🖋️Feature: My booking (dot.com) app told me I am a Genius
Play the providers to make better choices on Nomad friendly accommodation
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» Nomad November 2023, featured a 30 article series for your reading delight «
Hola de Sevilla!
Note: in this article I am using the term lodging, which is very “American”, but that is okay because at the very least I can spell it, unlike acommodation, which I clearly cannot spell.
Ask any seasoned traveller to share their stories about standards of lodging and any memorable experiences, then wait to be entertained or shocked.
“Comfort” is subjective for sure, but also if seen as a way of rating any lodging offering, is very different in every country and culture, so varies greatly.
Throw in the specific workspace needs of remote workers and nomads, from reliable wifi, to desk space to noise in the environment and then things start to get really interesting.
Then, add in the more common long stay needs of nomads, often at 1 month or more, and as the filtering criteria get narrower and narrower and then options can get more and more limited, as I wrote about previously:
As always, when postulating on how we make more conscious Nomading decisions, try and take into account context, things like:
Short or long stay?
Are you travelling alone or with a group or family?
Climate, Wellbeing or any specific personalised considerations? On this one, I am a total stickler for dark (dark) rooms, blackout blinds are my friend!
Work requirements eg. do you need to record or deliver live events online?
Any dependancy on a local venue or event, which will impact location?
Any other special requests?
Any learnings or reflections on previous stays?
Creating a mental or written checklist based on the prompts above, or saving preferences on your favourite apps or providers sites, it worthwhile.
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Then steal my ways of sourcing, outlined below:
✅ Seek and you shall find by using clever filters
When searching on any apps or interfaces, make sure optimise filter options like wifi, workspace and soundproofing etc. is ticked as you search and consistent across platforms.
✅ Loyalty levels and credits
On Booking.com and Air B n B, the two main suppliers I use, I have honed and primed my loyalty, working up the levels.
Make sure to take notice of any special offers or credits earned.
A sample below of how credits are displayed on booking.com app. Make sure that you to claim those credits!
Below shows my available stay monetary credits from my Wallet on booking.com:
✅ Play the free cancellation game
Yup, sometimes I have multiple bookings in case across various providers and I place a reminder in my calendar for the last date for cancellation, so as to “play the game” and secure better options and financial deals on stays.
✅ Ask(direct!) and you shall receive further discounts
After you find an ideal looking accommodation, for example “Isabel’s House in Central Malaga” on a provider site, also search on a couple of different web browsers to see if you can find a direct contact and email or message the owner direct. Sometimes, this can lead to a better direct price and direct relationship.
A Nomad friend of mine also barters for longer stays this way, offering a fixed fee (after some wider research on the local market rates) essentially cutting out the middle man provider.
» Nomad November 2023, featured a 30 article series for your reading delight «
✅ New listed stays can be worth a punt
New listings - without significant reviews - can also be great way to find better offers, so don’t always search with a set review level in mind, open mindedness on this aspect, can repay in my experience.
✅ Sometimes localised efforts can provide alternative solutions
On occasion in Spain, local platforms like Idealista and Milanuncios can provide more regional classified ads, so this is worth also some investigation.
Furthermore, the classic fall back is always Facebook groups, Nomad or Remote Work community and Whatsapp groups, which can often be the source of house swops, share and intel.
✅ Coliving experiences or similar events
I will be writing more on this in future editions, but if this piques your interest and curiosity, check out the link below for some ideas.
✅ Nomad Providers including Colivings
So stay curious!
Finding better nomad ready stays helps us all rest and enjoy our travels better, so please share below in the comments any tips or comments
TLDR: In case you don’t know me already, I am Ro, I am based in Zaragoza, Spain with my Location Independent, somewhat Nomadic (4-6 months a years of nomading) family. For work, I am a Remote Work and Digital Nomad Expert, Advisor and Writer, oh an a Linkedin Top Voice.
All my web and free resource links are here and you can book a 1:1 here.
Thanks for reading, I want to hear your feedback - so let me know here.
May the road rise to meet you,
love n light,
💚 Ro