May travel

Yes, it is possible. I do it every time I travel. I dont like to be locked in to a fixed itinerary. The only reservation I make is for the first night in some cases. For example, if I will arrive late in the day.

You will find it easier to get unreserved rooms in May. I always do research on the web to find accommodations to inspect when I get to Europe.

In CT, be sure to inspect the room before you rent it. Amenities are very different there. The same applies to a lesser degree in other places.

I've been to Paris and Rome in the month of May, and the hotels I used were always full at that time. I'm sure you could find a place to sleep each night if you traveled without reservations. You just need to decide if serendipity is more important to you than the time you would spend hunting down available rooms in each new location.

Peggy,

I'd prefer to have reservations at that time of year, as that's a "peak" time in the spring shoulder season. Depending on how the economy shapes up in the next few months, there may (or may not) be a lot of people travelling at that time of year?

I would rather sacrifice some spontaneity and pre-book rooms, so that I don't have to waste a lot of time or money trying to find a place to sleep when I arrive in new location. That also gives me a choice of both the area of town that I want to stay in, as well as the price range that I want to pay for lodgings. Those who use the "spontaneous approach" may have to sacrifice one or both of those factors.

Cheers!

Another factor to consider is the size of your family. Rooms for four people are harder to find than rooms for two or three. If you don't have a reservation, you may have to get two rooms. If a hotel you like only has one room available but it's not big enough for all of you, then you'll have to find another hotel.

Peggy, I agree with the previous posters - May tends to be peak season and crowded. I would opt for reservations, especially with two children along. Also, check on various Christian and other holidays, there are several in May. Lastly, Rome will most likely already be very hot. Personally, I would start in Rome and end up in Paris, even though I live in the South and am somewhat acclimated to hot weather.

For Paris and Rome I would definately reserve since you are 4 with children. you could prob wing the rest of it if chance and lots of looking doesn't bother you.

May is a busier time then you might think. I stayed in Paris the third week in May and I had trouble finding a budget Rick recommended hotel that I was trying to reserve in December!
Same went for Amsterdam, Bruges, Venice and Munich. The only places that were easily available were hotles/pensions that were way above our budget. Small town we had no problems with booking.

Hello Peggy. Do you have the airline tickets (Electronic) for flying to Paris ? The last day of American Airlines' "off season" will be May 14, 2009. For flight dates later than May 14, the prices for airline tickets are very much higher. I do not know the dates of the "off season" of the other airlines. Many people will travel from the U.S.A. to PARIS in France in May of 2009. I will be in PARIS in May of 2009. The hotel in Paris, that I will be at, is not mentioned in any of Rick Steves' books. I recommend that you reserve a room in a Cinque Terre village, NOW ! if possible. And, reserve a room that has air conditioning, in Rome, NOW ! if possible.

Hi Peggy, Traveling without reservations can be fun and challenging. Finding hotels at the last moment or even the day before can be time consuming and boring for kids just standing around in a train station while the adults are phoning. (At least that's what happened to us!) As prior posters have said, May is a busy month in many towns/cities/villages--that's why we already have our reservations for 17 May through 21 June in Switzerland, France, Benelux and Italy. In April '98 I also remember paying double what I had budgeted for because we ended up in Orvieto Easter weekend without a reservation. ('Course that was Easter so it's understandable.)

No way would I show up in Paris or Rome without reservations in May! These are large cities--it isn't as if the hotels are all in one small area and you can easily go from one to another. Also, walk in rates are often much higher than if you reserve.

I would also make a reservation for the CT if you are going on a weekend. Actually, I would make one no matter what--I don't want to waste time on a vacation looking for lodging, or to be shut out of the best or best value places that others booked months in advance. But on a weekday in the CT, you will likely find something.

Back before kids, my husband and I rarely made reservations, unless it was a major city or highly touristed area in the summer. We rarely had problems finding an affordable room. But traveling with kids in Europe is an entirely different animal. Like others had said, it's much easier to find a double than finding room for 4. Yes, it does take a bit of the spontaneity out of the trip when you make reservations, but I figure I'd rather that then spend time with kids in tow looking for a room. You can always take day trips from where you're staying to get off the beaten track.

If, after all the cautions posted so far, you are still wanting to wing it, I'll add two more caveats. Try to check out what dates are religious holidays (in the sense of providing opportunities for long weekends) in the places you're heading to. It will be very different from here, and it may impact your ability to find rooms. For example, one year we were in the south of France in May. The Cannes Festival had driven us away from that area. To our surprise, our b&b up above Grasse was filled with families from several countries. It was Pentecost. Who knew? Sure was glad I had reservations, though. Also, the school calendar varies from one country to another, which may provide another reason for limited availability of lodgings. On a visit to the Amalfi Coast in May, a different time, we were surprised to find it filled with British families. Half-term holiday in their homeland. Again, glad we planned ahead.

I would definitely have reservations in the cities or towns on arrival and departure. AFter a long trip, you want to know where you are going to lay your head. Believe me it will make everyone in your party happier!

Peggy - agree that looking for a quad room at the spur of the moment is difficult. European hotels are not set up like most US hotels where you can get a room with 2 beds. Especially if you are going "off the beaten track" you will find that hotels are smaller, less Americanized. So if you don't mind getting 2 rooms you will have an easier time but still, in my opinion, not worth it. The last time I failed to book my rooms for our family of 4 it was for only one night in Wales - we were exactly sure how far we would get toward our ultimate destination. It was a small, wonderful, non-touristy town - so guess what - VERY few choices in accomodations, the cute B&B's were full. After an hour of looking we got the last 2 rooms (as there were no rooms availalbe for 4) in a Holiday Inn-ish American chain. The rooms were twice what I paid for my pre-booked rooms, and had all the charm of, well, an American Holiday Inn. I book ahead when traveling with 4.

We went through Holland and France from late April to mid May 2008, and were surprised to find the crowds we encountered. (We thought we were clever by choosing this time frame - ha ha on us). I didn't like the idea of reserving hotels before we left as I was afraid it would be limiting, but I'm glad we did. Previously we had always traveled by the seat of our pants, but a little hotel searching in the planning phase indicated rooms were not that plentiful. And as the designated room-looker-forer, it was a real pleasure not to have to traipse through hotel after hotel checking for availability--you also burn up a lot of time doing it too, as others have noted. For us, planning in advance gave us a good idea of what we wanted to see in each location so that we allotted the time to each destination we felt was appropriate and had no regrets. You can also tack on additional time in any given city to explore the area in day trips and that might raise the spontaneity factor to achieve a happy balance. And for the record, it's been our experience that there is often a good reason for some things to be off the "beaten track". Good luck.

I can always find a room without advance reservations traveling in Spring and Fall. I travel with kids often. Unless you visit a special festival (like Octoberfest), you won't be in high season. I like to have reservations the night I arrive and the night before I fly home. Other than that, I plan a rough itenerary and have five or so lodging choices phone numbers ready. If those fall through I can fall back on guide books. As a last resort a TI will get you a room for the night (usually not at a good price).

I call around 10 am for the next lodging. They know what they have and if any rooms are going to go empty. When you call, tell them what you need - four people, two nights and ask what they have. For me a bath down the hall is fine. The pickier you are, the more you will pay. You pay a lot more for an average room with en suite toilet and shower than for a beautiful room with toilet and bath down the hall.

Let them tell you what they have. If it will work, ask how much. I often get quoted significantly lower prices than I would get booking in advance. If it's in line, I give them my name and tell them when I will arrive. If I'm running late, I call and let them know I'm still coming and when I'll be there.