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Hotel/B&B reservations from mid April to early May

Posted by (Chicago, USA) on

Hello, fellow travelers,

I'm taking my first solo trip this spring from mid April into early May. VERY excited for it. Save for a five-day side trip to Paris (transportation and hotel already arranged for that part), the remainder of my three-week journey will be in Great Britain. I have a fairly clear-cut itinerary, staying 2 to 3 days at each destination I have in mind, leaving some wiggle room in case I want to change my route as I go. Because of this, I have yet to make B&B reservations in GB.

I've spent time getting familiar with the info in Rick's books, and he suggests that finding places to stay on the day of arrival is easier to do during during non-peak or "shoulder" seasons (which I'm assuming this is, based on what I've read).

For those of you that have done this before, has this held true for you? Have you had an easy time finding accommodations upon arrival during this time of year AND at hotels/B&Bs that Risk has recommended in his books? I've noticed that for some of his preferred spots, he suggests booking head but he doesn't specify if this is a season-specific necessity.

I'd love to read your thoughts on this! Thanks.

Posted by
6 posts

Kent, you are my replying-to-my-travel-questions buddy, apparently! :-)

Posted by
30 posts

its always as good idea to book well in advance - it can be a dissapointment if one has set ones self at one or several places one really wanted to stay, and when one phones the day before or even the same day you need a room - quickly find out that the place is full

So booking well in advance of your B&B or hotel is a good idea making sure that you have a place to stay without any worries that the places are full owing to a conference or other..

Posted by
24 posts

I agree with the other poster- if you plan to use Rick Steve's suggested places, book ahead! I booked ahead for my trip in late May (which is also still the shoulder season) and two of the places I wanted from Rick's book were booked already (In London and in York).

Posted by
6 posts

Thanks for the reality check! I've been making e-mail and phone contacts over the past two days, working my way through my itinerary. So far, so good.

(It was fun having my first phone chat with a B&B proprietor about room availabilities--those little things that make my upcoming trip feel all the more tangible.)

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