Deciding where to lay our heads on vacation can be a monumental task. Unfortunately, we too often assume our only choice is a national hotel or motel chain. While there are some great deals to found at these places, there are other options worth exploring.
Tons of people rent out their vacation homes when they are not using them as an extra source of income. These homes and condos are usually fully furnished and most include dishes and silver, linens, DVD and CD players, even gaming consoles! Our family likes to get vacation rentals when we travel to get that “home away from home” feel.
There are obvious benefits to renting a home versus staying at a hotel. Vacation home rentals offer more space, more luxury and added comfort. We prefer to rent a house where everyone has a room, we can cook and eat family dinners, do laundry and the kids can play and nap. Of course, there are disadvantages to staying in a home away from home. No one will change the sheets, wash the linens or clean up the kitchen until the end of your stay.
We rented a million dollar ski-in and ski-out condo and saved 50%! We got this for 50% off by booking early and renting directly from the owner. Management firms can charge around 50% (or more) for owners to list their properties. Owners can save tons of money by listing the unit themselves and pass that savings onto you!
Centsable Tip: I recommend going to VRBO to rent a vacation home.
As a prospective guest, we have the advantage of shopping around and negotiating with rental property owners. They are more likely to come down on their price than a hotel. Not only could we get a discount on lodging, but we also discovered we could negotiate things like check in and out time. For example, one year we were traveling with little ones that really need to nap, so we wanted to check in early. The owners were kind enough to arrange for our family to check in a few hours early so we could get the little ones down.
If you decide to book by owner be very careful! Here are a few tips to help:
- Verify total amount and understand policies
- Check on taxes or any additional fees
- Find out payment options and timeline
- Ask lots of questions
- Ask for references
- Ask to see pictures (make sure these are the unit you will rent and not pictures from a model home)
- Use reputable sites (like vrbo.com)
- Have a written contract
- Never send cash or money order
- Search their name and information online
You can also rent a timeshare directly from the owner to save money. Renting a timeshare works much like renting a vacation home directly for the owner. We have rented timeshare points from someone in the Disney Vacation Club and stayed at the BoardWalk Villas for just $150 a night (regular price $580 a night – 75% off) and the Animal Kingdom Lodge for just $167 (regular price $355 a night – 53% off)! Click HERE to learn more about renting a timeshare at Disney.
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