Almost 6 months ago, my husband was relaxing outside reading his latest issue of Maxim magazine. Whenever he reads Maxim, he tends to read aloud many of the oh so interesting facts he finds there ("Honey, did you know it takes "blah" amount of tourque to crush a can on your head?!" "Babe, did you know that Star Wars was only originally released in 32 theaters?!") and on this particular day he found something in Maxim that would change our lives forever. Yes, I know that sounds very dramatic...but it is true! Matt found an article in Maxim about a website called VRBO.com, and it has changed the way we vacation. He read me this article about a site that offers "online space for homeowners to advertise their vacation properties and make it easy for travelers to search 130,000+ rentals in over 100 countries worldwide." At the end of the article, it stated that you could even go to Maui (known to be a super expensive destination) for about $150 a night. It took me about 8.4 seconds to get on my computer and start researching if this was true. After much research, I found a condo that was up for rent for about $100 a night. We decided that same week, that we would vacation in Maui, for 15 days. Thus, this started my love affair with http://www.vrbo.com/. This website makes searching for a rental very easy & fun!
Why do I love VRBO & vacation rentals in general?
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more value. If you have the patience to do the research, the value of vacationing this way is astounding! You can easily find a condo for a very low price (helloooo..Hawaii for $100 a night!!!!), or if you want to get your family and friends together...rent a huge house and split the cost! I assure you, you can find something in your price range. Another huge cost advantage is the food cost. If you can rent a condo or house with a kitchen, and you cook in for some meals (we cooked in our breakfast and lunches in Maui)- you will save a huge amount! Hit the Costco or the local supermarket, pick up some eggs, pancake mix, sandwich meats, bread, chips and stuff to grill (huge plus if you can find a place with a grill) and you can save yourself $100 a day. If you are vacationing with family or friends, let each person or couple take a day to do the cooking. And remember to stock up the fridge with some cold beverages too (in Maui, a water bottle at a resort could cost up to $5. We bought a case of water at Costco for that much and took a few bottles with us every time we went out)!
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more space. An average hotel room is pretty small. Renting a condo or house is much bigger (what a concept, huh?!). Our condo in Maui was about 1200 sq feet and had a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and patio. It also had other amenities of home, like a washer and dryer (I know...some of you may cringe at the thought of doing laundry on vacation, but it was sooo nice coming home with a suitcase packed with only clean clothes!). An amazing condo (pictured above) that we just rented in Charleston, SC was 1600 sq. feet (probably triple the size of an average hotel room), and it also had a 20x30 outdoor roof patio. All for $91 per couple a night (we stayed with one additional couple).
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more privacy. If you rent a private home, this is obvious. But even if you rent a condo or townhouse with neighbors, you most likely are going to have more privacy all around. Be it a gated entrance, private patio, or a building with a keycode entrance, you most likely will have a bit more privacy than a huge hotel with a large lobby.
VRBO also makes it very easy to find a vacation rental where you can bring your furry friend. It notes on every listing if the rental is pet friendly. And the pet friendly fees seem a bit more reasonable than many hotels.
The website even offers a Rental Guarantee, so you can rent with more confidence (believe me, it was a huge fear of mine that we would get to Maui, and the condo wouldn't exist). On that note, when searching and speaking to people about their rentals,use your common sense, gut instinct and "creeper detection". If someone seems shady or off, don't rent from them. It's better for your piece of mind!
This method of vacationing may be a little different if you are used to a 5 star resort with butler service, and going out to eat 3 meals a day. But if you think you can't afford to go on a vacation because you can't afford a 5 star hotel with butler service, this may be the method for you! Have you always wanted to go on a ski vacation to Colorado while staying in a swiss chalet-ish type place, or have you always wanted to stay at a real Tuscan Villa with your entire family? Check out VRBO, they may have what your dreaming of, for a much more affordable price. Take a look, take the family, and get away...you only live once, and you deserve a vacation. I give you permission...live a little...just do it frugally.
xo E
Why do I love VRBO & vacation rentals in general?
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more value. If you have the patience to do the research, the value of vacationing this way is astounding! You can easily find a condo for a very low price (helloooo..Hawaii for $100 a night!!!!), or if you want to get your family and friends together...rent a huge house and split the cost! I assure you, you can find something in your price range. Another huge cost advantage is the food cost. If you can rent a condo or house with a kitchen, and you cook in for some meals (we cooked in our breakfast and lunches in Maui)- you will save a huge amount! Hit the Costco or the local supermarket, pick up some eggs, pancake mix, sandwich meats, bread, chips and stuff to grill (huge plus if you can find a place with a grill) and you can save yourself $100 a day. If you are vacationing with family or friends, let each person or couple take a day to do the cooking. And remember to stock up the fridge with some cold beverages too (in Maui, a water bottle at a resort could cost up to $5. We bought a case of water at Costco for that much and took a few bottles with us every time we went out)!
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more space. An average hotel room is pretty small. Renting a condo or house is much bigger (what a concept, huh?!). Our condo in Maui was about 1200 sq feet and had a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and patio. It also had other amenities of home, like a washer and dryer (I know...some of you may cringe at the thought of doing laundry on vacation, but it was sooo nice coming home with a suitcase packed with only clean clothes!). An amazing condo (pictured above) that we just rented in Charleston, SC was 1600 sq. feet (probably triple the size of an average hotel room), and it also had a 20x30 outdoor roof patio. All for $91 per couple a night (we stayed with one additional couple).
-Compared to hotels, vacation rentals offer more privacy. If you rent a private home, this is obvious. But even if you rent a condo or townhouse with neighbors, you most likely are going to have more privacy all around. Be it a gated entrance, private patio, or a building with a keycode entrance, you most likely will have a bit more privacy than a huge hotel with a large lobby.
VRBO also makes it very easy to find a vacation rental where you can bring your furry friend. It notes on every listing if the rental is pet friendly. And the pet friendly fees seem a bit more reasonable than many hotels.
The website even offers a Rental Guarantee, so you can rent with more confidence (believe me, it was a huge fear of mine that we would get to Maui, and the condo wouldn't exist). On that note, when searching and speaking to people about their rentals,use your common sense, gut instinct and "creeper detection". If someone seems shady or off, don't rent from them. It's better for your piece of mind!
This method of vacationing may be a little different if you are used to a 5 star resort with butler service, and going out to eat 3 meals a day. But if you think you can't afford to go on a vacation because you can't afford a 5 star hotel with butler service, this may be the method for you! Have you always wanted to go on a ski vacation to Colorado while staying in a swiss chalet-ish type place, or have you always wanted to stay at a real Tuscan Villa with your entire family? Check out VRBO, they may have what your dreaming of, for a much more affordable price. Take a look, take the family, and get away...you only live once, and you deserve a vacation. I give you permission...live a little...just do it frugally.
xo E
I love VRBO!!! Thank you Maxim for your interesting articles.
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