Reservations or not? -that is the question

You guys who have been travelling around here and there (especially long
lasting trips around the world)... what do you do when it comes to
accomodations? I'm torn between two choices:

1) Plan everything, reserving rooms/dorm beds to all the places you're
going to, meaning a LOT of planning before you leave (which can be hard,
going to places you've never been to before), and less flexibility, but
relieving the worries of not having a place to sleep.

or...

2) Not reserve anything, meaning full flexibility (if I don't like a
place I'll move on staying there less time than first expected and vice
versa), but more worrying about not finding a place to stay when I get
there.

so, what do you do? Is it usually hard to find (cheap backpacker type)
places to stay in these countries/places?

Hong Kong (start-mid November)
Beijing, China (start of November)
Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (mid-November to end of December)
Australia (start of Jan. - end of Febr)
New Zealand (all of March)
Japan (all of April)
Honolulu, Hawaii (start of May)
Los Angeles, USA (start/mid May)
Vancouver, Canada (mid-May)
Washington DC, USA (mid-May to end of May)
New York, USA (end of May-start of June)


Hallvard

I personally only reserve for the first evening. After all, you simply can't
plan for the whole trip.
A good guide book will definitely help.

Both Hong Kong and Beijing are not really friendly places for backpacker.
Beijing will be even worse for non Chinese speaking person. If you speak
Chinese, you can find places as cheap as US4-5 per night. But for non
Chinese speaking person, your choices are limited and it can easily cost you
some US50-100 for a hotel room.






"Hallvard Tangeraas"
...
You guys who have been travelling around here and there (especially long
lasting trips around the world)... what do you do when it comes to
accomodations? I'm torn between two choices:

1) Plan everything, reserving rooms/dorm beds to all the places you're
going to, meaning a LOT of planning before you leave (which can be hard,
going to places you've never been to before), and less flexibility, but
relieving the worries of not having a place to sleep.

or...

2) Not reserve anything, meaning full flexibility (if I don't like a
place I'll move on staying there less time than first expected and vice
versa), but more worrying about not finding a place to stay when I get
there.

so, what do you do? Is it usually hard to find (cheap backpacker type)
places to stay in these countries/places?

Hong Kong (start-mid November)
Beijing, China (start of November)
Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (mid-November to end of December)
Australia (start of Jan. - end of Febr)
New Zealand (all of March)
Japan (all of April)
Honolulu, Hawaii (start of May)
Los Angeles, USA (start/mid May)
Vancouver, Canada (mid-May)
Washington DC, USA (mid-May to end of May)
New York, USA (end of May-start of June)


Hallvard

Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:
You guys who have been travelling around here and there (especially long
lasting trips around the world)... what do you do when it comes to
accomodations? I'm torn between two choices:

1) Plan everything, reserving rooms/dorm beds to all the places you're
going to, meaning a LOT of planning before you leave (which can be hard,
going to places you've never been to before), and less flexibility, but
relieving the worries of not having a place to sleep.

or...

2) Not reserve anything, meaning full flexibility (if I don't like a
place I'll move on staying there less time than first expected and vice
versa), but more worrying about not finding a place to stay when I get
there.

I've never reserved anything except for (1) business travel and (2)
weddings, both cases in which I might need to stay in a specific hotel.

Other than that, it always works out somehow.

In any case, you can start out by reserving a few things toward the
beginning of your trip and then play it by ear from there.

miguel
--
Gator is spyware!

I never get reservations, because I like the flexibility. If you read
the guide books and plan ahead you can ALWAYS get a room.

Sometimes the price may be more than you preferred and if you will be in
town for several days you can change hotels after breakfast the
following day.

Remember, guide books help you identify the neighborhood where hotels
are clustered....as well as specific places to stay.

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 12:56:13 +0100, Hallvard Tangeraas
wrote:

You guys who have been travelling around here and there (especially long
lasting trips around the world)... what do you do when it comes to
accomodations? I'm torn

I almost never plan ahead. I'll take a guidebook for the basics, then
see what kind of trouble I can get into when I'm there. I'm also the
kind of person who wants to see it all, not just hang out in one place
for the whole trip.

For example, on one trip, I went across the Pacific to Asia. I bought
a one-way ticket to Australia with 4 island stops along the way. In
Tahiti, I found a yacht to crew on to Rarotonga. It took me to Moorea,
Raiatea and Bora Bora before hitting the Cook Islands. I cashed in
that leg of the air ticket, then flew to Fiji. New Zealand wouldn't
let me in until I had a valid ticket _out_ of Australia, so I bought a
one-way ticket from Perth to Bali. The visa gave me 3 months to get
from Brisbane to Perth. I hitch-hiked the whole way. In the middle of
the Nullarbor, a car dropped me off where a dirt track took off
towards an aboriginal settlement. There was a gas station, and across
the road, a stand of gum trees. I wound up sleeping in my hammock in
the trees two nights before I got another ride. 36 hours by the side
of the road sounds harsh, but it was actually nice.

There is an incredible sense of freedom when you have no obligations
and no timetable. It's really the best way to travel. A few weeks ago,
I did a 3,300 mile motorcycle trip in California. One morning, someone
asked me where I was headed. I blinked and then laughed. I realized I
had absolutely no idea where I was headed that day.