How to find & book the best vacation rental home
Many years and 7 children ago, the four of us (Chelsea & I and our husbands) headed out on a European adventure. Patrick, Chelsea’s husband, and I both travelled often for work at that point, so had a lot of hotel points & airline miles saved for trips like this.
Between the two of us we were able to use points for almost all of our hotel stays for our entire vacation – assuming we’d sleep 4 to a room like in the US. Gosh, college & young-20’s travel is the best – and cheapest – way to travel.
In some rooms it looked like we were sleeping 4 in one bed (we weren’t) because of how tiny & close those European beds were, but we made it work and were very happy doing so.
Until we got to Versailles.
As a Hilton girl, I had booked a room for us at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles – the Queen’s palace! We were SO excited about this stay, but hadn’t factored in the higher level of service you receive at such a hotel.
Upon arrival they collected and tagged our luggage, which was clearly more than one couple’s worth. We were quickly told that the one room we had booked only slept two and that even if we wanted to cram 4 of us in, they wouldn’t allow it. They gave us the option of upgrading, or cancelling and heading back to Paris.
Thrifty Caroline & Chelsea were on the fence, although we definitely were not wanting to haul ourselves and alllll of our luggage (we hadn’t yet learned to take the right gear, not ALL the gear…) back on buses and taxis and trains and through the city of Paris. Luckily the boys pushed us to just pay for the upgrade, and what an upgrade it was!
I have never in all my life experienced an upgrade like this from one night to the next. We had TWO doors into our hotel room, a heated bathroom floor & towel bars, balconies overlooking the Queen’s gardens, and the most giant king size bed with a separate living room with cots (for the boys). As young-20’s-travelers who had been sleeping 4 to a tiny room for nights on end, this was literal heaven.
I remember that we actually sat in that “giant” (in my memory) living room and blogged about our trip on our old blogspot account while the boys crashed on the cots, leaving the king size bed for us.
the moral of that story?
We still love to travel on points and miles when possible, but we’ve also learned the value of booking the right place – especially when traveling with children and staying longer than 1 night.
After years of experience booking homes for anywhere from 2 – 11 of us, with and without babies & toddlers & now big kids in tow, across cities and states and countries and continents, we thought we’d share what we’ve learned with you.
1. Start with a broad Airbnb or Vrbo search.
I always start with dates (if they’re specific – if not, try a few different combinations) & number of people staying, using the main city as the location. From there you can always filter for price point, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, or other must-haves.
You can also move around on the map if you’re interested in different areas of the city than what initially pops up (i.e. Arlington, Alexandria, other areas of VA or MD when looking in DC). “Heart” to save your favorites to a wishlist for this specific trip.
2. Research the area you’re visiting.
Travel blogs like ours, friends or family who have visited or lived there, or quick searches on Google maps can help determine the best location within a specific city or area based on what you plan to do & see while you’re there.
In big cities it helps to pay attention to areas that are family friendly, safe, and walkable or with easy access to public transportation. In more remote areas pay attention to drive time between sites you want to see or excursions you plan to book while you’re there. There is so much that goes into this part based on the specific destination, but it is super important as you begin to narrow down where it makes the most sense to stay.
3. Read the reviews!!!
This is the most important step, in my opinion. I get so. much. information from these reviews. You can get intel on how clean the home was, how impressed guests were with the host, location, the space itself, etc. Often people will include information about favorite coffee shops, restaurants, or other sites nearby, which I jot down to look into before our visit.
You can tell pretty quickly if the home or the host blew people away (always a great sign), was as expected and really great, or had some issues that you want to avoid.
Most hosts are striving for 5 stars, as Airbnb is pretty strict with what they’ll even recommend if you drop below 4 stars. What that means to me is that I’m truly looking for a 4.8 or above, usually. Again, I’m reading reviews to tell if people were actually impressed with the home, or just giving a quick 4-5-star review and moving on. I promise you can tell the difference!
4. Take a good look at the photos.
Some hosts leave detailed captions on the photos, some want you to make your best guess on bed size or the layout of the home.
There is usually more to the photo than you first think – look for clutter, if the living room looks comfy (and will seat your family if you have a bigger family like we do!), the size of the table or bar seating, if you can see through doorways to understand the layout of the home, and the outdoor space or street view if offered.
5. Compare pricing.
An obvious one, but you know your budget for this trip, or at least should have an idea of what you’re able to spend on lodging. Depending on the length of your stay, some hosts will discount for a longer stay – even 3-4 nights+, so make sure to check!
Make sure to look at the total cost (often this doesn’t include taxes until you get to the reserve page) for a true comparison point. Also note if it’s refundable or not – again, some hosts will offer a lower non-refundable rate & a higher rate that includes the option to get a refund (full or partial) before a certain date.
Quick tip – Be sure to look at the cleaning fee & Airbnb (or Vrbo) fee in addition to nightly rental rate. Often the cleaning rate or fees are higher than other listings, making the total price higher for a lower nightly-rate home.
6. If you have a question (or want to get a feel for the host), ask!
I’m not going to lie – sometimes I make up a question because you can truly get a sense for the host based on their response to a simple question about parking, travel time, or if it’s a good location for a family. I have legitimately chosen one home over another based on the host’s super helpful and detailed response to a question – and I’ve NEVER been disappointed in the home when I’ve done this.
It’s also safe to say we’ve both had experiences where the host totally makes or breaks a stay. We’ve been left bottles of wine, welcomed to see animals and feed lambs, pulled around on sleds in the snow, and loved experiences & homes so much that the hosts were among the first we checked in with after hurricanes and other local weather events.
7. Narrow it down & compare!
Once you have a handful of favorites, look at specific location, comfortability (number of rooms, bed sizes, living room, kitchen, playroom or outdoor space – whatever this means to you!), price (if there’s much of a difference at this point – there usually isn’t for me), and back at those reviews to make your final decision.
In my experience, sometimes there is a clear winner, and sometimes there are multiple good options where you truly will be happy either way. In that case, I phone a friend (ahem, Chelsea) and ask her opinion before I book.
After your stay, be sure leave a review on whatever site you used to book, as clearly those are actually quite helpful for future potential guests.
It’s also fun to write in guest books if hosts leave them out. Be sure to take a picture of your entry to be able to look back on (as seen above from our home in Stockholm).
Quick tip – the guest book is another spot I love check for local recommendations as soon as we arrive! Often previous guests will leave great tips & personal favorites, which can be very helpful if you’re new to the area.
Looking for more tips on traveling with kids?? Check out this post…
