5 Common Booking Mistakes That Need to Bite the Dust

Staying near the Connaught Place? CP, as locals call it, is a haven of colonial landmarks in New Delhi. Long been recognized as one of the country’s foremost financial and business centers, it isn’t just the business crowd that’s drawn to the city. A lot of travelers go to Connaught Place simply to soak up the sights and the atmosphere—with colonnades that look strikingly familiar to the architecture of Bath and Cheltenham, according to the Lonely Planet, it’s enough to make you feel you’re a world away.

It’s no wonder a lot of tourists populate the area. Only thing left to do now is to book your rooms and wait for D-Day to arrive. However, before that happens, make sure you avoid making any of these booking mistakes.

 Not checking the location thoroughly enough

A lot of hotels will tell you they’re near the city center. But unless you take the time to really check the location and verify that information, you could get taken in by hotels with misleading descriptions. A good choice to go for, if you prefer a centrally located hotel, one accessible to everything, is to book hotels online like the Imperial. It’s close by, has great rates and even better service.

 Booking through online travel agencies

Seeing those cheap rates can be quite tempting especially if you’re on a tight budget. However, if you don’t mind spending a few more rupees, then head over to the site and book your reservations that way instead. According to The Huffington Post, most hotels follow a rule: to give over the best of their rooms to clients who book through their site. Loyalty members also get to enjoy that perk. So if you’re tired of shabby accommodations and cramped quarters, try booking direct with the hotel next time.

 Not doing your research

It’s always a good idea to go with the ‘don’t expect anything’ attitude. That way, you won’t get disappointed. However, if you do have certain expectations about your rooms or the service, then make sure it’s the kind of hotel that honors those expectations in the first place. That way, you’ll be well within your rights to ask for a warm towel in the evenings, among other things.

Using cash instead of credit cards

It’s not really safe and wise to carry a lot of bills with you. It’s always safer to use credit cards. It’s not just a precautionary measure against thieves, it’s also a great way to rack up points, hotel stays, cash back bonuses, and other exciting prizes and freebies. All it takes is to simply compare all the credit cards available to you and to pick one that offers you the most in terms of perks and value. So if you love to shop, choose one that gives you the best deals from your favorite stores and brands. And if you’re a globe-trotter, then going for a credit card that allows you free flights and air miles makes perfect sense.

Not reading the reviews

Sites like TripAdvisor matter because they provide you with peer-generated reviews, comments, and feedback on the hotels, places and spots you want to visit. Don’t let that information go to waste. Take advantage of it. Read the reviews. Check the top picks and you might just surprise yourself by finding out a little nugget or two of a tip that could make your trip good to great.

 

Other Reminders

Have enough of booking mistakes? Here are other travel mistakes you should steer clear of as well:

 Cramming your itinerary with too many sights

This is a common mistake of travelers, says Travel India. Want to see as many places as you can on your trip? Go ahead. However, don’t sacrifice comfort and enjoyment just to make it to all the tourist spots on your list. Give yourself enough time to enjoy a place, to soak it up. Stay an hour or two. Talk to people. Sit on a bench. You can do that. You have time.

Spending half the day on social media

When you travel, you’re meant to see the sights, enjoy the views, and interact with other people. You weren’t meant to go there, take a picture and spend half the day away on your Facebook or Instagram page, waiting to see who among your friends will hit the LIKE button next.

Bringing along too much

One of the most important rules you’ll learn on the road is to learn how to travel light. That means ditching everything you don’t need. Pack along the essentials, though TripHobo says you’ll pretty much find all the essentials you need everywhere. So what do you pack? Your curiosity, your respect for other cultures. When you go travelling, travel light. That means leaving behind everything you don’t need—extra clothes, too many books, along with judgment, bigotry, and disrespect.