5 Essential Must-Dos to Saving Big Bucks on Homestays

As you know, I'm a big believer in saving money by staying in vacation rentals. I like having the extra room, because tripping over each other can be frustrating, being able to make my own meals and having a separate living space from my sleeping space. It's nice to have more to sit on in your room besides the bed and that one hard chair shoved in the corner, right? Even though many homestays can cost the same as a hotel, you're getting more, but we still like to get the best bang for our buck, so here are five things to do to get an even better deal on your rental.

Look at this amazing kitchen in London

1. Look for the extras

I'm all about the included amenities when I travel. Anything I may use and don't have to pay a fee for is awesome. WorldEscape may not include locations everywhere in the world you want to go, but it is constantly expanding and it allows you to search by destination and date and then focus on things you want in a rental. My searches always include WiFi, TV with DVD player (because I'm not always out sightseeing) and washing machine so I can pack light. Homestays enable you to feel like you're at home no matter where you are or how many people you travel with.

A washer is a definite must, like this one in a Philly apartment

2. Use the extras

This is really important. If you're paying for something to be included, then make sure you use it. There's no point in renting a home with a huge kitchen if you don't plan to make a meal or store your snacks. When I travel, I specifically look for a full kitchen, because I don't like to get up earlier and waste money on breakfast. I pack my own coffee and nibbles from home and stop at the grocery store right at the beginning of my trip to pick up bagels, fruit, eggs, bread, butter, cereal and milk. We always en up with a few leftover meals on our trips, so those get stored in the fridge and heated up or turned into something else before we leave.

I love this pretty little Paris apartment

3. Travel during the off- and shoulder-season

Just like with hotels, homestays usually offer better deals when your destination isn't expected to be crazy busy. You'll save more, have more time to relax in your rental and won't have to fight crowds all day every day to see the sights.

Such a great view from this Rome apartment

4.Get closer to the action

No matter what your plans on your vacation, there's probably a convenient location for you to stay at your destination. Homestays can be found in the middle of a city, on the outskirts or anywhere in between. Choose what works best for you. Maybe you want to skip a rental car and get close to all the good stuff. Maybe you want to stay a bit further out and enjoy a quieter, more laid back trip. If you stay a little off the beaten path, you can still skip the rental car by booking a place on a public transportation route. It's saves money and allows you to let someone else take care of the driving.

I could certainly call this Dhaka apartment home

5. Avoid booking fees

I hate these. I like to book my whole vacation myself. If I wanted to pay someone else to help me out, I'd just go through a travel agent. Travel merchants online shouldn't claim their giving me the best rate and then charging me a fee for their service. WorldEscape has done away with booking fees and credit card fees, so what you see is what you pay.

Make sure to ask any questions you have before booking. This is really important, because you want to know what you're getting, what you're not and learn how to make your trip even better. You'll also want to read reviews from other guests, because this is another way to learn what you're getting. With homestays, sometimes they can sound too good to be true. Of course, I've had experiences where I'm surprised by my stay...in the best ways possible. WorldEscape verifies all listed properties, so you know they'll be good and you get all their extras included in the home rate, which is pretty awesome.

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What's your biggest pet peeve when it comes to booking a hotel or a homestay online?

Disclaimer: This is a post sponsored by WorldEscape, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Challenge Yourself to Freedome + Giveaway

Last week I wrote about a great service that keeps your online activity invisible. F-Secure Freedome allows you to surf without worrying about thieves stealing your personal information. If you missed it, read about it here. Now through next Sunday at midnight (PST) I'm going to be running a promo. Leave comments, check out F-Secure on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and/or tweet about the giveaway and you could win a 16GB iPad Mini and 12 months of F-Secure Freedome. Sounds easy, right? Enter below! (Sorry, open to US residents of 18 years or age or older only.)

In the meantime, I challenge you to try Freedome free for three months and see how much safer you can feel using the internet.

Use Freedome for 90 days by using code qsf257.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for F-Secure, I am being compensated for my time, however, this is a company I back 100%.

My Tampa Wish List

So, you already know how excited (like jumping up and down excited) I am about going to Orlando to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion at Universal Studios. Days of Butterbeer, wand-waving and rides on the Hogwarts Express. Enough about that though, because I'm going to be spending four days in Tampa, too. It's not a lot of time, especially since I have firm plans for two of those days, but that doesn't mean we can't make the most of it. Here are the things we plan to do and things we want to do if we have time:

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Busch Gardens Tampa

Our main reason for heading to Tampa, but unlike our last visit, we wanted to do a bit more, so instead of only going for the day, we've decided to stay in Treasure Island on the beach, outside of Tampa. I love that Busch Gardens Africa mixes awesome animals with equally awesome theme park rides. You'd think that after a week at Disney, we'd be over rides, but they are pretty different.

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Legoland

Okay, so just like Busch Gardens, the vibe here is totally different here. I'm sure we'll be the only ones with kids like we were at the California one, but the rides are low key, fun and it's a nice day. Plus, Legos! Some of the best stuff here is seeing the cool stuff they build out of Legos and getting ideas for building at home.

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Weeki Wachee Mermaids

O.M.G. I have been wanting to go see the mermaids for years. Sure, it's a kitschy roadside attraction, but that's what makes it exciting to me. I had no idea it was anywhere near as close to Orlando and Tampa as it is. We're going to leave Orlando early in the morning and hit Weeki Wachee right after breakfast to see the mermaids, the wildlife and take the boat ride, then we can head to Tampa for lunch. 

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Sunken Gardens

I'm a sucker for a botanical garden, especially in a place that has tropical-esque weather. This one has waterfalls, bridges and is over 100 years old. It's just a hop, skip and a jump there to St. Petersburg from Tampa. I hope to get a lot of great pics from our visit.

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Big Cat Rescue

Not sure if I'm going to have time for it, but this place rescues lions, tigers, panthers and other big cats. It runs on donations and tour fees. Getting close-ish to these amazing creatures is definitely worth the price, I think. If I could also hug a big cat, I'd be totally in...and probably also make a trip to the hospital. Luckily, they are smarter than I am regarding wild animals.

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The Great Escape Room

Puzzles are fantastic, aren't they? The Great Escape Room gives you clues to put together and solve in order to, you guessed it, escape the room. You have a one-hour time limit and the brains of those you brought with you and any other visitors there during your game. I don't know how hard it'll be or if it'll end up being as much fun as it sounds, but I'm really excited to find out.

Believe it not, I haven't actually planned where to eat yet in Tampa, but I have months to come up with ideas. Do you have suggestions for me? If so, I'm all ears, because I want to try some delicious dishes. You can follow along with my expanding Tampa Wish List on Pinterest.

What are your favorite things to do and eat inn Tampa?