Booking.com: How We Book Our Accommodations Abroad and How We Use It

It’s no secret travel hack, nor is it a way to always score the absolute lowest price. We use Booking primarily because it allows us to quickly compare a vast number of accommodations, their locations, guest reviews, and reservation conditions all in one place. In this article, we’ll show you how we search for accommodation on Booking, what we look out for during the process, and what we recommend checking before you hit pay.

Why We Use Booking.com

We alternate between different types of accommodation on our travels. Sometimes we just want a simple hotel for a single night during a road trip, other times an apartment for a few days, and sometimes we look for accommodation as close as possible to a specific location.That is exactly why we like having most of our options in one place.We use Booking mainly because it allows us to easily compare:

• Price
• Location
• Ratings
• Photos
• Amenities
• Parking options
• Cancellation policies
• Room type
• Total cost of the stay

Speed is a major advantage for us, especially on road trips. When we switch between several hotels during one trip, we do not want to search for each accommodation on a different website.

How We Search for Accommodation on Booking

We never choose based on the lowest price alone. First, we determine the general area where we want to stay. Only then do we start comparing individual options.A road trip is a typical example. If we know we have an early departure to a national park the next day, we would rather pay extra for a better location than waste an hour driving in the morning.So, we usually look for a combination of:Price + Location + Rating + Parking + Reservation conditionsOnly after considering these parameters do we select a specific accommodation.

Ratings Are Important, But the Number Alone Is Not Enough

We almost always look at reviews from other guests, but we do not rely solely on the final score. It pays off to open a few of the most recent reviews and find out what exactly bothered people.For instance, some people do not mind a hotel further from the center because they have a rental car. For someone else, poor accessibility is a major issue.Similarly, a hotel might have a lower rating due to older furniture, even though it is clean, affordable, and in a great location. That is why we try to read reviews in the context of what we expect from the accommodation.Alternatively, we check ratings from multiple sources (such as Google, Trivago, etc.).

We Always Check the Location

In our opinion, this is one of the most important things.A hotel may look cheap at first glance, but if it causes you to spend an hour in traffic every day or pay for expensive parking, the savings quickly disappear. That is why we always open the accommodation on a map before booking.When it comes to cities, we look at things like:

• Distance from the center
• Access to the metro or other public transport
• The hotel's surroundings

On road trips, on the other hand, we consider:

• Distance to the next destination
• Accessibility by car
• Parking
• Or the possibility of an early departure

Watch Out for the Final Price

When comparing accommodation, we always look at the final cost of the stay.We do not just look at the amount that appears first. In some destinations, the total price can be affected by various local fees, taxes, or other conditions specific to that accommodation.Therefore, before confirming the booking, we verify how much we will actually pay for the entire stay.

Free Cancellation Can Be Very Useful

When planning a trip several months in advance, practically anything can change.That is why we like reservations that give us some flexibility. If the price difference is small, we often prefer the option with better cancellation policies over the absolute cheapest offer.This is especially useful on road trips, where the route, the order of destinations, or the number of nights can change. However, always read the specific cancellation terms directly on the reservation page. They can vary significantly between different accommodations and offers.

Parking Can Change the Price of Accommodation

If we are traveling by car, we always check the parking options before booking.A cheaper hotel with expensive paid parking can end up being a worse choice than a slightly more expensive hotel where we can park for free.This is especially important when traveling around the USA or on road trips, where we use a car practically every day. Therefore, we include potential parking fees in the actual cost of the accommodation.

We Use Booking Mainly for Our Road Trips

Booking proves most useful to us on trips where we change accommodation frequently.Instead of a single reservation, we might stay at several different hotels over the course of two or three weeks. In such cases, it is great to have all reservations organized in one place.However, we also use it for classic city trips or when looking for apartments. This does not mean we book absolutely everything through Booking. It always makes sense to compare prices and conditions to choose the option that makes the most sense for that specific trip.

Our Step-by-Step Process for Choosing Accommodation

In practice, our process looks something like this:

We determine the area where we want to stay.

We look at the accommodation prices.

We set basic filters (price range, number of nights, number of guests, breakfast, and other things as needed).

We select a few options with a good balance of price and location.

We check the most recent reviews.

We open the location on a map.

If we have a car, we check the parking options.

We read the reservation and cancellation policies.

We compare the final price.

Only then do we book.It takes a few minutes longer than just grabbing the first hotel that pops up in the search results, but when it comes to accommodation, a poor choice can unnecessarily make the whole trip more expensive or complicated.

Is Booking.com Worth It?

For us, yes—otherwise, we wouldn't use it on our travels.However, we don't view it as an automatic guarantee of the cheapest accommodation. For us, it is primarily a tool that allows us to quickly find and compare places to stay based on what we need for a specific trip.And that is exactly how we recommend others use Booking as well. The most important thing isn't finding the cheapest room. It's about finding accommodation that offers a good balance between:Price, location, quality, and booking conditions.

Looking for Accommodation for Your Next Trip?

If you want to compare hotels, apartments, and other accommodation options, you can check out the current deals using our link.

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Here on the blog, we only showcase services that we personally use on our travels and that fit into how we plan our trips. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me through any of our contact channels – I would be happy to help you choose the right accommodation.