Does anyone still book first and last night only?

Not me. I've got a reservation for every night on my upcoming trip and some dinner reservations.

But my son and his family who are NOT planners just took off for Switzerland, Germany and Cote d'Azur for 10 days and booked ONLY the first night. Apparently, it worked out. They are home now and had a place to sleep each night on their trip.

I never have.

Only book first night not last.
We usually only book the day before but sometimes just book on arrival. We don't have a strict itinerary so often don't know where we will be stopping too far in advance. Never had an issue getting accommodation even in popular tourist locations. Probably not as fussy as some.
In France we booked on the same day in Paris, Tours, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Collioure, Villefranche de Conflent, Loches, Amboise and Barr (Alsace). I guess we were just lucky.

This vacation we booked the first 17 days. Then my wife went home and I started my tour of towns in South England focusing on towns with relation to the British Navy during the Napoleonic war (Nelsons Navy). I have used Booking.com to book 1 - 2 days before arrival and always found something. This enabled me to change my plans when I suddenly remembered that I wanted to see https://www.edenproject.com/.

Our planned tour was https://www.leboat.co.uk/boating-holidays/england/thames, Windsor, London.

My tour was: Falmouth, Plymouth, Lostwithiel (for Eden Project), Exeter (for Crowner John, a detective from 1194), Portsmouth, London (for Maritime Greenwich).

There was no way I could have booked my last night, since it wasn't until 2 days ago I knew when I would go home. I go home tomorrow, using this route: https://www.seat61.com/Denmark.htm#london-to-copenhagen-via-the-harwich-hoek-ferry.

In my experience you can still wing it - but it might be more difficult, if you have to include trans atlantic travel.

I usually book 1 to 4 days ahead, but in very expensive countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland), very expensive cities (Venice, etc.) and for long stays, I book farther out.

I often don't know when and where my trip will end (not a problem when using miles), so the last night isn't always booked early.

I think it matters whether you are using public transportation or a rental car, which specific places you're going and the time of year.

We have done it both ways. Free and easy to do it as you go. Two things about that. Prices may be higher than booking farther out. More so, it takes time to look and decide on that next days booking. Time spent on looking at booking.com. Sometimes a lot of time. Sometimes tedious time.
So maybe you look ahead before leaving home for possibilities and don’t book but know about it. Then once there you find it is not available. Start over.
That said it depends on where you are going and when. Winter, shoulder season, the depths of tourist season.
As to the original question. Yes, we have many times booked our flight and first and last night. But once at that stage, we fill it in. I do not have to have an entire itinerary set up before I even get the flight.

i’m just wondering how much that has changed since covid. i’m leaving tomorrow for portugal for a month trip through a few different countries, and have just over half booked. i don’t like to overplan, but in the summer it seems like a must since it’s so crowded, and thus more expensive. i also figure since i’ll be solo for most of it, it’ll be much easier to find a room through airbnb or booking.com

Summer, if you have a specific hotel or touristy destination in mind-book ahead.

A lot of people who do this have time/money to not care if they have to pay more OR don't care about where they stay. I am a planner and I've stayed at some terrible last minute places. 20 years ago-you could be footloose and fancy free. Now after Covid and with travel numbers still increasing-I wouldn't chance it unless I was in my twenties again.

I love the sentiment - "I wouldn't chance it unless I was in my twenties again." Thank you!

I haven't done the free and easy since the 1980's. Even then, it could be dicey depending on location and time of year. We still laugh about our experience at "The Grand Hotel of France" in a central, un-touristed area of the Val de Loire. When in my 20's, it was laughable. Now in early retirement, I would fail to find things amusing.

I prefer these days to book in advance and save the exploring for day trips from a hotel home base. I have seen the same cost savings, time savings, and availability advantages mentioned above.

It is one of my between-trips pleasures to find just the right apartment for us in various towns. I am pretty picky, too. We stay in each place a three-night minimum to a 5 week maximum (often about a week), so it's worth it to me to put some effort into it. I would not want to spend any time at all time while on a trip trying to find a place to sleep at the last minute --- that does not sound like fun to me. My husband is sometimes more spontaneous here in the States when he's camping or hiking, and he does sometimes end up sleeping in the car or in very seedy motels, but in Europe he enjoys having a nice, well-researched apartment as much as I do.

I also find it enjoyable to research lodgings for an upcoming trip and we have yet to go anywhere without advance reservations. Perhaps that will change in retirement, when we plan to take longer trips with possible looser itineraries.

