Free cancellation: how to read the terms before you book
Most people will not book a hotel they cannot get out of. That line is on every booking, and it is worth knowing how to read it.
4 min read · Updated 1 Nov 2026
Before you book
Travel booking guides
Short guides on what decides whether a booking works out the way you planned: the terms, the price, the meals, the payments, the bags and the fare rules.
Hotels
How to choose a hotel: what to check before you book
The right hotel is not the grandest on the list; it is the one that fits the days you planned. Five checks, in this order.
3 min read · Updated 12 Sept 2026
Meals at a hotel: room only, breakfast, half board and all inclusive
The same room in the same hotel, at four different prices. The difference is what you eat.
2 min read · Updated 12 Sept 2026
What you pay at the hotel: taxes, fees and the deposit
The booking closed at one price and the bill shows another. Usually that is not a mistake but a local tax.
2 min read · Updated 12 Sept 2026
Check-in and check-out: times, early arrivals and late departures
A hotel night runs from the afternoon to the next morning, not from midnight to midnight. Knowing the two times on your booking saves a lot of waiting in the lobby.
3 min read · Updated 27 Sept 2026
Travelling with children: ages, beds and the right room
A family booking goes wrong less often on price than on beds. The right room is the one that sleeps everyone the way you expect, and that is decided before you pay.
3 min read · Updated 27 Sept 2026
Hotel stars: what the rating tells you, and what it does not
Stars are the first thing people filter on and the thing they understand least. They describe what a hotel has, not whether it suits your trip.
3 min read · Updated 27 Sept 2026
Hotel room types: double, twin, triple and family rooms explained
Two rooms with almost the same name can sleep people very differently. The words on a room are worth reading slowly, because the hotel means them literally.
3 min read · Updated 27 Sept 2026
Flights
Checked bags on a flight: why a bag is a different fare, not an extra
The cheapest fare on a flight and the one you actually need are often the same seat on the same aircraft. What separates them is usually the bag.
4 min read · Updated 26 Sept 2026
How to read a flight before you book: times, stops, duration and the fare rules
Two flights at the same price can be very different trips. Everything that tells them apart is already on the result — it only has to be read in the right order.
5 min read · Updated 26 Sept 2026
Multi-city flights: how to plan a journey of several flights
Rome in, Berlin out, home from somewhere else. A multi-city search prices the whole route at once, instead of stitching together one-way tickets.
3 min read · Updated 26 Sept 2026
Names on a flight booking: why they must match the passport
A ticket is issued to a name, and at the airport that name is compared with the passport. Getting it right when you book takes a minute; fixing it afterwards can take much longer.
3 min read · Updated 27 Sept 2026
Booking and payment
Hotel and flight together: how a package is built, changed and paid
A package is the hotel and the flights for one trip, chosen together. It is still made of separate parts, and knowing where the seams are makes it easier to buy.
4 min read · Updated 26 Sept 2026
Ready to search?
A destination, dates and how many of you — and the list opens with the price for the whole stay and the cancellation terms on every card.