Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages

It is the age old question for the frequent, budget conscious traveller  -When do you book your accommodation in advance, and when will you get a better rate by walking up?

In my experience, there are two factors to consider, both of which have an influence over the likely direction to take, to get the best rate -

Firstly - the size of the city or town you are going to.

In general, it is less practical to find your accommodation on the ground,in a very big city. Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur all spring to mind. The major reason is the practicality of walking or taxi-ing from one hotel to the next to look for a deal. With hotels spread over a large area, this will become impractical.

Secondly - The higher standard of hotel you intend to stay in, the less they are geared towards walk in trade.

If you intend to stay in 5 star, or even most 4 star hotels and resorts, they will usually be orientated around pre-booking - either through websites or travel agents. We had often found extending our stay in one of these resorts more expensive than the rate we had initially booked!

If in doubt, consult the link below, for a great comparison of 30+ websites and their prices!