Home(s) away from home
tl;dr - when you're looking for a place to stay during your travels, make sure to carefully read through the booking/hotel listing, don't assume that internet counts as a basic necessity, and don't forget to glance at a map!
When I first moved to Italy, I had booked an apartment without enough research. I don't remember what site I used, but I ended up in a pretty nice place - except that I didn't realize it wasn't actually in the city, it didn't have internet, and it didn't really have cell reception. My checked luggage also was delayed and when I finally got it, all my electronics were missing... but we're not here to talk about my luck! Travel tip, though: don't check your electronics, even if you have a lot because you're planning to work remotely for a few months.
Anyway, the point of this post... be careful when you book lodging! These days* if I'm going to stay somewhere a bit longer, I'll usually book an Airbnb. If I'm just going somewhere for a night or two, though, I'll usually just book a hotel through Booking since it's more straightforward to check in and check out. Especially in Europe or Taiwan, where the hotels aren't nearly as expensive as in the US.
In Italy, I understood that the areas closer to the train stations generally aren't the safest. For a lot of places, it probably doesn't matter too much if you just go directly to the hotel. If you're planning to wander around in the evening, you might want to find a place further in the city - even if it's a little less convenient to get there. Just make sure that it's possible to get there if you're like me and insist on taking mass transportation and/or walking when traveling.
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| I would show pictures of some places where I've stayed, but I don't want to get in trouble for posting pictures of other people's properties! Here's a view of Bologna from a window, though. If you look closely, you can see San Luca on the hill. |
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