My mother is being very stubborn! please help!?

we're planning a trip to mexico (Puerto Vallarta) but my mom says that its cheaper just to get there and find one then to go on expedia.com to find one because only the main chain hotels put their service on there and the more quaint family-owned business which are cheaper dont put their hotels up on travel sites. im pretty sure they would put their hotels on travel sites because thats how you get the most business, but she says its not true and she insists that i ask my aunt who lives in mexico to do it for us, but the thing is my mother never helps. ive been trying to plan this vacation since january, all by myself! what should i tell her? does anyone know about hotels in general? please help!

Your mother is a wise and obviously a SEASONED TRAVELER... you.. on the other hand... are obviously an AMATEUR TRAVELER.

Your mother is right... you can get cheaper rooms and even better rooms when you are standing across the counter from the desk clerk.

Since you obviously know nothing of the Hotel/Motel industry, let me give you a quick, simple and free lesson: All hotels/motels know that when a room is not rented for the night... that MONEY IS GONE FOREVER... so it's in THEIR interest to put SOMEONE in it.. even at a reduced rate... than to just let it stand idle.

Same thing works for cruise lines... the best deal you can EVER get for a cruise is when you are standing at the registration desk with the cruise ship loading just a few hundred feet from the office door... they will almost GIVE you a room just to get it booked so they can at least get money to PAY THE EMPLOYEES and keep people working.... It's only the really amateur travelers... like AmeriKans... who think the best deals are by booking months ahead or booking on the internet.

In the future you may want to listen to your mother until you have enough experience to try doing things on your own.

I always look online to see what deals you can get at the major hotels and even the major motels. I also look at each companies web site to compare too. You could also look in the Yellow Pages and call the hotel and ask for their rates for the time you are there. The only time I ever went on a trip and did not already have a hotel reservation was a road trip I took to the East Coast and had no idea when I would get tried and need a room. But then I always looked for a familiar name like Motel 6, Holiday Inn or Red Roof Inn.