With so many different booking websites available offering the ‘best hotel deals’ and ‘cheapest room rates’ it can be hard to know which one will genuinely offer you the best deal.
The problem is that most of the independent booking websites are paid a fee by the hotels to advertise discounted rooms on their website, therefore not all booking sites have the same hotels on their books so comparisons can be hard to get.
My advice would be to choose 3 websites and check the prices of your preferred hotel, then once you have found the cheapest deal write down all the details of the offer along with the website that the deal is on and call the hotel directly.
Once you get through to the booking line state the details of the deal that you have found online and ask them what they can offer you if you book with them directly?
Most hotels will be keen to persuade you to do this as it saves them paying a fee to the booking site, this fee can be used then to further discount your direct booking with them.
Some hotels will offer you the same deal if you book direct but may (if pushed a little) throw in a free bottle of wine in the room or a discount on dinning with them.
It’s always worth asking as if you don’t ask then you definitely won’t get!

When packing for a trip abroad it can be tempting to think that you will need much more luggage allowance than is normally allocated however this need not be the case with these handy tips.

Choose a light case – It’s always good to be aware that some suitcases, particularly hard shelled ones with wheels can weigh quite a lot and can take up valuable weight allowance so always buy a light but sturdy case ideally made of fabric so that it’s easy to pack and store.

Roll your clothes – if you fold each item in your case it will not only take up more room but it will also get creased really easily, to stop this simply fold then roll your clothes and pack them in to every nook and cranny.

Make the most of your hand luggage allowance – most hand luggage allowances are quite generous so if you have heavy items such as shoes or electrical good then pop them in your hand luggage instead.

And if you still have too much luggage to carry why not send your luggage ahead using a parcel company, it can sometimes work out cheaper to do that than to carry extra baggage on your flight so well worth looking into.