Nancy-apparently you are good at your research! We stayed at one of your recommendations recently (Masseria Aprile in Locorotondo) and loved it! I was just about to send you a PM to thank you when I read this thread!

I used to when I was younger. Not the last night, but usually the first night depending on where I was going. For example, in 1996, I booked my stay in London ahead of time, but for the next 2 weeks I relied on the wonderful (sadly gone now) service called Book-a-Bed-Ahead, where you could be in one town, stop at the TIC and they would find you a room to your specifications at your destination that evening.

I booked the first night only in Greece, Turkey, Italy, and Wales, but after awhile, it started getting more difficult and I found that I did not want to have to deal with looking for a room at the last minute.

Recently, I found that booking ahead is almost essential, especially if you rely on public transportation. In Germany, I booked all my rooms ahead of time because I had to book the trains ahead of time (if I didn't want to pay through the nose). In Scotland, I had to book the ferries ahead of time, and some destinations required booking if you didn't want to be stuck without lodging.

I do miss the days of spontaneity, but find that the peace of mind in knowing where you will sleep that night outweighs that.

No, and we never have. Probably because we used to always travel with our kids and so were not willing to take any chances.

We have been going to Iceland quite a bit the last few years and even about 2 months ago they were saying the entire south coast is sold our for lodging for the summer and into early September. Every last place. The only way to wing it is to camp. That is what we are doing on our upcoming trip, but we are mostly avoiding this area. Even the huts have been sold out for months.

Too funny of a memory.
1990 and we booked the first and last nights based upon Rick's counsel and hotel recommendations, both were the worst experiences of the entire 30 day journey. In Rome the hotel switched the room from sun-filled wonderful vista of Vatican City to interior room where the door handle fell off. In Munich the room was two twin beds with thin mattresses and the shared down the hall bath offered only cold water. The front door was locked at 10 pm and a fee charged for having to be rung in after hours. However.............
We gently protested to the owner of the Rome hotel who explained their circumstances of overbooking, provision of a discount and who inquired of our next destination (Florence). He then called a fellow owner of a Florence hotel where we enjoyed a wonderful experience at a great value. The owner of the Florence Hotel called a friend in Venice, who then called a friend in Salzburg, who then called a friend in Garmish, who then called a friend in Frieburg. The "flaw" experience in Rome turned into the most wonderful series of events for each "friend" also provided insight on restaurants and back door access points to excellent adventures.
In Munich my wife was not feeling great and opted for an early evening so I went out to a bar and ended up having the time of my life................to the point where I weaved my way back down side streets attempting to find our hotel. Munich police are soooooo polite and understanding! Received a nice escort to the hotel and no after hour entry fee charged when the police officer rang the door bell for me! Great experience except wife woke up early evening feeling better and wanted to go out herself. Unfortunately I had the cash, travelers checks and credit cards with me! Am still paying for that experience.
If only I had a time machine...............
Thanks Rick!

Today’s with the internet we make all our room reservations. Getting a lot older and not as accepting of wandering the streets or browsing the internet to find a room with every move. This topic brought back memories of finding a room for each move while traveling Europe. We always have booked a room on arrival day. I remember the years where I would keep a list of 3-4 places taken from the RS travel books. We’d buy a calling card and call the hotel/private homes the day before arrival. This worked most of the time 20 plus years ago. Sometimes we’d find a room at the local visitors center. The last time we traveled without reservations for 4 of 14 nights in Sicily there was a story behind this process of room finding. A police man drove us to the TI in Agrigento, a man visiting with friends on a corner in the countryside had us follow him into the local town and hooked us up with another person who found us a room and who remembers the way we found our last unreserved place. This informal way of finding rooms is a time intensive. Fortunately we have always found a home for the night in the past, but don’t wish to do this in the future. There seems to be too much demand for affordable rooms that are reserved online. Have reserved some wonderful rooms and only walked away from one place reserved ahead of time in 25 years of traveling.

We don't wing it, I book for every night in advance.
We had one occasion when we didn't book and there were no rooms for fifty miles.

We’re in the habit of booking all our lodging before the trip. We generally get a rental car and keep daily driving to between 2-3 hours. While the lodging is set in stone, what we visit between places remains fluid. We started booking everything beforehand after we had a few close calls finding lodging in small towns.

I will try not too bore with too much detail, here is a run down of our last trip's lodging arrangements.

