Save Money On Your Next Vacation and Tips For Your Stay

When we are traveling we often like to stay in a homey atmosphere. We like to stay in some sort of home/condo vacation rental.

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We've stayed with one several times a year, and plan on staying with them over this summer as well.

I typically start with the  Airbnb website (this is an affiliate link that will give you a $40 off Airbnb coupon code for your next stay) first when planning our trips.

While I may use Airbnb frequently, but there are still a few people out there who have either never heard of Airbnb before or are afraid to use it.

I hope to dispel those fears. There are many positive aspects to any vacation rental and I'd like to share those with you:

Save money by looking for something with a kitchen.

We like to look for a condo or home rentals because on the pro side is you get a kitchen. A kitchen helps keep vacation costs down. I know what you are thinking...'I don't want to cook on vacation'. You can easily have cereal and coffee or bagels for breakfast, sandwich fixings for lunch and dinner can be frozen pizzas or frozen lasagna the nights you want to stay in. Over spring break we went and stayed in a beach condo and having a kitchen was ideal for us.

We could have leisurely mornings watching the sun come up with our coffee, come up from the beach for a break to eat sandwiches and go back down and dinner for us was easy meals like tacos, fajitas, etc. One of the big positives of staying in a short-term rental over a hotel is that you most likely will have a kitchen. We did eat some meals out but we found this worked for us well.

We even rented a home when we went and stayed in Kissimmee for a Disney vacation. Again, this kept costs down by only eating lunch at the parks.

Space.

Hotels are usually confined to that small box-shaped room. With a condo or apartment, this means you typically have much more space probably with a couple of bedrooms, bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Our condo over spring break included 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, as well as a balcony! We enjoyed that balcony every sunrise and sunset! When we stayed at the house in Kissimmee, we had 3 bedrooms, living room, 3 bathrooms as well as a pool and lanai!

Trust me when I say a hotel is too small for more than 2 unless it's a suite.

More cost effective vacation than a hotel for groups.

If you are traveling with extended family for vacation or weddings, etc, renting a home through Airbnb is more cost effective than a hotel. There are extra hidden costs with the more people you have at a hotel.

Renting a home allows you to look for multiple bedrooms, maybe even put kids on couches or air mattresses, depending on the size of your group.

And don't forget my $40 referral code!

Airbnb is a great option if you have pets.

Given the fact that a majority of hotels won't allow pets, Airbnb is an excellent option. There are many owners who allow pets, those whom I suspect have pets themselves! Added bonuses are that your dog won't disturb anyone and might have a place to run around.

Most of you are here to get a deal on rentals, but you can make money too!

Most of you are looking for travel, but if you are looking for a side hustle, you can make money hosting others in your home. You don't have to give up your home either! Many are room rentals. I remember one I kept seeing she did a whole bed and breakfast type stay in her Boca condo. The possibilities are endless. I've seen house boats, treehouses and RV's! If you would like to make extra cash and host someone through my link, you'll get a bonus! Win-Win!.

Points to ponder when looking for an Airbnb rental…

As with anything, even hotels, there are drawbacks or points to consider:

• Reviews. When you pop open that review of that beautiful house or cute beachy condo it also has some great information that you need to read regarding the home as well as the host. You need to read all of the notes on the house so nothing is a surprise. Also, read the reviews on the host.
• Description. Always read the description. You'd be surprised how many won't allow kids, much less pets.
• Expectations. Keep your expectations in check. What you are getting is a home or condo, etc. that should be clean and habitable. You will not be getting daily cleaning service nor room service.

What do you do to save money when traveling? Have you used Airbnb yet? 

Lastly, don't forget to go sign up for Airbnb right now. You may not book today but it will hold your $40 coupon code for your next stay.