Vacation in Style, Even on a Budget

Smart vacationers have discovered that they can make their vacation budgets go a lot further, if they plan carefully. One of the biggest items of expense on a vacation is accommodations, and the secret of making reductions on this item is to opt for renting a vacation home rather than staying in a hotel.

If you are not familiar with vacation home rentals, here is how it works. Furnished homes for rent are available in many of the nation's top tourist destinations. They are offered by individuals and often by specialized agencies that handle the rentals.

The homes are fully equipped, immaculately clean, and loaded with luxury items, like TVs and DVD players in all rooms, wireless internet, swimming pools, etc. You will even find that the book shelves are usually filled with good books, magazines and puzzles. They have all the comforts that you would expect at home, and probably a lot more as these are luxury homes.

Just search for "vacation home rentals" in your target destination, and you will find the listings. Often you will have to book in advance, especially if you are going to travel during a peak vacation season. When you arrive at the destination you can pick up the keys and enter your "home away from home."

What are the advantages? The sheer amount of space and luxury that you get beats the hell out of most hotel accommodations that you could ever find. You have the flexibility and privacy that you can never get in any hotel. You can come and go when you want and eat when you are ready to eat. You can prepare the foods that you like or go out to eat when you want to do it.

But perhaps the best advantage is the sheer economy of it. For example, you can rent a luxury three bedroom two bath home with a private pool, 15 minutes from Disney World for as little as $130 per night in the low season and only $160 in the peak season (such as Christmas). If you stay for more than five days there are no cleaning fees.

If you are traveling all alone, then maybe a hotel would be better, but if you are taking your family and possibly traveling with your friends and their family too, then you can make big savings by getting a vacation rental home rather than renting rooms in a hotel. Many vacationers have already done the math and they have found that renting a vacation home makes good sense economically. And those who have followed up on the math by actually staying in a rental home have been greatly impressed by the comfort, convenience and sheer luxury of the vacation homes.

So the next time you are going on vacation, start to think "outside the box" and look around for vacation home rentals that will enable you and your family, and maybe even your friends too, to enjoy a luxurious vacation with plenty of space, and yet stay well within your budget.

Janice McSherry writes frequently about Florida tourism. She is the proprietor of floridavacationsvillas.com floridavacationsvillas.com. Visit her website for great deals on floridavacationsvillas.com Florida vacation homes