Ok, our trip is long and we are visiting a lot of different places, so keeping track of the many booking we have, and a tally of the finances, is critical. I am using a lot of different booking platforms in the chase for the best deal, so I need a central place that summarises all of our bookings.
I haven’t gone high tech; I just use an excel spreadsheet that keeps a summary of what is booked, dates, cost, booking platform and booking references. Set it up as soon as you start confirming arrangements and keep adding to it as you book. If you are doing a big, complicated itinerary you will soon get lost if you don’t keep track.
Keep email confirmations in a separate folder in your emails, and be sure you can access them on your phone. Immigration might ask you to confirm that you have somewhere to stay, so being able to find your booking quickly will help ease your way through the bureaucracy. Same with flights. Some countries want confirmation that you have an exit strategy. I don’t travel with paper documents, but easy access to electronic documents is a must, and has worked so far.
Another little tip: booking platforms like Booking.com keep records of your bookings. Periodically, clean up the lists so that your active list only displays upcoming bookings. Move the completed bookings to the archive list so that you can find your next booking quickly.
If you are using Airbnb, verify your identity. I have found that the booking process is just a little easier since I verified my identity. Oh, and be a good guest – Airbnb hosts rate you as well, so you don’t want to get a bad rep for being a messy, disrespectful or inconsiderate guest.