There are many aspects of taking a trip overseas, from flights to tours, insurance, and luggage. However, from my experience one of the most important aspects of any trip is choosing where you sleep at night. Whether it is going to be a hotel, bed and breakfast, backpackers, or any other type of accommodation.
For me where you sleep, is so important. There are some reasons why I think it is important to choose the right accommodation. You need to know that you and your possessions are safe. That you have your space and that you will be comfortable. It is all three of these that help to ensure you get a good nights sleep. A good night’s sleep means you are fresh and ready to explore each and every day on your trip.
1. Personal Safety
In the past and at this stage in the foreseeable future, my travel is all solo. As such for me, one of the things that is crucial is knowing that I am safe and my belongings are safe. For this reason, I tend to choose a hotel, over other forms of accommodation.
It can be easy and cheap to book a hostel or the like when you are young and travelling alone. There are some great benefits to doing this, such as meeting other people your age and of course saving money. However, for me, there are a few too many tales of stolen belongings and precarious situation to make this worth it for me.
When I started looking for where to stay while travelling, I went with a couple of the most important points.
- International hotel brand’s I recognised
- Hotels that offered safes
- That appeared to be in an accessible part of a city.
Although these few points do not guarantee anything, what they do is help to put the mind at ease. For example, booking a brand name hotel, I recognised, at least gave me some idea of the level of service to expect. Sometimes the perception of safety is as much a part of feeling safe as anything else.
2. Travel Comfortable
Being comfortable when you are travelling is important. But unfortunately, you cannot guarantee you will be comfortable no matter where you stay. I have stayed in cheap accommodation that is very comfortable, and five-star hotels that are uncomfortable.
I have found that my run of getting a comfortable hotel has been quite good. Often the higher end hotels try to do things a little too fancy that make things not quite as comfortable. For me choosing a hotel that is three or four-stars for the most part has led to a reasonably good result.
With three and four-star hotels you often get enough space to spread out a little. The bed is usually reasonably comfortable, without any fancy extra’s that don’t add anything. All while giving you your space.
3. Privacy
In many ways, privacy is a part of comfort, but I see it as separate as well. When it comes to a hotel, you have a private room, which may get serviced daily or weekly. You have access to private facilities, such as a bathroom. Finally, you have your space to read, work, or enjoy some quiet time.
Having some personal space is a big thing for me. I can get a lot of stuff done working from tables in coffee shops. There are also those times especially when you are travelling, where it is nice to be alone. One thing that from my understanding can sometimes be quite difficult when staying in hostels.
So I Choose A Hotel
It is for these three reasons that I make the decision to choose a hotel over other forms of accommodation. Well of course except for cruise ships. But when you think about a room on a cruise ship it is not that different to a room in many of the hotels I have visited.
Sometimes a reasonably priced hotel may not end up costing that much more than other options. But that is a price that I am willing to pay for a feeling of safety, comfort and some privacy.
I would love to hear what type of accommodation you choose and why. So why not leave a comment below and let me know. You can connect with me on social media, pick your favourite social network below.
