How to research the best accommodation for any trip

I have traveled to over 50 countries world wide, so I am a seasoned traveler.  Below are my methods to find the cheapest vacation :

Research your vacation between Monday to Wednesday.  Most people are usually working on these days and normally don't book their vacations during this time. --  Travel companies know that.

Accommodation Research
1) Go to Orbitz, Expedia, and Hotels.com.  Enter your vacation destination and dates.

2) Decide where you would like to stay, for example, "city center".  Select this neighborhood in the search filter.

3) Once you decided on a hotel, go directly onto the hotel's website and book it there to see if it's cheaper.  Once you get the final price, check if there are any additional fees such as parking and internet.  I once booked a hotel in LA that I thought was cheap and found out the parking is $40 per day.  If you don't have a car, check if the hotel provides airport shuttle services.  All these perks adds to the total of hotel.

4) Once you have the final price of the hotel.  Go to Airbnb, VBRO, and Wimdu.com.  These are people's homes that they are willing to rent out.  Check if there are any additional charges such as parking or cleaning fees.

5) If you plan to travel for over 1 week, try to book an apartment that has a washer and dryer to wash you clothes.

6) Make sure you withdraw $20 worth of one dollar bills.  You will need this as your tip money once you arrive at the hotel.

Written by Johnson Huynh