I have been told that my trip planning method of not booking our accommodations ahead of time must change. Kristen always asks me to book in advance because she doesn't like to "risk it," but I have always argued that my method offers us more flexibility. Furthermore, when we have tried booking ahead, it usually seems to me that we arrive somewhere only to find that our hotel isn’t quite where I thought it would be, or it isn’t as nice as it looked online. Meanwhile, we pass hotels with vacancies in nicer locations, and at better prices.
Until last weekend, my method had always served us well. That’s not to say that we have never had a scare; but we always seem to luck out. Unfortunately, my luck ran dry last weekend in Geelong. We got off the train in the center of the city at around dinner time on Saturday night. It didn’t take long for us to discover that the state of Victoria was holding its high school version of the Olympic Games in Geelong at that time. You couldn’t look anywhere in the city without seeing herds of high school athletes and coaches. I spoke to every hotel receptionist in Geelong, and the only establishment with rooms available that evening was the Carlton Pub.
So, since we were without our car (and thus had no options), we slept in a room above a bar. The room did not have a bathroom, but it was next door to the ladies’ room and just a short walk down the hall from the men’s room. I personally found the rhythmic thumping of the techno beat soothing, so I slept like a baby. However, Kristen was up most of the night (probably plotting to kill me) while she listened to loud music, yelling, and of course a man puking in the ladies’ bathroom most of the night.
I now see that Kristen's position is not wholly without merit, and I am reconsidering my position on booking our accomodations in advance. What do you think?