Booked first 2 nights in major city of arrival from home in Australia. Cheap quirky close to public transport away from main tourist areas in quiet neighbourhood. Given 35 +/- travel from door to door a no brainer.
Night before moving on booked cheap hotel near station in next destination. That took less than 10 mins to find it and book it. On our first night there we did a quick search and booked a bnb nearby for remaining nights. A bit more expensive better location.
A Google search the morning of departure to next destination found an interesting AirBnB. A small boat in a harbour near the next town. Very cheap so booked that for one night then booked a specific hotel in the town for subsequent nights. Sitting on the balcony on our last night I google searched the next destination's options. A small town with limited accommodation.
We booked a beautiful bnb online as the quirky cheap hotel had no online booking. Stayed the one night in relatively expensive luxury. After lunch I walked to the cheap hotel and booked our subsequent nights.

Heading to the large regional city from there we weren't sure of making our connection so made no bookings. We made it by the skin of our teeth.
Walked across from the station to the desk of a budget chain hotel and booked.
Did the same thing same hotel chain next day in another regional city.

That evening after dinner we booked a specific cheap quirky hotel for our next location.

On our last night there booked an Air BnB studio apartment (attached to a family home) for a few nights at the next town.

Our last overnight in that region was back in the regional city. We had planned to just go back to the budget chain hotel. A quick google search while having lunch kicked up a cheaper option in a classier establishment, late cancellation so room was heavily discounted.

W weren't too sure which of several options would be our next destination. Our final decision made during breakfast was based on a cheap quirky hotel in an interesting somewhat off tourist Broadway small town. We booked one night initially but ended up staying 4.

The night before heading back to the major city for our final nights we found our first hotel booked out so booked another (slightly cheaper and not as cute) nearby.

None of it was difficult or stressful. We were using a railpass so had flex. Our average stay was well under 100€ per night. It was pretty much peak season. We had no strict itinerary.

We use a hybrid approach. Yeah, book the first location, and we usually book the last location, sometimes. Other than that, using Booking.com, we see a bit of what demand for an area is, so we might book tight cities (I would probably always book Paris, Venice, and a few other places ahead), then if we have an area where we might be parking for a week or so, we look for a great spot.

But on a typical trip, there are lots of nights un-booked to provide some flex, booking maybe a day or two ahead as we move around. However, people on here always poo-poo a flexible schedule, like you would show up and spend hours trying to find a place...never happened to me, we always research and have a short list of places, Booking.com is a great resource.

I always say time is the most valuable commodity when traveling. Why do I want to spend each evening researching the next night's hotel? Seems like extra work and potential stress. More than likely you can find A room, but will it be what you really want. To each his own style.

..."each evening researching". Seriously Threadwear it takes 5 mins of research followed by a few mins to book.
Many of our stops are initially booked for one night then we extend the stay if we like the area alot. A good e.g. of this was on a Swiss trip. I had pencilled in several nights in Zermatt and then travel onto Sonogno. My wife and I both found Zermatt too crowded so we didn't extend our stay.
Arriving in the Ticino in the afternoon we went to tourist info and booked a night in Sonogno. We weren't sure what to expect there. We ended up extending the stay to 4 nights as we loved it.

I have usually noted a few hotels along our probable journey that look a bit special so might try to book into them if they are still available. Otherwise I have a bit of a "who cares" attitude to hotels/accommodation.
We did Ireland and the UK sleeping in the back of a small van and mostly not in commercial campgrounds. That is how we usually travel around Australia too.
I have slept in many very basic tea houses in NepaI and many high country huts/refuges. I regularly sleep in a tent or swag or sometimes just in a bivvy bag in the wilderness.
Pretty much any room with a bed and access to toilet is going to feel comfy for me. Hot water and electricity are bonuses.

Tintaldra,

As I said at the end of my post..."to each his own style."

Pretty much any room with a bed and access to toilet is going to feel comfy for me. Hot water and electricity are bonuses. I have a bit of a "who cares" attitude to hotels/accommodation. We did Ireland and the UK sleeping in the back of a small van and mostly not in commercial campgrounds.

I would say your style would be classified as laid back to the fullest. There are those at the opposite end who stay at 5 star hotels, eat all their meals at the hotel and hire drivers to show them the sights. Both of you come home happy as clams about the vacation they experienced. The rest of us fall somewhere onto the spectrum in between. No one is right, no one is wrong, just each has his own style.