I have one card that I use only for hotel and rental car charges. There's plenty of room on it, so holds are not an issue. I keep checking my account until the hold is removed - which, as previous poster said, is usually 3 to 5 business days.
My trips though are only a few days in length, and I would probably not be as docile about it if it were several weeks' duration.
Any other travel expenses such as restaurants, shopping, etc. go on a different card so there is not the issue of credit line being blocked.