| In all my personal travels, accommodation | | | | common in Hong Kong), |
| selection is a very important part of the planning | | | | 2. Price - a very important factor, several sites |
| process. I try not to travel on group packages | | | | offer very good discounts, here are some I |
| when exploring Asia, they usually take me to | | | | recommend, Asia Travel, Asia Hotels, Asia Best |
| cashew nut factories, gem merchants and bird's | | | | Hotel, PYO Travel. Asia Travel has been most |
| nest restaurants, none of which appeal to me. I | | | | reliable and no issue with internet payments so |
| also often get put up in hotels which are | | | | far. For country specific travels, there are other |
| crammed and fairly worn by groups of travelers | | | | sites, some local, which offer better discounts. I'll |
| brought in by the travel agencies. | | | | cover this in a related article. Best is to always |
| The internet is my best source for planning a trip, | | | | compare offers from several sites, you can |
| I get great deals on hotels, transportation and | | | | sometimes save quite a lot - extra money can |
| on-the-ground arrangements and very good | | | | always go towards the shopping budget :p |
| information such as reviews and | | | | 3. Traveler reviews - I use the Tripadvisor site |
| recommendations from fellow travelers. | | | | religiously, they provide rankings of hotels as |
| When doing a personal trip on a mid-range budget, | | | | rated by travelers based on several criteria. This |
| it is not as easy as business travels where I can | | | | is important as images of the rooms provided by |
| pick a reliable hotel chain and book a room. I | | | | the hotels are usually not accurate. Often I've |
| personally choose my accommodation based on | | | | passed on some hotels as travelers did mention |
| the following: | | | | that it was old or dirty, important facts that you |
| 1. Location - close by to the following, depending | | | | cannot obtain on brochures or hotel websites. |
| on purpose of the trip:a. The skytrain | | | | 4. Cleanliness - I'm Virgo and a clean environment |
| underground (for places such as Bangkok, | | | | is very important to me. Clean carpets, sheets, |
| Singapore, London and etc)b. Shopping centre(s) | | | | room walls and bathroom are necessary. Heaven |
| or point of interest, within 10-15 minutes walking | | | | forbid that the room or sheets smell. I can't sleep |
| distance is acceptablec. Good hangouts, e.g. | | | | otherwise. I'd sacrifice a small room for cleanliness |
| eateries or pubs/bars/clubsd. The beach or | | | | anytime. Try to pick hotels which have been |
| nothing for that matter (for pure relaxation, | | | | newly opened or recently refurbished. For the |
| isolation can be therapeutic. I personally like views | | | | latter, make sure they put you in the new wing. |
| of the paddy field when in Bali) | | | | That aside, go out, explore and have fun! |
| For location, I would try to stay away from being | | | | Accommodation is important but please don't stay |
| located on main streets, on the entertainment | | | | indoors and explore the room walls when |
| row (pounding music at night is no fun nor the | | | | traveling. It should only be a place for peaceful |
| sight of men picking up scantily clad women), | | | | rest in preparation of the exciting travel ahead |
| brightly lit neighboring buildings (which is quite | | | | the next day. |