[trip style = any]
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WARNING: today's topic is going to sound a lot like a one-on-one travel therapy session. Relax. It won't be that bad. In fact, it might free you from the travel fears that bind you...
Planning a trip takes time {late nights}, research {multiple browser windows} and savoir-faire {knowing the best travel sites to book for your trip style and destination}.
A huge cog in the pre-trip planning wheel is securing a hotel. Fear sets in. If you're only partially through your research and don't know a city's up from down or left from right, what to do? To commit or not to commit at the "right" property, in the "right" area, with the "right" trip style. Just breathe.
One tried and true Trip Styler Tip for avoiding booking trepidation is to arm yourself with a trusty back-up plan that works 100% of the time and results in a more serene booking process. For example, if I'm waffling over what hotel to book {always}, I secure a cancellable "B" booking---a solid hotel choice that gets my foot in the door of a destination, but doesn't require the all-in {financial and otherwise} commitment.
How To Book A Back-Up Hotel 1/ Do a little research and book a back-up hotel with a cancellable rate for your top hotel choice. 2/ The best resources for this are: Booking.com and hotel websites {ie - fairmont.com} 3/ Once you're more confident about your destination, confirm or deny your initial choice. 4/ If it's solid, maintain the booking {and consider scouring the web for an even better deal}; if it isn't up to snuff, book elsewhere and cancel the initial rate.
Trip Styler Tip :: When searching for a hotel with the option to cancel on booking.com, scan each page for "free cancellation" or click control f {command f on a mac} to find options quickly. At present, you can't filter results by free cancellation.
Related Google Traveler Tricks Book A Hotel Online With Expert Recommendations STOP, Are You Using A Promo Code? Trading Airline Points The Six-Week Rule For Buying Airline Tix
[photo of The Back-up Plan movie found online and updated for today's purposes]