When we go abroad, we get an early booking, sometimes 5 months ahead. The payoff is the bigger discount given to us compared to the price we get when it is only 1 month in advance. The hotel manager said that early booking naturally gets a bigger discount because the hotel is already assured of occupancy. It is a problem for them when their occupancy is very low. Another tip is to book accommodation during off season to get 50% discount.
I guess this depends on where you are going as sometimes last minute deals can be much cheaper. In popular hotels it is worth booking early, but if you are looking for a bargain it can be worth it to wait until closer to the time, or wait for a discount coupon to book. I've booked many last minute rooms and paid less than half price.
I am also a fan of booking hotel and train/coach tickets as early as possible to take advantage of the discount. I use sites like Trivago, Booking.com and Hotels4U as you can sometimes get even more of a discount from these kind of sites. While it is true that you can sometimes get a cheap deal if you book at the last minute I do find that this is leaving things to chance. I've done this a few times and only once have a bagged a cheap rate, the other times I ended up paying almost three times what I would have normally paid.
Early booking does have its advantages. Hotels/hostels tend to up their price a few weeks before travel season kicks off. Rates will surge by then and if you intend to travel on a shoestring budget, last-minute accommodation booking is not advised. I usually do my bookings 3 months ahead of schedule. I read reviews first before sealing the deal. Even if I choose the lowest price available, I wouldn't want to sacrifice quality. As far as my international travels are concerned, so far so good, though.
Early bookings do carry cheaper prices at times depending on when you are booking, if you book for an off peak period you're able to get the best prices. For last minuet deals it depends on if the hotel is actually having some type of sale to sell off those unsold rooms.
You are right crystaljo_13 Early booking can be helpful to save money and make sure the availability . I think the mature travelers often use this trick to reduce their expenses.
I must say that if you are going abroad it is good to book everything in advance. This way you can reduce the issues you will have to face. Log In must be amazing.
