[trip style = any]
As I sit in my GORGEOUS hotel in Ischia, Italy {above}—which I just extended a few nights!—I'm reminded of the importance of agile travel plans, especially when trip styling in a new-to-you place.
Never having explored the Amalfi Coast, Mr. Trip Styler and I waffled on how many nights we should spend where, and what hotels we should book. Being high season, some of the accommodations we were interested in were already booked, which left us grasping for something—anything—that would work {uh, NOT ideal, nor "trip stylery"}.
Not 100% sold on all of our stays, we ensured most of our bookings were cancellable—a decision that has already proven helpful now that we're on the ground. Case in point: We were supposed to spend four nights in Ischia, three nights in Capri and three nights in Amalfi; however, once we checked into our hotel in Ischia, we knew we HAD TO stay longer {you would too if you saw the use-any-time spa, thermal rooftop pool, and breakfast spread}.
At the same time, I was feeling meh about our Capri hotel, and since we were still within the no-fee cancellation window, we nixed the booking and adjusted our plans on-the-go to: Six nights in Ischia, one night in Capri and three nights in Amalfi. {I tried to adjust our Amalfi nights too, but our no-fee window had passed.}
After years of travel and situations where hotels either impress or distress, I'm grateful that companies such as Expedia often offer a cancellation option as a filter when you browse. We don't often opt out of travel bookings, but it's nice to have the "yes-no-maybe-so" leeway in certain circumstances.
[photo via @tripstyler]