To start with, hotel bookings can be a tricky thing. While it’s true that almost all popular travel destinations have scores of options when it comes to accommodation, the increasing number of tourists has made hotel reservations slightly tougher on travelers.
So what should you do if you do not get a hotel reservation on time or if you simply forget to make one? Surprisingly, there are plenty of things one can do in such a scenario.
Here are a few of them you can try in case you find yourself in an awkward, inconvenient situation like this.
Get in touch with a friend in the city
Whatever city you are traveling to is bound to have at least one person you are friends with or are related to. If not, you will at least have a friend of a friend you could get in touch with.
Call them up and request them to put you up until you find a room in the city. If the two of you get along well, you could even explore the destination together with your local friend serving also as your pseudo guide.
Find an emergency local home stay
Many places across the world offer affordable homestays where tourists can crash with the locals for a nominal amount of money. If you are unable to find hotel rooms for some reason, then this is one of the best alternatives you can try.
Homestays are not only affordable, they are also homely, comfortable and most also provide delicious local food. You will also get good sightseeing tips from the people you are crashing with.
Use the hotel lobby to sleep for the night
Many hotels will not mind if you sleep on a chair in their lobby when they are unable to provide you with a room. Of course, this is but a temporary solution until you find suitable accommodation, be it at the same hotel or elsewhere.
Hotel lobbies are oddly comfortable and most have really good furniture you can take advantage of. As a plus, be nice to the staff and who knows, by morning you may have a room available for occupation.
Get an app that helps with last-minute hotel bookings
If homestays and hotel lobbies are not your type of things, then you can download one of those last-minute hotel booking apps that have come up recently.
Choices are plenty when it comes to such apps and you can try more than just one app at a time. Many places have such apps which will help you find reasonable last-minute hotel deals. They are also a great time saver.
Sightsee fabulous locations all night
This one’s especially for those who are night owls. Many places across the world have amazing tourist attractions which are open to the public all night long. If you don’t mind giving up on your sleep (or have slept enough on the flight), take a cab and roam around all night to explore the awesome new city you are in. Take fabulous pictures to document your insane random sightseeing trip in the middle of the night.
Party all night long!
Again one for the night owls, if you are a hard-core party animal, the best thing is to make the most of your time and head straight to wherever the party is at in the city. Almost all awesome destinations across the world will have plenty of happening nightclubs which stay open all night long. Go pub and bar-hopping with a bunch of new friends you make at the nightclub and have a blast. You can always look for a hotel room in the morning.
Get in a cab and travel to a different part of the city
If you are encountering way too much trouble booking hotel rooms in a city, there could be a possibility that it is the busiest part of town you are in. Try taking a cab and traveling to a different part of the same city where it will be easier to book rooms owing to a lesser influx of tourists. You will be amazed at how hotel availability and rates fluctuate as per locales even if it is within the same city. You will find it easier to book a room this way.
You can always stay overnight at the airport
With cheap air travel these days, booking is much easier than booking cheap hotel rooms. So if you’ve landed at your desired destination but are still in no-man’s-land with regards to hotel rooms (pun intended), you should consider the option of lounging at the airport for the night.
Airports come with free WiFi, duty-free shopping stores, clean washrooms and shower facilities, and scores of other amenities you can use. Stay over the night until you find a good hotel room the next day.