Why We Always Opt for Vacation Rentals

You’re probably sick of me talking about how vacation rentals are awesome, but since I genuinely think they can stretch your travel dollar further and use them myself, I will keep telling you until you do it – and probably afterwards – and see for yourself. Though we often stay in timeshare properties when it’s just the two of us, it is even more beneficial for travelers who go as four or more, because it gives you room to stretch out and also get away from people if you need to. Being cramped up in one room with people can give you a bit of cabin fever, especially when you’re also spending all day with them. We had 4 adults, 3 kids and a baby in a 3 bedroom and it was almost like hanging out at home, except not boring.

I’ve included many photos of us enjoying our space that was not a hotel room with two beds and a tiny table with chair. The 3 bedrooms were perfect, because everyone had their own room to go to if they were feeling tired or annoyed by being with other people. Sometimes that just happens when you are on vacation. It can be a bit stressful spending that much time together. Here are some other reasons why I love and recommend a vacation rental, be it condo, timeshare, house or apartment:

You can spend as much time in your rental as you want. Not that you can’t do that in a hotel room, but generally you don’t want to, because it’s a bed and a TV, or the maid will come and disturb you while she’s cleaning and trying to do her job. There’s no Do Not Disturb sign you need to hang on your door when you rent, because you don’t have maid service (usually). In some rentals, if you stay a certain amount of days, they will come once to change out your sheets and towels, but that’s pretty much it. Your room is equipped with anything you might need from towels for the pool to a vacuum cleaner.

Save money on longer stays. Hotels will almost never give you a price break when you stay longer, unless it’s a special they are running. On vacation rentals, you generally get a better deal on weekly stays than on nightly stays, which means if you stay a week, you may spend the same as if you only stayed and paid for 4 nights.

Save money for more guests. When you stay in a hotel, you pay more for anyone over two guests in a room. Unless children stay free (which they do at many hotels and resorts), you can end up paying $20+ for each per night. This sucks especially when there are four adults sharing a room with two queens. Obviously, this room was not made for just two people, but they are charging you an arm and a leg for having the appropriate number of guests. You could spend that same money on a suite to give you more space or spend it on a rental that comes with useful amenities and separate bedrooms.

Save money on dining out. This is a big one for a lot of people. Why spend $10 per night to get a fridge put into your room for a week when you can have an entire kitchen and plates and cups and serving dishes and flatware…and sometimes a BBQ? For real! You could spend every meal out and go broke just eating or you could go to the grocery store and grab some necessities and stock your fridge and cabinets with things you like to eat for breakfast or lunch and keep some money in your pocket by only dining out for a few meals. Dining out with 7 people was not cheap, but we hit up the grocery store and for $70 we had food for all our breakfasts, a couple lunches, a dinner and a yummy dessert for our 4 days we were there. We may have gotten away with less if I didn’t want to make a fun Indian stew, but I had also packed all of the dry ingredients in a plastic container, so I wouldn’t have to buy rice and spices that we wouldn’t use and I already had.

Get separate rooms. Yes, I’ve already explained this, but I include it because this was even more useful to us in a mixed crowd, because the baby could be put down in a room and not be kept awake by us in the main room. If one of the kids was bad or needed some alone time, they had somewhere to go and we weren’t all punished or had to watch the same show they wanted to watch. We didn’t all have to go to bed when the kids went, so we could stay up a few hours later and play games and hang out while they slept down the hall. Also, when Eric and I had to leave earlier than them on the day we were checking out, we didn’t wake anyone up taking showers, putting on clothes and dragging our luggage out.

Pack less and do your laundry. I’m always going to tell you to pack light. For four days, we packed one large carry-on and the Eagle Creek Emerson shoulder bag. That’s it. For two of us. I even packed some pantry items (see dining out above), a package of naan, activities for the kids and an extra pair of shoes. You might check to see if your rental has laundry facilities, but most do or are close to a Laundromat. We were fortunate to have a washer and dryer right in our rental. It even had a door, so we could throw clothes in and close it off and not disturb everyone. Not that it was that loud. While we didn’t need to use it, we still did laundry before we packed to go back home so we would have clean smelling clothes and baggage. We have stayed at ones that have had laundry facilities on-site and also carried our clothes down the street to do them. It takes very little time and gives you a chance to plan your next day, catch up on email, play a game or read the book/magazine you brought. Downtime is good.

