Should You Rent a House For Your Next Vacation?

If you don’t crave total luxury, don’t need a concierge, and don’t expect to have your every meal delivered to your door then you might consider renting a house on your next vacation rather than just getting a motel room. There are rental agencies that rent homes. There are online services like Vacation Rentals By Owner or Homeaway (as seen on the Super Bowl) where you can rent a house from the owner. You bring your own linens, towels and personal items but everything else is provided.

You have the advantage of being able to cook for your family rather than spending all of your money in restaurants. You can microwave the “left-overs” instead of driving through the fast food drive-through lane. You can listen to CDs on the stereo or beach music on the radio. You most likely will have access to cable or satellite television and more than one TV. That is always good. He can watch sports while she watches something else. Kids can watch cartoons while you watch a movie.

Another amenity is the washer and dryer. You won’t have to pack as many clothes because you can wash the ones you wear each day. There is also more room for the kids to run around. Being cooped up in just one room is not good family bonding. Of course you may have to give up room service or a pool but the gains are immense.

Most home rentals charge less (or equal) fees than motels. Why wouldn’t you want to get your money’s worth?

Once you have rented a home for your vacation, you may want to branch out a little. Check out House Swaps. You can let someone live in your home for a certain period of time while you live in theirs in a foreign country. This is something that people have been doing for a long time and it works. You get to enjoy a foreign country with all the amenities of home. Isn’t it something to consider?

Just for fun, I checked on the Home exchange web site to see what is available. I was surprised at the places I found. This is the service that was featured in the Cameron Diaz movie “Holiday.” There were 35,000 listings. I decided to search Belize. There were 6 listings. Three were right on the beach. Then I checked our Paris; 13 listings. Wow! New Year’s Eve at the Eiffel Tower. This swapping thing really sound interesting. Some of the houses even have pools.

When you exchange with someone you don’t have any outlay of money except for your transportation and sightseeing. You will also meet local people because the neighbors will want to meet the Americans who are renting in their area. Of course, if you don’t live in an area that appeals to a swapper you’ll have to try something else.

In the movies, a sad woman goes to a foreign country on a house exchange. She starts to enjoy herself; meets new people and falls in love with a local man. In the meantime, the person in her home has a similar experience. Love blooms and they live happily ever after. Maybe an adventure is in store for you? All that and you get to save money too.