travel Spain/France/Italy August no hotel reservations OK?

Good wishes. Those are busy travel months. I wouldn't want to spend any of my precious travel time hunting for
lodging.

That's a good point and something we'll need to consider, thanks!

I think it depends on two things: priorities and where you'll be. As far as priorities, do you value flexibility over getting a good deal or staying in potentially run-down, less-than-ideal lodgings? If so, that's fine, but I would recognize that by being spontaneous you'll end up paying more than if you planned ahead most likely, and you'll have less control over what kind of place you stay in. And as the previous respondent noted, you may have to spend more travel time hunting for lodging. But if that's worth it to you so you can be flexible, then you can do it. I'd also consider where you plan on being. Large cities will almost always have lodging available unless they're an exceptionally big event taking place (like the London Olympics, or big trade fares). But small towns and the countryside may have significantly fewer lodging options. In that case, I wouldn't take the risk during high season.

Definitely things to think about. We can deal with some more costs and some looking around....will have Internet access to help. Thank you for all the great advice!

Long ago a buddy and I did that when we backpacked around Europe. In those days there was a tourist info desk at each train station in the larger cities with info on hostels, b&b's, cheap hotels. So it was easy to find accommodation on the fly even during summer. Perhaps that is still an option. Having internet access will help a great deal. I suggest you research other sites geared to that kind of travel, perhaps start with Lonely Planet, to see what others' experience is these days.

There are plusses and minuses to traveling without reservations. The big minus, IMO, is you may not end up in your first choice hotel. If you have a long list of needs to be happy, a reservation is probably the better way to go. My only real need is clean (quiet would be number 2). I can live with no elevator, restaurant, conceirge, 24 hour front desk, room service, pool, etc. I've always found something - some places better than others - including a Pension in Munich on opening day of Oktoberfest (though I hope I never repeat that effort). I consider it part of the adventure. Spending more isn't one of the downsides. I call the morning before I arrive somewhere (maybe ten). The hotels know which rooms they will be sitting on. They also know if they don't rent them, they'll go vacant - so they are likely to offer decent prices. I ask what they have available, then the price and don't book unless I think it's a good deal. Flexibility is a great plus, if you take advantage of it. If you're having a great time, you can stay longer. More likely you may feel like you're ready to move on earlier than you had planned. Some people aren't comfortable changing their plans on the fly. We're traveling to Spain in April. We have 28 nights. Of that we have our first nights in Barcelona and our last nights in Madrid reserved. For the other nights, I have a list of five (maybe ten if it's a popular destination) places that are decent choices. Normally, I'll call up to three before I have a place. If, for some reason, I get through the list, I'll use guidebook recommendations. If I still don't have a place, I'll use the TI.

Hm, I still think in general you probably get better deals buying hotel reservations in advance through discount services than buying directly day-of. Sure, they have vacancies, but in my experience, they generally don't "bargain" with hotel rooms, the set price is the set price, and any special deals you can get are going to be web based and thus bought in advance. This might not be true of very small family run operations, but for larger hotels, they do not 'cut you a deal' last minute usually.

Keep in mind that August is a big month for Europeans to take their own vacations (and August 15th is a holiday in Italy so lots of Italians hit the road with the families that week). In the bigger cities you may have an easier time finding last minute rooms, but it can get more difficult if you are trying to find some place to sleep in coastal areas, around lakes, mountains, etc. since that's where a lot of Europeans are also headed for their own vacations. One August I was able to snag a good online deal last minute for a hotel in Paris, but there was another August when I had a difficult time trying to find a bed in Northern Ireland in a small town by the coast - I was finally able to get a room, but I spent the better part of the morning calling all over trying to get one in my price range. If you want to try it, by all means, go right ahead as long as you are not too picky about lodging. If you must have your own private bathroom, or air conditioning, or you aren't willing to stay a little further outside of the city center than you hoped, then book ahead.

I think it's how as much as who you ask. An owner of a small hotel understands renting a room out last minute, even at a reduced price, beats letting it go empty. A manager at a large hotel also gets it, but a reservations clerk at the same hotel probably won't offer anything other than the basic rate - which you should be able to beat booking ahead. When I ask. I don't commit to a room unless it's at the bottom end of the price range I found when I researched it. If it's too much, I tell them so ("that's more than I'm planning to spend") and will call somewhere else if they don't offer a decent price. Part of that has to be calling in the morning when you can shop rather than at dusk when you need a place right now. It can also be a minus to spend time making calls, but they usually go quickly. It's rare for me to spend more than ten or fifteen minutes booking the next hotel. The real work is before the trip building a list, and getting good phone numbers and street addresses for the hotels. A small plus with booking on the road is they never have your reservation messed up when you get there. Occasionally that's an issue when you book well in advance.

Wow! Thank you all so much for the great information! I really appreciate the diversity of opinions and experience. All good points, and as people have said, it'll come down to personal preference and risk tolerance.