Whether you’re travelling for business or for leisure, it’s important to know the best places to stay, no matter where your itinerary takes you.
For many travellers, accommodation is always an important factor to consider. And this is something that should involve a great deal of forethought, as your choice can really be an overall make or break.
With concerns over safety and comfort being top priorities, it’s crucial to take your time to find the best places to stay in any city or town. Follow these tips when doing so.
Tips to Finding the Best Places to Stay in Any Country
Prepare Your Budget
When planning your itinerary, it’s important to set your budget from the get-go.
For this, you should only spend within your means. Obviously, you don’t want to reserve a room at a 5-star hotel if that’s going to mean scrimping on everything else during your trip, leaving you dangerously unable to enjoy cultural experiences.
If you’re a CEO on a business meeting it may be a little different; it might actually be important to send the right message by staying at the finest luxury hotels. But otherwise, make sure you spend within your means.
Planning your budget earlier can give you enough time to find the best accommodation deals to fit whatever cash amount you have on hand.
Use Online Comparison Websites
If you’re putting in the effort to find the right rooms for the best value, online hotel comparison tools are the best way to go. Search engines like Tripadvisor or Hotels Combined will help you identify the best accommodation options at any location.
But there are even comparison websites for long term rentals if you’re planning on an extended vacation, or perhaps moving abroad; maybe you’re looking for a temporary housing rental instead of a hotel.
You can opt for a tool that allows you to find the best vacancies based on your budget range. This will ensure you won’t be spending beyond your means.
Know the Community Inside and Out
When looking for the best places to stay in any location, don’t focus so much on the pricing that you forget to consider the available amenities. You should also look into the community around the hotel itself.
As much as you want to feel safe within the confines of your hotel room, you will also need to make sure you won’t be in any danger when you are outside the lobby.
If you think you’ve found a cheap hotel downtown, don’t get your hopes up. In many cases, lower prices can mean seedier areas where you need to be more alert while coming and going.
You wouldn’t want to risk staying in a place where you feel unsafe. So, make sure to research the community surrounding the hotel as well. That way, you can check in without the fear of getting harassed once you have checked out.
The Couchsurfing Community
Couchsurfing is no longer a trend among backpackers. Nowadays, it has become an viable option for anyone traveling who doesn’t want to spend much on accommodations, among other benefits.
After all, the best places to stay are not found in hotels or expensive resorts, they’re often local neighborhoods where you can immerse yourself into a country’s true soul.
A lot of people may have reservations about the safety of such an arrangement, but the couch-surfing community has developed a trusted reputation, and if you do need a place to sleep and don’t have the money, this is a great option which also allows you to meet friendly locals.
WE RECOMMEND THESE HOTEL SAFETY PRODUCTS: CLICK PHOTO ↓
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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.
Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.
18 Comments
Great questions to ask ?
Thanks Bobby, glad you enjoyed the post :)
If you’re booking accommodation make sure you ask the right questions – it’s easy enough for hotels to claim they are eco-friendly, ethical, or sustainable, but can they prove it? The trick is to search beyond the jargon and ask for more information on the company’s sustainability efforts.
Great advice Eula, yes I find that a lot of the tourism industry is jumping on the trend of being green friendly and eco conscious nowadays without actually putting in the work. So it’s always good to dig deeper and actually check :)
Setting your budget is definitely one of the biggest things. No use getting excited about a beautiful property if you can’t afford it in the first place.
Absolutely Joelle, I find you set yourself up for failure if you go in without having first planned your budget out. It really should be the main factor that dictates the trip.
Tripadvisor reviews are our favorite way to figure out whether something is too good to be true. They have reviews for every country :)
Love Tripadvisor, it’s such a great resource / community :)
I really do love hospitality exchanges (on your note about couchsurfing). Other great sites for this are Global Freeloaders, Hospitality Club, and then you can also set up agreements like home exchange, house sitting, and often get some really FAB accommodation that way. We’ve stayed on a couple of local farms in exchange for labor before too.
Thanks for the heads up on Global Freeloaders and Hospitality Club Cathi – I haven’t heard of either, so I’ll have to check them out. And definitely on housesitting and home exchange – we’ve done quite a few house-sits now and they’ve been a really fabulous way to save, immerse yourself locally, and also have access to amazing facilities :)
Happy travels!
Definitely always have to think location. Often better to pay more and stay in a more central, safer location than it is to cheap out and get stuck.
Absolutely Kasha, I’ve learned that the hard way once or twice!
Another great idea is staying loyal with a couple of hotel companies you really trust.
We love Marriott for instance, and they have properties all over the world, plus hotel loyalty memberships that can save money on every stay. You know you get a quality place to stay, and you can gather points towards complimentary nights and room upgrades, treats such as welcome drinks and early check-in times.
Works really well and usually limits the amount of time you have to spend doing research because you know a brand name will carry a certain level of quality.
Absolutely Caleb, that’s really great advice. We really love Marriott too, and try to stay with them where possible. You’re right, establishing yourself with a brand you trust really does cut out a lot of the research once you know who you like :)
I always use hotel comparison sites for the research like you suggest, but then like to actually book a hotel on their website directly. You usually get discounts that way and perks. But great for actually finding a place and narrowing down your options for sure.
Absolutely, for research wise, hotel comparison websites are the go. But very clever to then jump to compare with the hotel website. I need to make an effort to do that more often :)
You didn’t mention Airbnb …
Definitely another great resource for finding your accommodation :)