Tips For Booking The Ideal Vacation Rental

It can sometimes be a challenge to find a cabin rental that ticks all the boxes for everyone that is coming along on vacation. And even if you think you’ve found the ideal rental it can still be unavailable or outside of your price range.

Although sometimes finding somewhere happens in just the space of a few clicks of a mouse, normally it takes far longer. So if you need a few helpful pointers for how to find a rental cabin and check it’s prices and reviews before booking, then have a read through the details below.

Online Searching

With tens of thousands of rental properties to choose from online you can easily be overwhelmed with the variety and choice out there. Although it’s great to have so much choice it definitely increases the time in filtering out properties which don’t quite fit your needs.

If you want a good selection of properties then it’s best to search through travel directory sites which normally have a comprehensive selection of properties broken down into geographic area. If you want to find a log cabin break in Europe then a good place to start is by taking a look through the rentals listed on HomeAway here. 

If you already know the area you want to spend your vacation in then it’s worth putting really specific keywords into Google. Instead of just typing ‘cabins UK’ why not try ‘cabins which sleep 6 in austria with hot tub’. Although the number of results is going to be a lot less they’re should hopefully be much more relevant to what you’re looking for.

Rates

Depending on your budget it’s often a massive disappointment finding a cabin only to realise that you are unable to afford it in the week that you want to stay.

You could always looking at staying in the cabin in a different week. Prices can sometimes be significantly higher or lower, even if they’re a couple of weeks apart. If you can have a vacation outside of the popular tourist seasons then the prices should be far cheaper.

Alternatively, if you are able to it seems as though more and more people are leaving it to the last minute in booking a vacation which means you can get a much better deal. Prices are often cut if a week looks like it’s going to be left vacant, and most rental agencies (or owners if you can contact them directly) will normally be prepared to give a discount with a bit of persuasion.

The other option is to get organised and sign up to sites such as Secret Escapes. Although their business is to offer deals on luxury hotels, they occasionally have discounts available on rentals too. So if you’re looking for something more luxurious it’s definitely worth checking out to see if there is anywhere you’d like to stay.

Reading the Reviews

Before handing over any money to an owner or agency it’s worth checking out to see if there are any online reviews of the rental. TripAdvisor is naturally the best place to start and give you a more honest review of the place (for both good and bad).

Making The Booking

If you’ve found the ideal cabin to rent and you’re going to book, make sure you know beforehand what the terms and conditions of the booking are. What is the cancellation process if you’re unable to travel? Do you know when the cabin has to be paid for in full?

It’s also well worth making sure you have run through any potential queries with the agency or owner before you hand over any money. Although they might be basic questions you’ve forgotten to ask (such as is there mobile signal?) it’s best to know as much as possible before booking. If you need to have a phone to take important calls, but aren’t able to for instance, it could be a deal breaker.

Once you’ve made the payment make sure that you have all of the key details that will ensure when the vacation comes around you’ll be able to get everything off to the best possible start. Everything from the arrival time to directions are helpful!

Then you can sit back, relax and start packing for hopefully a great vacation!