When one does not come prepared

Some holiday destinations, like Vietnam, can be done in an unprepared manner, but others, like Beijing, can't. I decided to travel to Beijing in a spontaneous fashion so as to utilise my free air-ticket over the long weekend. Maybe it was that last-minute decision that made me too lazy to plan any of my itinerary. But I did not even shortlist any accommodation for my 2-night stay. This resulted in me:

1. Walking around the city early in the morning to search for my accommodation

I must have walked at least 4km. I must have knocked on the doors of 5 hotels. As I wasn't sure of the market-rate, I had to walk back to an earlier hotel to confirm my accommodation. And only 1 night of accommodation (in Citytel Inn) was available as the rooms were fully booked the next day.

2. Continuing my search for accommodation

As I did not have any accommodation for the next night, I had to keep a look-out for possible cheap-and-good stays whilst on the go. As I walked along the streets of Beijing on my 1st night, I had to detour to nearby inns to ask for room rates. It was a tedious exercise. It's like a Bejing hotel search carried out the manual way, not the Internet way.

3. Paying double the rate

My room rate for the second night was RMB400 (S$83.40). My room rate for the 1st night was RMB200 (S$41.70). The room was more spacious and the amenties were slightly better, but these were good-to-have items as budget was a concern. It exceeded my budget, but it was the cheapest room that I could have find. The motel was along 东单北大街, but the name of this motel chain slipped my mind.

For some places (and issues), one has to come prepared. I just have to know what these places (and issues) are. Otherwise, I have to learn it the hard way - just like how I punished myself during the Beijing trip.