

(Photo from here)
Generally, when you make a hotel reservation, there’s a window where you can cancel the reservation without penalty (usually, 24 hours before the arrival date). If you cancel outside of that window, you’re charged a penalty (usually equal to a night’s stay). If you need to cancel your reservation but you’re within the penalty window, try this little trick to avoid the penalty: Call the hotel and ask to speak to the front desk agent. Tell the agent that your travel plans have changed and you need to move the reservation to the following week (or any future date). After they’ve moved the reservation, call back another day to cancel. You should be able to cancel the reservation without penalty now because your reservation is outside of the penalty window again.
Help me keep this series going! If you have any travel tips, please email me at diana@justwanderlustblog.com and your tip may end up in a future post!