So we are in the process of heading somewhere new and exciting! Turkiye is somewhere we have never been, it’s also the furthest from Australia we have taken the baby and this time next week we will be there!
It got me thinking about how we find our long term accommodation. It's nerve racking! I think we have been pretty lucky so far in finding good affordable and suitable accommodation but by now we know what we need and I think that really helps.
I thought I would put a bit of a checklist, things I go through in my head before we pick something, I kind of go yep need, need, need, really want, could probably go without etc, etc.
The most important thing to do is to note down your non-negotiables. We all know when looking for accommodation it can get quite overwhelming quite quickly, so many options, so many possibilities!
Our non-negotiables are:
Aircon
Fridge
Pool
Natural light
Budget <$50 per night, ideally $20-$30
Our wants are:
Balcony or easy access to fresh air
Quiet area
Option for food made on site or within walking distance
Separate sleeping space for baby or one room and a separate living room
And our would be nice but not essentials are:
Kitchen or place to prepare food
Washing machine
Bath
Area >30sqm
Childrens play are within the complex or a park within walking distance
Photos from our most recent accomodation below! Cutest little stand alone bungalows, quiet, pool, food made to order on site, laundry done on site, incredibly lovely owner. We found this place by messaging someone on facebook marletplace about an apartment for rent, she referred us to Nori who happened to own this complex we had never heard of and the rest is history, we absolutely love it here!
So, how to find and pick long term accomodation while traveling - if booking online I start by filtering your search to include your non negotiables and even if you are flexible on budget rein that filter right in to so your not given an overwhelming amount of options. If you don’t get many results then you can start expanding the filters but I like to start with not many options and go from there. I pick a search engine like booking.com because its well priced and they often have discounts and cashback options via shopback (if you don’t have shopback you should get it, its basically cash back on purchases through companies they partner with and no it does not cost you anything, you just get cash back, it's a no brainer, you can sign up here.
Even if going to look in person I always go online first and find a few options, plan a bit of a route and make a day of it. It's worth it for us to spend a day looking at places finding something suitable than it is booking in advance online and risking not being happy with it for a reason we would have never have known when booking online e.g neighbourhood, noise, cleanliness. We can usually always get a better rate too if we show up in person and ask for a long stay discount.
Anyways, some things that I consider (because they have caught us out before!) are below:
Location – do you want to be in the city centre or are you happier a bit further out in a neighbouring suburb
Traffic noise – how close to the road is it, and how close is the nearest main road
Number of units in complex – are you happy staying in a complex with 300+ rooms or do you prefer something a bit smaller
Proximity to neighbours – are you happy sharing walls with your neighbours or do you prefer a stand alone home/bungalow
Access to food – is there a restaurant on site, is it open 24 hours, can you walk to get food
Laundry – do you have a washing machine, is there one in the complex you can use, is there a laundry service on site, is there a laundry mat nearby
Communication – can you contact the owner directly or do you have to go through staff, are they only available certain hours
Transport – will you be relying on public transport, can you walk there, if hiring a scooter/car is there somewhere to park it
Reviews – don’t just check reviews on the booking website, check google reviews and I also look at google street view to get an idea of what the building looks like and whats on either side/across the road from it
Everyone is different and your probably not going to check all the boxes but it allows you to make an informed decision and weigh up whats more important to you and what you can probably compromise on!
Til next time,
R
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