Vacation Rentals 101

Ok, so we may be relatively new to the game, but in the last couple years we have vacationed utilizing the vacation rental home websites like VRBO.com or homeaway.com. And it has been AWESOME!

We have gone to Hawaii, Colorado, and Massachusetts.  Each experience has had its downfalls, like any travel experience, but we truly wouldn’t do it any other way with kiddos. The best part is two of the trips have included travelers ages 2 and under, and the perfect-ness of renting a house instead of a hotel stay has more than outweighed any possible negative. 

We LOVE sharing the cost and space with family or friends. Cooking at least some meals at the house instead of spending half our trip in restaurants for $15 breakfasts is amazing. We also love that the house is equipped with things for kiddos that we didn’t have to bring with us! And I love that the bathroom, sleeping area and tv are NOT all stuck into 100 square feet – bed time, then grown-up time – YAY!

So here are some tips from me and a couple from Jon Gray (here is the article by Fodor’s) the North American VP of HomeAway on the vacation rental scene.

1. Be flexible. 

• Think about all possible sleeping arrangements. For example one of the houses had two living rooms so our family agreed that it would be fine to put one of the babies in there.
• Determine an AREA where you would like to be. Sometimes the best homes (and more affordable ones) are a little more off the beaten path. So don’t think you need to be “ski in, ski out” to enjoy a ski trip.

• Find multiple homes in your designated area that meet your needs and start contacting the rental agents before you decide on the one.     
• According to Gray, “If you can fill multiple open dates for an owner, they may be willing to work with you on negotiating a better rate.”

2. Schedule early!

• The good ones go fast! So someone in your group is going to have to be the “Planning Nazi” and get in there and get it done.

  

• Most owners offer very reasonable cancellation policies should you need it, so don’t be afraid to schedule. Just make sure to check out what the policy is before you click Rent. 
• According to Gray, “The average booking window is about 90 days” so if you can get in there before that, bonus.

3. Contact the owners.

• Never select a house based on the website info alone. Maybe I am old fashioned, but nothing can beat the security that comes with talking to an actual person about dates and prices. 
• When we traveled to Cape Cod, the owner was willing to buy a pack ’n play and a baby gate for the house after we asked about them – we just had to bring a sheet. We also found out she already had beach toys, a wagon, and a deck with a gate. She was also a wealth of information about where to go, free stuff to do, and how to get around the Cape.
• When it seems too good to be true, it probably is. So check with the owners to make sure what the website says is true. We were renting in CO, and the house we hoped for was amazing and really cheap and HUGE. The pictures were really misleading and the page was very unclear; we found out after contacting the owner that only separate a “basement suite” was available for that really great price.
• Ask to see the contract/agreement and any rules or regulations before you send in any sort of money – period.  Never send cash.
• “Get the name of an on-site contact” before leaving for your trip in case you have any issues while at the rental, suggests Gray.

Hopefully, you will check out a vacation rental next time you need to get away.  It has been great for us, and hopefully it will be great for you too!