Imagine planning a vacation for your family or even extended family. You have the destination picked out, the airfare paid for and the rental car reserved. What’s left? Ah yes the hotel.  But with such a big group you have to decide whether or not to get a few different rooms to accommodate everyone or a large expensive suite where someone will still inevitably end up on the floor for their sleeping arrangement. Wouldn’t it be great to have a home away from home? And that’s when it hits you to rent a condo or a vacation house. You’ll save money because you can cook some meals at the house, you won’t need ten different hotel rooms, and you’ll be able to choose a place where everyone gets a bed. But where is a good reliable place to find a vacation rental?

My recommendation would be to check out VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) at www.vrbo.com.  A large database of private owners listing their condos and vacation homes with the assurance of a rental guarantee. The rental guarantee comes in two different levels. The first level is a free guaurantee of 50% of your vacation rental amount, or you can opt for the gold guarantee that receives 100% percentage for about 60 dollars. A little peace of mind that is above and beyond what you can get from Craigslist.

There are a lot of different options out there for vacation rental properties, I just like VRBO because it’s so easy to navigate and it has a large amount of properties listed. One piece of advice I will offer to those looking into renting is that there is usually a cleaning deposit you have to put down regardless of the length of your stay, so that someone can come in and clean up after you leave. It’s an added expense you may not have been aware of but most of the time it’s still a better deal either way.