Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Consider Renting a House for Your Next Vacation

I just got back from a weekend trip. In total there were 6 people on the trip and we spent just about $350 for 3 nights of lodging at a private home. We found the house through VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner). We could have gotten accommodations in a slightly more convenient place for about $70/night. In total it would have been $140/night since that place could only sleep 4, so we would need to get 2 rooms. But that place was not very nice (think camping) The added benefit of renting a house is having facilities to cook. On the 3 day trip, we ended up eating out only once (this was because we couldn't find a convenient place to eat the sandwiches we packed so we ended up getting some fast food). Personally I really like renting houses since everyone ends up spending more time together. The house had 3 bedrooms, which was perfect for us since we all got a little bit of privacy too!

Money saved on accommodations = ($140*3) - $350 (cost of house rental)= $70
Money saved by not eating out = (7 meals * 6 people * $7) - $100 (estimated cost of all meals) = $194

Total saved = $244

2 comments:

Tim said...

Renting a house or condo for a vacation is a great idea. I've done it and the savings are real. Especially if you're going with multiple families...Renting one large house in a premium location usually ends up being much cheaper than separate hotel rooms.

Tim
TheMoneyKings.com

Jude said...

This actually works really well when traveling abroad too. Often, you can rent a place in the middle of Paris, Brussels, wherever for a week or more for less than a few nights at a hotel.