So, you've finally been granted that time off work that you've been asking for so you can take a much-needed vacation. Congratulations! Now that you know your vacation time has been securely booked off it's time to start making some travel arrangements. If you're going to be staying at a travel destination where you have no contacts whatsoever you're going to have to make some travel lodging arrangements.

The most popular place travel goers like to stay at while on the road away from their home and job is a hotel. For some, booking a hotel is no big deal and they can do it in their sleep. For others, hotel booking is a nightmare to deal with and they would rather sleep in a tent than a home renovation with an uncompleted job. If you shamefully consider yourself a part of the latter group have no fear, as we've rounded up some tips that will aid you the next time you're booking a hotel room.

The first tip we have for you is to book early. As soon as you have your dates picked out make your hotel reservation. You don't want to run the risk of not finding any hotel without vacancies and that can happen if you wait till the last second to book your hotel room. Not only will you secure yourself a hotel room but you will also be provided with more room options and better hotel room rates.

When looking at potential hotels to stay at browse their website or call them directly to see what special promotional offers they have going. You might come to find that they're offering free breakfast or upgrades that you are eligible for. It doesn't hurt to ask since you never know what the answer might be. If you get some extra perks when making a booking for a hotel room that you were going to make regardless it'll make you feel like a smart consumer. If it fits within your travel schedule try to make a mid-week hotel booking. The busiest time of the year for many hotels is the weekend, which also happens to be the most expensive time of the week for hotel bookings. Low rates, high vacancies, less noise and more breathing room are all welcome benefits of the mid-week hotel stay.

One final tip we have for you that you should use when booking a hotel or even a beachfront rentals is to factor in the location. Hotels that are closer to the downtown core of the city you're visiting will be much pricier than the ones further away. So if you're not shy about spending a few extra dollars on transportation you might want to consider staying at a hotel that is out of the downtown area where all the action is that will possibly result in a cheaper room rate.