Finding The Perfect Vacation Rental

By Charlie Marlow – Financial Coach

It’s vacation season and if you’re like me, you’re ready to step away from the job and the day-to-day routine, pack up the car, and head out for some relaxation, adventure, and fun! Vacation rentals have become increasingly popular because they offer affordability, comfort, and privacy that you can’t always find in a traditional hotel, motel, or inn.

Whether you’re heading for the beach, mountains, that exciting theme park, a quiet town, or the bustling city, you can find a vacation rental in a size, setting, and format that will be just right for you and your family. The vacation rental market is growing every year, and you’ll find everything from a beach cottage, urban loft, or small mountain cabin to multi-room homes that can accommodate multi-generation extended families.

I’ve used vacation rentals multiple times with varying success and recommend that you consider the following things to increase your enjoyment and decrease problems:

Understand the location – Is the property convenient to the attractions you want to visit? Be sure to know about the neighborhood and any safety and traffic concerns.

Know what amenities and services are included – Will you have Wi-Fi, laundry, pool, kitchen appliances, dinnerware, pool/hot tub, parking, linen/ towels, etc. that you want? I once stayed in a cabin that required us to bring our own sheets and pillows.

Read the rental agreement carefully – Know the rules concerning amount, deposits, cancellation policy, and any house rules regarding pets and smoking. Each property may have its own rules and procedures for checkout. You may need to strip the bed, run the dishwasher, and take out all trash before you leave or face an additional charge.

Pay attention to reviews – Fake reviews and edited pictures can deceive. Give more recent reviews more value.

Use a known platform for booking – Vacation rental fraud and scams happen. Beware of bookings requesting money transfers, using your credit card offers the safest payment option. Some popular vacation rental sites include Vrbo, hometogo, Airbnb, and Armed Forces Vacation Club. I’ve had good luck searching for cabins in the area I wanted to visit like Luray, VA and the Smokey Mountains.

Know how to contact the owner or management – Even with the best properties, issues can arise. Raise issues when they occur, allowing management to solve them instead of waiting until the stay is over, and then complaining. I rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and the air conditioning did not work properly. Management had someone there to fix it the same day.

Don’t let poor planning ruin your vacation. A little research and planning can greatly enhance your trip and let you return home rested and rejuvenated. Please share your favorite vacation destinations and your experiences with vacation rentals.

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