Please sign in to post.

Room availability in September without reservations

Posted by (Western NY, USA) on

Wife and I are traveling to G.B. mid-September. We'll spend a few days in London (booked in advance) then head to wherever impulse and the weather steers us. Is it feasible to travel without room reservations?

We'll have a car. We're flexible on accommodations -- B&B, guesthouse, hotel all okay; prefer private bath but not essential; moderate price. (What is "moderate" price these days -- maybe 50-75 GBP for a double?)

Our last trip there was 15 years ago, same time of year, and we had little problem finding same-day rooms. The situation may have changed.

We'd like the freedom of movement but don't want to spend a lot of time/driving/expense finding a room. Can we travel (mostly England but possibly Scotland or Wales) without reservations?

Thank you!

Posted by
73 posts

We do intend to have a phone. My smartphone won't work there so we plan to buy a cheap prepaid "dumb" phone. And we'll have a small tablet for Wi-Fi Internet access.

That's an excellent suggestion to book a day or two ahead. We'll be planning at least that much.

I wouldn't expect any Rick - recommended lodging to be available on short notice so that's not an issue.

Thanks for the helpful reply.

Posted by
3391 posts

We were in London for three weeks last summer (August) and took a few trips out to Oxford, York, and the Lake District. Some places were for just one night and others were up to four. We had no problem finding a room at the last minute - I just hopped onto my smartphone (using wi-fi) and booked a room. All the places we stayed at ended up being very nice and met our expectations. Your price of 50 - 75 pounds is very realistic for moderate/clean lodging not in London.

Posted by
9110 posts

In umpteen gazillion trips spanning almost that many years all over Britain we've never once booked ahead by a fractional minute or even thought thought of using the phone, even in the summer.

When you're ready to stop, pull into the first B&B you see. If there's no room, there will be down the block or they will refer you to an equally good place.

We've never burned ten minutes or driven more than an extra mile.

Using the phone would maybe complicate matters since you would have been using a data source available to many others using the same source and many places don't enter their place into a central listing.

Your pricing is comfortable.

Posted by
73 posts

Those are very encouraging answers, just what I was hoping for.

Thanks all for your help.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.