You don’t need to lock up all your valuables every day. Because you don’t have daily maid service, you don’t have to round up everything you brought with you and stash it away, even if it’s just dirty clothes and receipts. We leave our netbook out where we use it, throw dirty clothes in the hamper we bring and spread out our toiletries in the bathroom like we like them and don’t have to worry about putting them in a drawer before we leave so they can clean up after us.

Get free parking. Generally, this is true, but with some condos and apartments, you may have to pay to park your car. We have been lucky so far, or haven’t rented a car at our destination.

Other reasons you might like a vacation rental:

·      They can be a lot quieter.

·   Nobody is running up and down your hall at 3am, keeping you awake (unless it’s someone you brought with you)

·      No one sees you coming or going like they do in the hotel lobby.

·    It’s still cheaper to split the cost with several travelers than it is to get separate hotel  rooms.

·    You have a fridge, so you don’t have to run back and forth to the ice machine if you want a cold drink.

·      It’s like living at your destination.

·   The kitchen is stocked with all the necessities, including basic spices. We made a lovely rub for the chicken we grilled with what was in our cupboard. We felt creative.

Check out these sites for vacation rentals: FlipKey | RedWeek | Roomorama | VRBO

Do you rent instead of staying in hotels? What’s your favorite benefit?

How to Travel the U.S. for Free or Cheap (and Safe)

Traveling can definitely be expensive, but if you plan and do your research, you have a much better chance of saving big money. I have traveled my whole life, but I never was a college student who had the opportunity to get and see the world, because I went to school and I worked to pay for my schooling and the few bills I had. I lived at home, but because books were so expensive for my classes, I really didn’t have any leftover cash to put toward travel. It was also a time when I didn’t know all my options for jetsetting for nearly no money.

Now, there are so many ways to save for students wanting to get out and travel the globe, it’s crazy that there aren’t more packing their bags. Though many want to backpack through Europe, there are just as many things to see in the U.S. and just as easy to save your pennies to do it. Here are some tips to travel for cheap or free, while still staying safe, because that’s even more important that saving a few bucks.

Housesit

A lot of people like to suggest couchsurfing as a way to save money and spending nothing on your accommodations. Sure, you could do that, but if you’re like me, you don’t enjoy staying in a complete stranger’s house. When I travel, I need space and alone time and privacy. I also don’t really trust people that much. Instead of doing this, look for housesitting opportunities where you can stay at someone’s house while they’re on vacation. You have full run of it, might actually make some money, and all you may have to do is take in their mail, water their plants and feed their pets. Sounds pretty good, right? It’s like being at home where you travel.

Walk or Bike It

You could totally take a cab or rent a car, but those are going to cost you a ton of money in the long run. Uber will save you a bit, but it’ll still end up taking a big chunk of your travel budget. Instead, rely on your feet whenever possible or get on your bike. It’s easy to travel with your own bike now, but a lot of big cities have rental bikes that won’t break the bank. Use these modes of transportation before you break down and use public transit. If you need the bus or subway, try to get a full-day or multi-day/trip pass when you can, because these can save you over individual trips.

Hit Up Happy Hour

You gotta eat and you aren’t going to want to make all your own meals when you’re traveling, because it’s not always fun, plus there’s so much good food out there. Treat yourself to some great restaurants by visiting during Happy Hour. This way you can get a few plates for the price of a full entrée, which is perfect if you aren’t traveling alone.

Go to the Farmers’ Market

First of all, this is a great way to interact with the locals. Second, it’s an equally great way to see regional foods. Third of all, you can pick up affordable snacks and a quick meal from vendors there.

Take a Free Tour

There are quite a few groups that run free tours in different cities, you just have to Google to find them. Usually they are run by local volunteers who know a lot of awesome stories and facts about your destination. You should just contribute a few bucks as a tip when the tour is over. You might even make a new friend!

Stop In for a Home-Cooked Meal

Everyone likes a home-cooked meal and if you’re into meeting some new people, check out MealSharing and hook up with a local person/family who wants to share their home with you for the evening. You make some friends and get a free meal and they get to feel awesome about helping you out and meeting you. Maybe pick up something as a hostess gift, like a cheap bottle of wine or bring a little something fun from your hometown.

Go Out with Others

If you would rather go out to eat and meet people, hook up with locals and travelers alike by logging on to InviteForABite and find others who also want to get together and eat with “friends”, because it’s not always exciting to eat alone, even with your smartphone on hand.

