Holidays are not the same as anything else we ever spend money on. You can never buy a holiday in the same way that you purchase a dress, a house, or a television. For a start, you can’t have a free trial before you agree to buy. And when you have purchased the holiday and taken it and hated it, you can’t take it back to the shop and ask if they would mind changing it for a different one please.

What do you want? The first rule for avoiding disappointments sounds obvious, but it is worth stating. Before you even open a brochure, you must ask yourself why you are going for this holiday.

People can have many reasons for holiday. Couples sometimes book a holiday together in the hope that it will save their relationship. Other couples fly off to celebrate being together or because they plan to start a family. Singles leave home for two weeks because they wish to find a partner. We go off on holiday to help us get over a broken romance or the death of someone we love, or to make us healthier when we been ill. Some people spend money on holidays because they like boasting about their exotic journeys and showing off their photos when they get back. And many of us go away every year because, when you can afford it, that’s what you love to do every year - have a holiday!

List your preferences When you are looking around for holiday ideas, ask yourself what sort of holiday you really prefer. Make a list of all the things you want and those you don’t want from your holiday. - Do you enjoy new experiences or are you more relaxed when your food and your holiday places are just similar to home? - Is where you sleep when you are away very important ? Or is your bedroom just somewhere to clean your teeth, hang your clothes and catch some sleep before the dawn? - Do you enjoy getting to know new people or do you prefer time to yourself and with the people you are holidaying with? Or put it another way - will you be able to bear the company of just your partner day in and day out for 2 weeks, or do you need the distraction of other faces? - Do you prefer to follow a tour’s itinerary or do you want to plan your own routine and eat when and where you choose? - Are you happy to be responsible for buying and cooking food for the family, or do you prefer to holiday precisely to escape from all that?

For whatever the reason is, you definitely need a place to stay. Visit this hotel price compare website - let you search over 900 000 global hotel deals including many holiday travel deals and compare the rates from top hotel booking sites.

- Tina W C