Now that you’ve done your research on your next destination for your trip, it is time to gear up and travel. While you are traveling, hotel booking charges and food costs account for the largest portion of your traveling budget. That said, you do your research in time to find out how you can save money on hotel bookings and food. While everyone can book and secure a room in a hotel, not everyone can save money while doing it. This way, you can spend the money you saved on other activities that count. Saving money includes lowering the rates for a night’s sleep and even surcharges added for Wi-Fi.
Let’s take a look at some hotel hacks that will help you travel like a genius and save money in the process.
Research About the Hotels in Your Destination
Being equipped with information is always the first step of succeeding at anything. At the early stage of planning for your trip, try and take things slow. Don’t be in a hurry! Your research should involve checking for the price range of the booking fees for the hotels in your destination.
In checking the price ranges, use well-renowned sites for traveling. With them, you can find appropriate and trustworthy information since these sites are not about the promotion of specific hotels. They are there to guide travelers and offer them the much-needed advice before traveling. Scrutinize the list of hotels and pick on one that offers an excellent all-round package. As you decide on the hotel to book, keep in mind your dining options. It is important that you decide whether you’ll dine within the hotel or outside.
Use a VPN When Booking Online
While you’ve been doing your research on how to make the most out of hotels when traveling, hotels have also been getting wiser, learning tricks of how to get more cash from their customers. One of the most popular ways that hotels are using is by charging foreign travelers differently depending on their location.
For a well-informed traveler, this should not be a bother. By using a good VPN, you can easily conceal your location. Better still, you can set the location for your VPN to be the same as that of the hotel you wish to book. This way, you avoid any extra fees that the hotel could have imposed on you. You can read any VPN review to find out the best VPNs for the job. The amount you save by avoiding the additional fees can be used for other activities during your travel. We recommend VPNpro’s reviewed NordVPN.
Book Directly with Your Preferred Hotel
Many hotel booking sites have come up and for a good reason. Most people, especially when in a rush with their traveling arrangements, opt to book their hotel rooms online through these sites. In all honesty, they have done most people and the travelers’ community great service. However, they are not for those who want to save some money for their trip.
These sites usually charge a commission whenever they make the booking for you. Today, many hotels guarantee discounts and low rates for travelers whenever they book directly from the hotel’s sight. Many hotels will try as much as possible to match the price of other hotels on the web. What’s more, they could throw in some extra features such as a free night of even give gift cards for future travels.
Join Hotel Chains
To the surprise of many, becoming the member of a hotel chain is free. Travelers who enjoy the services of quality hotels should make it a priority to join a hotel chain loyalty program. Though most of these loyalty programs are free, some of them require you to pay a nominal fee. Nevertheless, this is worth it, especially if you stay at the same hotel chain.
The good thing about being a member of a hotel chain is that you enjoy the benefits as soon as you arrive. The most common benefits that accrue to such a member include upgrades to larger rooms and free breakfast or dinner. Getting free breakfast goes a long way in saving some bucks whenever you are traveling.
Make Arrangements for Your Wi-Fi
Many hotels will take advantage and charge you for the Wi-Fi you use while at the hotel room. You can find out whether the hotel you wish to book imposes such fees. If you have the option to find another hotel that doesn’t charge for their Wi-Fi network, good for you. Otherwise, get yourself a wireless router that will provide internet connection for all your devices with a single hotspot.
Conclusion
Whenever you are looking to save significantly on your hotel bookings when traveling, it is important that you start by researching the cheapest hotels that you can book online. At the hotel, make sure you avoid unnecessary costs such as expensive meals and Wi-Fi charges.
