Arbo Valley Travel and Tours

If you’ve decided you will be more comfortable on your holiday with hotel reservations in hand but also need budget travel, then you’re going to have some decisions to make. How are you going to get those reservations? Let’s look at the options.

You could use a travel agent. If you’re planning a trip to an exotic location, this might be your best bet. Travel agents know the hotels and lodging in the areas of their expertise, and they can give you good guidance and advice for budget travel.

You could use one of the big Internet booking agencies. Those can help you get pretty good deals. It’s worthwhile to check two or three of them to see how they rate different hotels, so you’ll get what you want. Whenever you’re looking at hotels and bed-and-breakfasts on the Internet, remember, any place can look good with some creative photography.

We recommend avoiding the companies that don’t tell you the name of the hotel until after you make your reservation. Also remember that when hotels are tied to booking agencies, they lose a cut to that agency. You might be just as well off booking directly with the hotel.

It pays to find a good budget travel guide. If you like their philosophy, you will probably like the hotels they recommend. You can call the hotel directly. Chances are you will be able to talk to someone who speaks English. You can contact almost all of them over the Internet these days, either by e-mail or by contacting them through their own web site.

Although budget travel tips are on top of the agenda, you need to take so many other points into consideration to avoid a disappointing vacation, so make a note of the following guidelines…

If you e-mail the hotel directly, tell them the number of rooms you want and how many people per room. They will need to know the date of your arrival and the date of your departure… so the number of nights you will be staying.

Remember that in most places in the world, dates are written with the day/month/year, not with the month/day/year as it is in the U.S. To avoid confusion on any continent, we write the month out rather than using numbers.

Once you hear back from them, if they have a room at the price you want, accept the reservation. You may have to send your credit card number. We’re reluctant to send our credit card number in e-mail. You can call and give them your credit card number.

If you have used the hotel’s own site to contact them, make sure it is a secure site before you send your credit card number to them that way.

Be sure to read the hotel cancellation policies carefully before you make a reservation.

If you make hotel reservations with one of the big travel booking sites or with the hotel itself, beware of non-refundable reservations.

When you make your hotel reservations, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. Print it, and take it with you. Don’t delete the original e-mail until you have completed your trip, and you know you have been billed correctly.

If your travel dates are firm, you’ll find that to get into the most popular and best value hotels, it’s worthwhile to make those hotel reservations ahead.

Eating and drinking in grand style can stretch your travel budget in the wrong way. You want to make your money go further. There are lots of little ways you can save on food when you’re traveling.

If your hotel doesn’t include breakfast in the price of the room, check to see what your options are in the hotel. You will probably save money venturing out to a corner cafe rather than paying the price for the hotel breakfast buffet. In Paris, join the local crowd and have coffee, juice and a croissant.

Have churros con chocolate in Madrid. There are lots of small breakfast places in the U.S. where you can get a great bacon, eggs and coffee breakfast for only a few bucks.

A great way to stretch your travel budget is to enjoy a picnic for lunch or dinner. You can pick up cheeses and meats and breads at local grocery stores and specialty shops. Grab a bottle of local wine. Eat in your room or in a local park with a great view.

Avoid touristy restaurants. If you see a restaurant on the main street that has menus in several languages, it’s going to cost you more. Find a mom and pop place down a side street or go with a recommendation from a local…. like your friendly B-and-B host. Look for “prix fixe” menus or daily specials for great meals at good prices.

One of our most memorable meals was a little restaurant our host sent us to in Assisi. We had trouble finding it… there was no sign. There were only three or four tables. The owner was the cook, his wife was the waitress. Neither spoke English, and she had to get a dictionary to help us order… but the food was terrific, and the bill was surprisingly small.

Find the open air markets in town and eat there. Cafeterias in department stores can also be a good place to find food cheap.

Eat foods that are in season. That’s what the locals do. Today’s fresh specials will cost you less and be healthier. Another way to save like the locals do is to eat and drink what is special in that country. Drink beer in Brussels and Prague, save the wine for Paris.

Remember that in many countries in the world, the tip is included. In those counties, if you leave anything, you should only leave small change. If you’re tipping 15-20% like Americans do at home, you’re tipping way too much and adding that to the price of your trip.

Don’t feel pressed to order too much for dinner. For example, just having a “primi” (pasta dish), but no “secondi” (main dish) in Italy, may be plenty for you to eat… just add a salad, and you’ll save money over a three course meal. Ask for tap water instead of bottled water in counties where the water is safe.

If you just try a few of our tips, you can eat well and still stretch your travel budget to go farther.