Michael

Can one easily travel without reservations for accommodations in England and Wales in late June and early July, or are reservations recommended? Or would problems be location specific? For example, during our travels in Scotland we had no problems finding accommodations in Oban but it was tight in the Gairloch area.

jamikins

I think it depends where you want to go, but I wouldnt travel without them. I hate wasting time searching while on vacation and I like to nail my budget in advance. I am sure its possible in some areas but if you tell us where you are thinking in particular we can advise better.

bilboburgler

normally you will be ok unless there is some sort of festival on. I work on the basis that if there is no room at the inn you just travel until you find one. Some people do not like that.

annhig

Hi Michael,

so long as you are travelling outside school holidays [which do not include end of june -early july so you should be ok] you should be fine finding somewhere. most places have a number of b&Bs where you will find a room or two. you may even be able to strike a bargain - for example, on Wednesday i had to stay over on business and hadn't booked. at the hotel I'd decided I quite liked on the net, they wanted £70 for the night, but I beat them down to £60.

it might be a good idea to do a bit of research before you go so that you know roughly where you might want to stay and how much it ought to cost.

janisj

I always make advance reservations in any city. In scenic/rural areas I often don't. A lot depends on when I'm traveling. A bank holiday weekend -- I always pre-book. From mid July - August - always.

But outside those dates I often wing it. Every town has a tourist information office that can find you rooms w/o having to drive around searching. You stop in, tell them the area you want to stay, bed/bath requirements, and budget. Then go out to explore the town/village, and return in an hour or two and voila -- there is your booking w/directions how to find the place. This service works for same night stays, for future nights, in the local area, or miles away.

If I am traveling solo or w/ just one other person it is usually fine. But if you need a family room or more than one room, pre-booking is more important.

Or - if there is a specific property you want to stay - booking is essential.

Michael

Thanks. We'll probably travel without reservations if we do a week on our own. As things stand, English friends are taking us around southern England for a week, and they are doing all the organizing.