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WHA T I REALL Y W ANT IS . . . . .

By Debbie Storms

Ah, yes, a vacation. That your shortlist comes in handy Clear and written rental rules
marvelous time spent away once again. It is a worthwhile will save you many problems
from home or business. A time exercise when determining your when renting a vacation home.
for respite, rest, and recreation. selection of a vacation rental. Avoid those last-minute surprises.
Whether it is just a few days or Prior guests will give you the Confirm your reservation pay-
even weeks, getting away from it best indicator of what the home ment terms.
all doesn’t have to mean hours of and surroundings are really like. Multiple rental websites like
stressful time searching for your When possible contact the owner HomeAway, VRBO, and Booking.
vacation rental. to ask questions if necessary. com have been around for years,
Today there are so many Reading the reviews requires but do not necessarily get the
sources, search engines, and tools making a sensible judgment. Be same recognition as sites like
to use for planning vacations. wary of the guests that are critical Kayak and TripAdvisor. Search-
Streamlining your connection to because they wanted the Ritz ing can be streamlined by using
paradise or wherever your heart Carlton on a Holiday Inn budget. Tripping.com, which bills itself as
desires can be a few creative Look closely at all the photos. the largest search engine making
steps away. Quite often, pulled shades or property comparison easier than
Surprises – well, they are not no pictures of the windows can jumping between rental sites.
all good. To make sure your va- indicate an unsightly view out- AlltheRooms.com offers a wide
cation rental meets your dreams side. The use of a fisheye lens can variety of accommodations.
create a short list of possibilities, make the room look larger than Among them are rental proper-
desires, and non-negotiables. it actually is. Are there photos of ties from numerous websites, in-
Location, location, location. the yard, ocean views, and other cluding Airbnb, FlipKey, Expedia,
The first thing to do when choos- amenities? Beware if all the pho- and Priceline. Luxury and unique
ing your short-term rental is to tos are close-ups of flowers, small outdoor accommodations can be
look at its location. Using your amenities, and other articles. found on Glampinghub.com.
Maps app will help you find the They don’t give you a true per- Orbitz and Travelocity are
surroundings of the place you spective of the space. The photos both Expedia brands as well as
are visiting. Do you desire to be by previous guests who have the HomeAway and Hotels.com.
secluded, beachfront or in the first-hand experience will better They have an integrated system
city center? capture the truth. Some websites and will give you easier access to
The cost is an important do not offer guest photos. How- information from various sites.
factor. Finances raise the stress ever, if you Google the location, TripAdvisor long considered the
meter, so using the price range you may be able to find a site that go-to hotel review site has been
option will filter getaways within has some helpful photos posted. reminding travelers that they can
your budget and will help you Cross-referencing is a good idea. also use the site to book vacation
enjoy your vacation more. Using other websites to gather rentals. Tripadvisorrentals.com
Make sure the rental meets information can fill in the blanks. offers around 800,000 properties
your purpose. Most websites Before booking any rental, in 200 countries.
let you sort listings by location, make sure the site’s policy is So many places and so much
price, number of bedrooms, pet comprehensive. These points to do. Getting away from it all
friendliness, and other features. are very important. The cancel- and getting that holiday you
When choosing a short-term rent- lation policy, especially less than deserve is just a short list away.
al, it is necessary that it offers the 24 hours prior, the rental size, You’ll not only find your vacation
amenities you desire. Does it have amenities, or location differing you will also discover new places
its own kitchen, dining area and from the description, could put for future holiday adventures.
some have gardens? Does it pro- a serious damper on your trip. Kick back and enjoy your time
vide the space you require and the Using the filtering system when away!
environment? Filtering for private searching will help narrow these
home, shared home, or a room is points down. I prefer to choose What I really want is.............
one more point to queue in on to filters such as the minimum size Let me know what you have
avoid that unwanted surprise. accommodations, lenient can- in mind.
The next foray into renting is cellation policies, privacy, and of dstorms88@gmail.com
reading the reviews. This is where course, my price range.

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