We all know that booking a vacation home for a holiday stay is becoming more popular among travelers.  It’s not just because people like the (sometimes unusual) personal touches a vacation home provides, either. Depending on your plans, a vacation rental can be the perfect way to spend time away with friends and family.  Common areas make free time and mealtimes feel much more like home than hotel lobbies or restaurants. This allows you to settle into the rhythm of your vacation much more quickly.  Here are five great reasons to “vacation like a local.”

Reason #1: Getting to Know the Real Scene

In many cities, the overwhelming majority of hotels are located in downtown “touristy” areas.  Trust us, the large corporate retailers in San Francisco are no more exciting than the ones in your hometown.  When you’re looking to explore a new place, a vacation rental in the right neighborhood can be the start of totally unique adventures.  You can find that hidden staircase to a romantic lookout.  You can wander until you find the perfect gelato shop. Plus, you’ll get to check out the local butcher shop, tiny independent bookstore, or café.  Booking a vacation rental instead of a hotel allows you to explore your destination in a totally different way. Additionally, rental owners are frequently excited to share their favorite local tips, including activities, restaurants, or not-to-be-missed out of way locations.  The possibilities are endless.

Reason #2: Cooking for Yourself

Speaking of that local butcher shop, vacation rentals always provide the opportunity to cook for yourself.  When you stay at a hotel, you’ll be forced to eat every meal out at a restaurant.  While this might be ideal for some, not everyone loves the idea of dining out constantly.  Some of our most cherished vacation memories are home-cooked meals with seasonal, local ingredients from the farmer’s market, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.  This goes double if you have children and don’t want them eating fast food for every meal.  Plus, no one likes horrible hotel room coffee, no one.

Reason #3: Keeping Costs Down

Today there are hundreds of websites offering competing deals on hotels.  Even so, we all know that a few days away can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars.  Depending on your destination, hotel rooms might be tiny boxes with barely enough room for your luggage, much less room to spread the family out.  The costs can skyrocket if you have older children, or a large family and need two rooms, or a pricey suite!  While all vacation rentals aren’t cheap, they almost always offer more square footage for your money than similarly priced hotels in the same area.  Add in the savings from cooking a few meals in the kitchen, and it’s really no contest in this department. Plus, don’t forget, you save 15-20% on average when you book your rental through Tripz.com 

Reason #4: Traveling with Children

Family vacations are amazing.  But if you’ve ever traveled with toddlers or young children, you know how stressful they can be as well.  Disrupted routines, missed naps, boredom and hunger can combine to create one cranky kid!  In a vacation rental, it’s easier to maintain routines away from home.  No need to go down to a busy restaurant to ask for a cup of milk or some Cheerios.  Simply stock the rental kitchen with favorite snacks and you’ll always be ready.  Additionally, after bedtime, the grownups can relax and have some quiet time in the common areas of the rental.  Sure beats trying to be perfectly quiet and watch a movie on the iPad in the dark,  eight feet away from your sleeping daughter (true story).

Reason #5: Private Amenities

While hotels generally offer a wider range of amenities than most vacation rentals, these are always shared with hundreds of other guests.  That romantic dip in the hot tub?  Plan on sharing it with a rowdy group of teenagers.  That quick workout in the fitness center? Expect to wait for each machine you want to use. In most vacation rentals, all of the facilities are there for you and your family alone.  Even if your vacation rental is a condo, the facilities will be far less crowded than a hotel.  The privacy and comfort of having these all to yourself is a major selling point for vacation rentals.

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, vacationing is great, but traveling can be stressful.  You need to decide for yourself what type of accommodation helps you unwind, relax and enjoy your vacation.  Some people like the heavy staffing and frenetic pace of a downtown hotel.  For us, it’s living like a local, surrounded by friends and family.  And a hot tub that hasn’t been used by three hundred people in the last twenty-four hours.

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