Don’t travel much? Don’t fret. Traveling can be nerve-wracking, even for veteran travelers. The trip starts with how you’re going to get to your destination. But the next biggest consideration is the type of place you’re going to stay at. If you’re planning on staying in Philadelphia, you have options. Lots of options. In fact, you have so many accommodation options that it can be difficult for even the most savvy travelers to choose a place to stay in the City of Brotherly Love.

Hotels
Hotels are the most common location to stay because they offer the most amenities. Hotels can range from luxury, five-star rooms that are expensive and plush all the way down to affordable rooms with just one queen bed inside. Each hotel will list all of the different types of rooms they have available and what the price is, so there is never a surprise as to what you get at the time you make reservations. Hotels can have indoor or outdoor pools, business centers, spas, restaurants, lounges, and several other perks on the exterior. Inside the rooms they often have microwaves, refrigerators, coffee makers, Internet access and hair dryers for people who like to travel light. Hotels usually offer the largest range in services to any type of traveler simply because of their size. For example, conferences are often held at hotels because they have banquet and ballrooms that can hold hundreds of people in the same room. Since hundreds of people need services, the amount of restaurants, the amenities and the employees to handle both are more readily available.

Motels
Motels are not much different from hotels, except they may come at a more affordable price and with fewer amenities than the hotels in Philadelphia PA offer. Motels often still offer amenities like a pool, a business center, Internet access and a continental breakfast.

Bed & Breakfasts
Staying at a bed and breakfast, or B & B, is a little change of pace for most travelers. A bed and breakfast offers exactly what it says, a room with a place to sleep and then a meal the next morning before you leave. A B & B might offer amenities, but they are rarely as large as a hotel or a motel because they are in typically in large, often older homes.

Staying Near Big Attractions
As with any city, the closer you are to downtown or to some of the major tourists attractions, the more you’re going to pay for your hotel room. It may be tempting, though, to stay near some of these sites. According to City-Data.com, Philadelphia has more than 50 historic attractions, ranking it third in the country for cities with the most historic sites.

If you’re going to stay in one of those hotels – or in any lodging, for that matter – make sure you shop around first. You can usually get rates and even find discounts on the various hotels’ websites. Various travel sites may offer better deals. But as soon as you find a hotel you like, book the room. Rates change, sometimes daily, so you never know how long that great deal will last.

Special guest post provided to Jen is on a Journey.

With long hours of sunshine and even longer stretches of beach, the Canary Island of Gran Canaria is the perfect place for families to relax, have fun and spend some much-needed time together. What’s more, even if your family isn’t the type to spend hours laying in the sunshine you’ll find plenty to do, with waterparks, theme parks and historical attractions to be found on all corners of the island. To help you plan your perfect getaway in Gran Canaria, here are our top five days out that all the family will enjoy.

Sioux City, San Agustin
The Wild West comes to south Gran Canaria at Sioux City, where cowboys, Indians, can-can girls and sheriffs still rule the town, and always put on a show to remember for their visitors, young and old! At this Western-themed park you can watch authentic recreations of battles between the town’s residents, plus watch fabulous dancing and acrobatic displays, and of course eat plenty of tasty home-cooked food. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s even a small petting zoo too.

Barranco de Guayadeque, Ingenio
See some of Gran Canaria’s most stunning sights, and learn a little about its history too at Barranco de Guayadeque, a nature reserve on the site of an ancient Guanche settlement. Here you’ll find pre-historic burial grounds and caves that will fascinate budding young historians, plus over 80 species of plants including cacti, pine and almond trees provide a beautiful backdrop to an intriguing day out.

Palmitos Park, Maspalomas
With affordable hotels like the Maspalomas Oasis Club at the heart of the resort, Maspalomas has become a firm favourite among families visiting Gran Canaria, particularly with the fantastic Palmitos Park so close by. This sub-tropical oasis is not only home to over 200 species of birds, an aquarium and a cacti garden, but also boasts the largest butterfly house in Europe, which is sure to enchant visitors of all ages.

Cueva Pintada Museum, Audiencia
After years of careful excavation and restoration, the Cueva Pintada Museum has finally been opened to the public and offers visitors to Gran Canaria a real insight into the lives of aborigines that lived on the island many centuries ago. The unique museum is built around the site of an ancient settlement that was discovered inside a cave, and you’re able to explore the site via a walkway, making it one of the truest ‘interactive museums’ in Europe! Adult and child visitors alike will be gripped by the stories of how the original inhabitants lived, and by their intricate geometric cave paintings from which the museum takes its name.

Aqualand, Playa del Ingles
What better way to cool down in the Gran Canaria heat than by spending the day at a waterpark? At Aqualand, you’ll find water slides and rides of all shapes and sizes that will thrill both adults and kids alike. Daredevils will want to try out the Adrenalina and the Boomerang, whereas those that prefer a more gentle pace will love cruising along the Congo River. Don’t miss the Speed Boats too, where two or more people can slide together, or the opportunity to swim with the park’s sea lions!

Special guest post on Five Family-Friendly Days Out on Gran Canaria provided to Jen is on a Journey.