Check Out Free Attractions

This is one of my favorite ways to stretch a buck. All cities have free things to do, including museums, landmarks and more. Just get online and search “free things to do in (insert city here)” and you might be surprised by how many things you find. The great thing is, many tourists don’t take the time to seek these things out, so you’re going to see a totally different view of the city than most other people who visit. You can also ask locals what their favorite hidden gems. I’ve learned a lot about places to go and things to see by doing this as well.

There are a lot of fun ways to save money when you travel if you’re resourceful and plan ahead. Know where to go, what to do and where to eat before you leave home and your trip will be more fun, more fulfilling and much more affordable. 

You can find more tips like this in A Student's Guide to Traveling Without Spending Money, a free ebook that can teach you how you can enroll into various programs, scholarships, internships, and trainings that allow you to travel without actually spending money.

Shereen Travels Cheap Turns 6

Woo. This blog has survived six years and I still feel like there's more to teach and more to learn. In fact, usually I like to shout my achievements, but this birthday I'd like to do something different. Instead of taking you back to old posts, I thought I'd write a new one. For 2016, let me give you a list of 16 things I've learned from my travels that make me want to travel more and continue to learn from in the future. 

1. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow 

In life, things don't always go as planned. "hope for the best", but don't be surprised if that's not what you get. Travel is unpredictable at times. Maybe you'll get mugged. Maybe there'll be a hurricane. Maybe you'll make a new friend. Maybe you'll have the chance to do something amazing. You never know. When something unexpected happens, don't be so stuck to your schedule that you miss out. Also, don't freak out that something went wrong. Make a new plan on the fly and deal with the problems or push something less awesome from your day and do the other thing.

2. Know how to use a compass and paper map

There are going to be times when your electronics fail you. Either roaming doesn't work or your battery dies. Whatever. Having a map and possibly a compass with you can get you out of a jam. Once we were on our way to meet my uncle on our second day in London. We decided to cut through Hyde Park. It's beautiful. I highly recommend it, but there are quite a few pathways and not enough signs. Luckily, we had a map and a compass (that was built into our guidebook) and we're able to turn ourselves around and go in the right direction. You're more likely to find yourself outside of the city when you need help the most, but this can certainly still work.

3. Keep paper copies of your travel info

Again, your phone may not always work (case in point, the crappy "updated" Delta app that can't deal with flight changes), so having the address and phone number to your hotel, your confirmation number for your rental car and directions to your airbnb are all pretty important. Have that backup copy in case you don't have WiFi to get onto TripIt.

4. Compromise is key 

I know when you travel you want to do things you want to do. I do too! Unless you're traveling solo or with your own clone, you're gonna have to stuff they like as well. Try to plan a good balance and talk about it before you go. Trying to figure out stuff in the fly is just going to make you both mad. Fighting on vacation sucks. I don't like swimming in the ocean, but my husband does. He swims, I sit out there and read and watch him. He doesn't particularly love to shop, but he tolerates enough to make me happy, then we go to a museum.

5. Don't forget to put the camera/phone down and enjoy your destination

I see people everywhere I go just staring down at their phone. Yeah, Candy Crush is fun and there are all those pics on Instagram you haven't liked or drooled over, but come on! Save it for when you're standing in line or back in your room. You paid money to go on this trip and the scenery is the same as at home, because you can't look away from your screen. Put it in your pocket/bag and enjoy your trip. The same goes for cameras. I love taking pics and probably take more than most to use here on the blog, but only viewing life on that tiny screen is sad. I make a point to put it away and look around me too.

What's IN there?

6. Packing light makes you hate life less

You never want to just abandon everything you own faster than when you've walked up the third flight of steps with your heavy *!# luggage. Whether that's in the subway, the airport or your hotel, it doesn't really matter. You can revel in all your stuff at home. On vacation, taking the bare essentials is a lot more fun and freeing. Your bag doesn't weigh 4853367 lbs, you don't have to pay $900 in overweight baggage fees (or, preferably, any fees at all) and you have way less stuff to wrangle when you head home. I'll tell you what: It's so easy to get dressed and out the door each day when you have a nice little capsule wardrobe.

7. Have small bills and change

If you're traveling out of the country - and sometimes just in smaller towns - it's possible that you'll encounter merchants and transportation (or toll roads) that will only take cash. A lot of places won't accept larger bills for a small amount. Keep $20-40 in small bills and change for those times when you haven't hit the ATM yet. When I stayed in the University district in Phoenix, a lot of the shops and restaurants only took cash. Luckily, I had some.

