Okay, here’s my blog post about finding the best tools for booking hotels in remote locations, written from my personal experience:
So, I had this trip planned, right? Way off the beaten path, like, really remote. And the biggest headache? Figuring out where to even stay. Most of the usual hotel websites were drawing a blank. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. It was like these places didn’t even exist online. That’s when I started digging.
My Deep Dive into Booking Tools
First, I hit up the big names, you know, the ones everyone uses. Typed in my destination…and got nothing. Crickets. Tumbleweeds. Okay, time for plan B.
I started messing around with map searches. I zoomed way in on the areas I was interested in, looking for any little marker that might indicate a guesthouse, lodge, anything. Sometimes, I found places that didn’t show up on the booking sites, with phone numbers or basic websites. Old school, but hey, it was something.
Then came the forums. I spent hours reading travel forums and blogs, looking for mentions of specific places. People who’d actually been there. This was gold. I found a few recommendations this way, places that were barely on the internet, but had amazing reviews from people who’d stayed there.
I also got clever with my search terms. Instead of just “hotels in [remote location]”, I started trying things like “guesthouses near [landmark]”, “[village name] accommodation”, “lodges [region] national park”. That helped me uncover some hidden gems.
Another trick I tried was looking at tour operator websites. Even if I wasn’t planning on booking a tour, sometimes they’d list the accommodations they used, which gave me more leads to follow up on.
- Start with the basics:Tried all normal big websites, but some are usefull for everything.
- Get visual: Using Map to check if it shows any hotels.
- Ask around: Travel forums.
- Be specific: Changed my search key words.
- Think outside the box: Check some tour website.
It was a lot of work, honestly. A lot of dead ends. But, by combining all these methods, I eventually pieced together a list of potential places to stay. It wasn’t as simple as clicking a few buttons, but it was definitely worth it to find those unique, off-the-grid spots.
My takeaway? Don’t give up easily! If the usual websites aren’t working, get creative and be prepared to do some serious *’s my experience!
