When You Can’t Do a Home Exchange, Consider a Vacation Rental

The following article is by guest author, Pauline Kenny:

It is not always possible to find the home exchange that works for you. There is another alternative – vacation rentals are a popular type of accommodations in Europe. Vacation rentals, also called villas, holiday cottages or self-catering, are fully furnished and equipped apartments or houses that you rent by the week. They may be someone’s vacation home that they rent out when they are not there or they may be set up for full time use by tourists.

You can rent a cottage on a farm, a house in the countryside or an apartment in a town. Most popular tourist destinations in Europe offer a wide variety of vacation rentals. Vacation rentals are available for one or two people, or for larger groups vacationing together. Quality and price range from budget to luxury.

Because vacation rentals are popular in Europe, there are many local vacation rental agencies. The people who run these agencies usually know the area and their properties well and can provide you with good advice for planning your trip. For non-English speaking countries, consider booking with an agency based in the US or the UK where they speak English and deal with the local owners. Owners also list their properties on popular Rent-by-Owner websites.

No Changing Your Mind At The Last Minute

The one downside of vacation rentals? Once you decide and book, you pay a hefty deposit, usually 25 – 50%. Most times this is non-refundable. Full payment is usually required 30 – 60 days before arrival. So there are no last minute changes. That one downside is countered by plenty of wonderful upsides.

Slow Europe Makes it Easy to Find a Vacation Rental

Slow Europe is not a vacation rental agency or a travel agent. It is a website created by travelers, for travelers. We have selected the best vacation rental resources for Europe (local agencies, large agencies, farms, apartments, rent-by-owner sites). We list them by country and region, so if you are looking for that perfect farmhouse in Tuscany, the best resources are listed for you in one place. We also collect reviews so you can see what other travelers have to say.

Pauline Kenny runs two travel websites: Slow Europe, a guide to vacation rentals in Europe, and Cotswolder, a travel guide for the Cotswolds in England. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband Steve Cohen and cat Buddy. Pauline and Steve travel to Europe as often as they can and are currently obsessed with traveling in England. They have never done a home exchange because their lives are too disorganized, but they always stay in vacation rentals.