Shopping around for vacation rentals is no easy task. First, you have to decide what exactly you want. Do you want to recreate an episode of Naked and Afraid in the Rocky mountains, or do you want to splurge on one of those Cabo vacation packages and enjoy perfect weather all the time? Are you looking for vacation rentals that are solitary and quiet so that you can continue to telecommute to work (we hope not) or are you looking to immerse yourself in the sights and noise of an exotic location? Do you like to do months of assiduous research beforehand and chart your own course, or do you immediately log onto Kayak to find all inclusive vacation resorts? Well, whether you’re a workaholic checking your email at a luxury Cabo hotel or eating boot leather in a cave happy as a clam, there are some things that all vacationers should watch out for before investing in vacation rentals:
1. School Party Season
The first thing you need to figure out when searching for vacation rentals is if your getaway preferences mesh with the 18 to 22 demographic. If so, run. Run as fast as you can, because trust us, you don’t want to share beach space with Spring Breakers. It will destroy your faith in humanity and your daughter won’t thank you when you lock her in the hotel room all vacation in a fit of paranoia.
2. The Off-Season
In Murphy’s Law fashion, some of the most beautiful places in the world are blustery, hazardous hurricane hot spots for the other nine months of the year. What’s more, “the other nine months” aren’t always the months you’re expecting due to differences in climate depending on distance from the equator. So before booking those beautiful vacation rentals in South Asia made out of bamboo and a little free spirit, check the weather. For like the next few months.
3. Local Friendliness
Some places LOVE tourists! They build entire sub-communities within communities with all kinds of conveniences just FOR tourists. Tourism is a huge part of these economies, and you can tell. But if you’re looking for some place “off the beaten track,” then just be aware, the locals may want to keep it that way. You may not get the warm welcome you probably feel entitled to.
4. “Delhi-Belly” Syndrome
One of the perks of living in an extremely industrialized nation is that, for the most part, we don’t have to worry about the food we eat or the water we drink poisoning us (at least not right away). However, Delhi, a major city in India, is famous for giving tourists really bad stomach problems, most likely because we’re not used to the different naturally-occurring bacteria in that part of the world or the rich spices in the food. Before you book a flight, pack a lot of dramamine and research the safer things to eat. And whatever you do, splurge on the bottled water. It’s worth it. It’s really, really worth it.