Worried about booking a vacation rental?
The first time we considered using a vacation rental for our summer trip I was nervous. I knew having our own kitchen and separate bedrooms for everyone would help make our trip a success, but how would I know if what I was seeing online was real? And what if we had a problem when we got there? Although we had outgrown the space of a hotel room, I still wanted to comfort of a hotel’s brand recognition.
The need for space won out and we booked our first vacation rental. It was fine, it didn’t go quite as well as we hoped. That’s when I knew we needed to be very strategic about how we made our choices in the future.
Picture this: We were in an international country, in a neighborhood where we stood out as foreigners. When we unlocked the front door the doorknob fell off the door onto the floor. When we walked in, there was no power. We reached out to the host, but it was several hours before his reply. Not the best start.
Fortunately, we learned a lot that first stay. Afterwards, we created a checklist of things to consider and details to pay close attention to before booking and we’ve never had an experience like that again. We're sharing it today because no one should have to go through that!
Who are we? We are the Reynens – a family with two young boys. We love to travel as a family. In the past five years our family has explored more than 9 states and 6 countries on 3 continents. We are budget conscious and love to find free and low cost activities for our family when we travel. Our vacations are action packed - because why spend the money if you’re not going to get a great experience you’ll always remember!?!? Over the years people have asked us for advice on travel and so we decided to start sharing what we have learned.