Agnieszka Sękiewicz‑Magoń Where to Stay?

Choosing where to stay when you travel can often make or breakmake or breakmake or break your experience. There are many different types of accommodation available: some people prefer to stay at hotels, while others look for alternatives. There are also many factors you should consider, such as location, price or facilities, so the decision should not be hastyhastyhasty but well‑thought‑out. Here are the most popular choices and what to pay attention topay attention topay attention to when selecting the right option for you.

1. Hotel – this is the most obvious but also the most expensive choice. You can typically choose a single roomsingle roomsingle room (with one bed for one person), a double roomdouble roomdouble room (with one bed for two people), a twin roomtwin roomtwin room (with two beds, each one for one person) or a suitesuitesuite (a set of connected rooms). All rooms usually have en suite facilitiesen suite facilities [en suite facility]en suite facilities, that is their own toilet and bathroom with a shower or bath. It’s good to do some research first, compare prices and check the reviews (TripAdvisor or Oyster offer quite accurate ones, accompanied with unfiltered photos) before you actually book a roombook a roombook a room. Not everybody knows that booking directly through the hotel website or joining hotel loyalty programs will get you better room placement, free nights or helpful amenitiesamenities [amenity]amenities like complimentary breakfast,complimentary breakfastcomplimentary breakfast, parking or Wi‑Fi. Check which ones are already available: is there air‑conditioningair‑conditioningair‑conditioning, laundry service or a swimming pool?

2. Hostel – a popular choice especially among young travellers. Here you will generally have to choose between dorm roomsdorm rooms [dorm room]dorm rooms or private rooms. Dorm rooms have multiple beds, usually bunk bedsbunk beds [bunk bed]bunk beds, and are typically cheaper than private rooms. They can be shared with people who are not travelling together, and can be all‑genderedall‑genderedall‑gendered mixed dorms or female/men‑only dorms. Private rooms include single, twin, double or family rooms. It’s worth planning ahead and finding out the necessary details, for example, if the hostel has a 24‑hour receptionreceptionreception so you can check incheck incheck in at night, and if they accept credit cards or take cash only, in which case you will need to have the local currencycurrencycurrency. Also, remember to pack things like earplugsearplugs [earplug]earplugs and an eye mask, toiletriestoiletries [toiletry]toiletries in a waterproof bag, a microfibre towel, some washing detergentwashing detergentwashing detergent and padlockspadlocks [padlock]padlocks. And once you are there, ask for the Wi‑Fi passwordWi‑Fi passwordWi‑Fi password.

3. Vacation rentalsvacation rentals [vacation rental]Vacation rentals (also known as short‑term rentals or vacation home rentals) – are places that offer short‑term accommodation to guests in a residence (like one’s house or condominium). What is great about them is that they have the comfort and convenience of a hotel accommodation without the hefty price taghefty price taghefty price tag. Nowadays they are usually shared housing units, booked via the website which connects an owner of a propertypropertyproperty with a guest wanting to rent it. There are many types of them, so again some research is necessary to choose the one which meets your needs.

4. Hospitality exchangeshospitality exchanges [hospitality exchange]Hospitality exchanges, sometimes called homestays, should not be confused with house swaps.house swaps [house swap]house swaps. Simply stated, they involve people opening up their homes to travellers while they stay there too. Most homestays are free, or the owners charge a small fee to cover the administrative costs of the hospitality exchange website, so this option is perfect for people who travel on a budgettravel on a budgettravel on a budget. Hosts usually offer anything from a campsite to a spare bedroomspare bedroomspare bedroom, and from a warm meal to a guided tour of the city. Some of them may really surprise you with their hospitalityhospitalityhospitality and willingness to show the best attractions of the area. This option is the cheapest, but you need to be a member of a website facilitating such exchanges, and you need to trust your gut feelingtrust your gut feeling [trust one’s gut feeling]trust your gut feeling telling you which host is not worth staying with.

When searching for your perfect travel accommodation, take into account what each place has to offer: check the location, room options, in‑room amenities, food and transport options and the overall cost.overall costoverall cost. Make sure you are happy with the check‑in and check‑out timescheck‑out times [check‑out time]check‑out times. By comparing these details, you will finally be able to find your winner: the perfect place for you to stay.

1 Źródło: Agnieszka Sękiewicz‑Magoń, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.