large group, make sure you take advantage of package deals when booking your accommodation. You can get satisfying discounts when booking package deals and end up paying less than what you would have paid if you traveled alone. Oftentimes, these packages and offers can be found on various websites and online portals for specific hotels and vacation homes, make sure you do your research.
- Join Hotel Loyalty Programs
Signing up for hotel loyalty programs can help you take advantage of their rewards for frequent guests. If you don’t usually stay at the same hotel or if you don’t travel a lot, you may still want to enjoy special offers, better rooms, and additional freebies. Plus, you don’t have to pay anything to sign up for the chain loyalty programs of most hotels. They only require filling out some information and you’re all set.
Traveling means you have to stay in an unfamiliar place and find ways to ensure personal comfort away from home. While it might sound difficult, it’s the most enjoyable part of traveling for most people who do this on a regular basis. With these hacks and tricks in mind, you can adapt a lot faster and save money on your next trip.
