How Do You Decide Where to Stay?

It used to be much easier. When it came to finding a place to stay, we used to just choose the cheapest place that didn’t have bed bug reports. Now that we have slightly more in our travel budget, our options are much more open. Even the jump from £20/person per night to £30/person per night can improve your options. Everyone has a formula or method. Some rely on TripAdvisor, which can be a really useful tool. Others use a travel agent or book on a friend’s request. Here is my tailored methodology when booking a place to stay.

Step 1: Research and Budget
This sounds like total common sense, but it would be easy to think “I’m going to book the cheapest place in xxx neighborhood and be done with it! YAY SO EXCITED” or “I can afford £50/night, so I’ll see what’s in that range.” Check airbnb.com. Check TripAdvisor. Take a look at hostels and hotel prices. Spend some time looking around blogs and get an idea of what the average cost is for the place you are visiting. Next, work out what your budget is. If you are visiting a place where accommodation tends to be expensive, try to eat as cheaply as you can duringthe day to free up some extra money.

Step 2: Location
Take the time to narrow down your neighborhoods, and then look more closely at what’s available in your price range.

Through trial-and-error, I’ve determined that location is the most important thing when I’m traveling. I might be able to book a cheaper hostel further out in a suburb of the city center, but if I’m going to have to pay for public transport to get to sights and likely will need a taxi home when intoxicated (maybe proximity to good nightlife should have come first…), it’s not going to save me that much. I like to start days early and end them late when I’m on holiday, so being centrally located is key.

That said, I like to get a local flavor of a place, so I avoid the central touristy neighborhoods and go for local flavor. In Copenhagen, this was the Vesterbro neighborhood. In Amsterdam, this was the Jordaan. For visitors to London, I’d recommend avoiding hotels on Trafalgar Square and opt instead to be near London Bridge or Angel. Especially in large cities, you can still be very central without paying touristtown prices. On a couple of occasions, I had to increase my budget a little bit to accommodate location, but I have never regretted that decision.

Step 3: Cleanliness
Whether it’s a hotel, hostel, guesthouse, or flat rental, I don’t want to be reminded that I’m in someone else’s bathroom while I’m brushing my teeth and spot something disgusting. I do not need crisp white linens and fresh towels every day, but I appreciate feeling like some care has gone into the cleaning process. I won’t generally book a place that doesn’t have any reviews, and I always value what people have to say about accommodations’ cleanliness.

Step 4: “Other Stuff”
My favorite filter on Airbnb is the “hot tub” filter, but we’ve never actually stayed in a property with a hot tub. Most places that have hot tubs in our price range are not very centrally located, disqualifying them immediately. Pampering is nice, but most city breaks are not that sort of vacation. We did once rent a very modern and stylish apartment, only for me to fall down the spiral staircase (shut up) while drunk, leading to bruised arms on my wedding day. Fortunately, they weren’t very noticeable and ended up just being a funny story. Fireplaces, balconies, amazing décor, and similar items all fall in the “other stuff” category.

The Hopefully Avoided Step 5: Sacrifice
Sadly, even the most well-researched trip can leave you frustrated with no good options that tick all of your boxes within your budget. As stated above, you may need to increase your budget. If my budget has no flexibility, my priorities shift slightly – I’m more willing to sacrifice location than cleanliness. This just means you add some more neighborhoods to your initial search and continue to do so until you’ve found something.