I used to fly by the seat of my pants in the pre-internet and pre-cell phone days (read: early 200p’s and prior);
had a couple sketchy motels, but nothing too bad;
I believe my grandfather told me to always check the room before booking it - which might have helped.
He also told me a tip which predated internet that I never used;
He said to check out motels, then call the one you want to stay at from a pay phone m, and almost every time you get a better deal than just walking in.
I’d happily do the seat-of-the-pants road trip these days, but I’ve become too practical, and always book ahead…
often i see motel 6 signs showing MUCH better deals than I could find online…