8. Learning helpful phrases can get you far

Nothing is worse than when Americans travel and expect everyone to speak English. Don't be that guy. Even if you botch your attempt at the language, you tried and that effort is much appreciated. You don't have to learn all the words, but things like "hello", "please", "thank you", "I don't understand" and "where is..." are helpful. Pimsleur sells great beginner audio sets that aren't too spendy and use repetition to teach you the basics.

9. You can find a lot of good stuff off the beaten path

You're probably going to hit up tourist attractions, and that's cool, but chances are that you're gonna get hungry or want to go shopping and see the easy stuff "right there". Sometimes it's good, but more often it's overpriced and caters to tourists, which means it's also not all that good or authentic. Head. Few streets over and look for more out of the way eateries and shops. You'll get something more local and probably tastier and cheaper. Travelers who are willing to get out of the popular areas are often rewarded for their extra effort with better experiences.

10. Make sure you know about the crime

Ugh. Crime. Am I right? We wish it didn't exist, but that's life. Make sure you know what to expect, like getting mugged in a certain area or drug activity or gangs. Had we done a better job of researching when planning our trip to Quito, we would have figured out where the nearest car park was instead of just parking on the street and going about our business. If nothing else, the $50 replacement window wasn't a huge price to pay for our ignorance, but it wasted a big part of one of our days.

11. Don't be afraid to talk to strangers

Yes, Stranger Danger is real, but don't be afraid to talk to everyone. Talk to shop workers, wait staff, cab drivers and people on the street. Ask about their favorite places and what they like best about their city. I ask them where THEY tell people to go and not where they're expected to go, because I don't want a cookie cutter vacay. This is how we ended up at Eltham Palace outside London instead of Windsor Palace and how we've discovered lively restaurants full of locals and no tourists at all.

12. You can learn a lot about a destination by visiting their markets

I love a market. It doesn't matter if they sell food or antiques or books. It's fun to interact with locals, challenge your haggling skills and learn more about your destination. When planning any trip, I check out when and where the markets are. My favorite thing is a farmers' market. I like to see the different produce where I travel and pick up goodies for breakfasts and snacks. There's nothing better than trying out new fruits while you're walking around or getting ready for your day.

13. A pair of shoes can mean the difference between a great day and a miserable one.

Ask me how I know. Find two great pair of shoes that don't make your feet cry. One pair of casual that you can wear all over the city and one pair of slightly less casual shoes that can be worn for a more dressy outfit, but also works with your regular clothes. I suggest ballet flats, sandals or loafers. I can wear them with shorts, jeans and even a skirt/dress.

14. Getting lost can be a good thing

I'm always getting lost. It's the reason I own a GPS and look up directions for where I'm going before I leave home. Oddly, I only do this when I go somewhere alone though. When I'm with someone else my attitude is "Eh. We'll get there." If w'ere traveling and out walking, I'm happy to ask someone for directions, but getting lost has almost always ended up with us finding some awesome stuff that's out of the way and that we wouldn't have found otherwise. As a child, my parents use to pack up the car and we'd drive with no destination and purposely "get lost" to find new things in our area. I take this attitude into my traveling.

15. Research dining before you leave home

So, when I went to France, I never looked up places to eat, because I figured there would be delicious food around every corner. It wasn't and we ended up having some crummy food on that first visit. Everyone complained about how crappy the food in the UK was, but we had amazing food there, except for the one time we arrived late, were starving and just went into the first place that served food we saw. Make a plan, look at reviews, keep some snacks in your bag so you don't make decisions based on how hungry you are. Which brings me to...

16. Snacks are the answer...to say lot of things

I am notorious for getting hangry. That's so hungry that you move to angry. I know when it's coming and I'll absolutely threaten your life and yell at you for everything. I keep snacks in my bag for just that reason, because there's not always a time when the hanger takes over and my husband can just steer me into a restaurant or towards a food cart. Protein, like nuts, is always good to have and packs well, but having some fruit on hand is nice to raise your blood sugar and give you a burst of energy too. I keep a homemade granola bar or two in my bag along with some dried fruit like raisins. They're hearty and I can eat them while walking or waiting in line or on public transport. It's also nice if you have littles that want to eat every five seconds or your partner isn't hungry yet to sit down for a real meal.

I hope you enjoyed my list. What are some things you've learned from traveling?