Did You Realize That Vacation Rentals Could Blow the Best Hotels Away?

One reason why Starbucks happens to be so popular is that people psychologically equate with luxury, being served something they would normally have to make for themselves. This is the reason too why people place so much value on a night spent dining out or time spent at a hotel. These kinds of experiences, while they don't cost that much, help people feel like they're millionaires. But then, there are people who find that saving a few hundred dollars here and there can make them feel like millionaires too; and taking this route actually leaves them with lots of money to spare. To people like these, vacation rentals can be a great alternative to the traditional hotel on a vacation.

For the most part, vacation rentals, a home or condo or anything else, can be terrific value. You get a whole house with a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and even a laundry service. At a time when eating out can end up costing even more than room rent at a traditional hotel, vacation rentals can be a great deal in the way they allow you to save money cooking in the provided kitchen. And of course, there isn't the hassle of taking small children out to eat and constantly being on the alert for bad behavior. Most rentals are homes that local people live in. Choosing vacation rentals over hotels can be a great opportunity to get to know the people of the place you are traveling to - be it in this country or another. Here are a few the best places you can turn to for great options in vacation rentals.

If you've never planned a hotel booking without a dozen TripAdvisor windows open at the same time, you're probably thinking about what service exists out there for vacation rentals. FlipKey is what you're looking for. FlipKey (you know, you flip your front door key to someone else when you happen to not be using your home) happens to be a TripAdvisor venture too, and they give you a choice of a hundred thousand homes across the world. Each home comes with all the ratings and reviews that you're used to on TripAdvisor.

HomeAway, another website that specializes in vacation rentals has twice as many homes across the world on its listings. If you're wondering about how difficult it must be to search among them, their search engine makes short work of the job, with every kind of filter you could imagine. They even offer you a kind of insurance policy for about $40. If the home you take out isn't as good as the description tells you it is, you get your money back.