Not that this justifies the response of the US, but the phrasing is ambiguous. Wonder if they mean this in the sense of, they had booked accommodations for some but not the entire of their trip, or if they mean, they had booked none at all so their entire trip was open.
Backpackers commonly book no accommodations ahead of time. I’ve done that plenty.
Arrive at airport. Get cab. Drive to hotel number 1 and ask about room. Drive or walk to hotel 2 and ask about room. Repeat as often as desired. Return to hotel with best deal.
I can’t count how many times I’ve done this, having zero specific plans about where I am going to stay. Sometimes I just take the first hotel and then on the next day go look for something better. This is totally normal backpacker behavior.
Not that this justifies the response of the US, but the phrasing is ambiguous. Wonder if they mean this in the sense of, they had booked accommodations for some but not the entire of their trip, or if they mean, they had booked none at all so their entire trip was open.
Backpackers commonly book no accommodations ahead of time. I’ve done that plenty.
Arrive at airport. Get cab. Drive to hotel number 1 and ask about room. Drive or walk to hotel 2 and ask about room. Repeat as often as desired. Return to hotel with best deal.
I can’t count how many times I’ve done this, having zero specific plans about where I am going to stay. Sometimes I just take the first hotel and then on the next day go look for something better. This is totally normal backpacker behavior.