When planning vacations a unique alternative to holing up in a hotel for days, is looking into renting a home. With larger areas for kids and pets, kitchens for home cooked meals, and not having to worry about disruptive hotel guests, you may actually get some quality rest and relaxation.

Unless you have a plethora of activities planned, it is sometimes nice to just kick back and relax in your room. If you are taking short trips, a hotel will usually suffice, but for extended stays being restricted to one room can make you feel restless and nonproductive - two no no's for a relaxing stay.

Having free reign of a house allows you to feel relaxed. The kids can go do their thing, and you and your husband can spend some quality time together. A lot of rental homes come equipped with board games, DVD selections and outdoor volleyball nets or fire pits. Search for a home that has the amenities you would like. Hot tubs and fireplaces in a private home are much more romantic than sharing them with the old couple from across the hall.

Another advantage to a rental home is the kitchen. Most of these homes have pans and kitchen utensils. You will save a bundle of money by stocking your kitchen and making home cooked meals than eating out every single day. By simply eating breakfast and lunch at home, you can use that extra money for a unique adventure outing with your family.

I've had horrible experiences with cleanliness and housekeeping while staying in hotels. On one occasion, I slipped across the hall to have a friend zip my dress up and left my purse on the bed. As I came back in the maid slipped past me in the hall. While she was turning down my blanket, she pocketed a $100 bill. The hotel never reimbursed me because I had no official proof she took it.

Most rental homes, unless you specify you would like house keeping, usually allow you your privacy during your stay. They leave fresh towels, and extra toilet paper and toiletries available for you to use at your own discretion.

If you have children or pets, the extra room will let your kids and animals burn off some of their pent up energy and you won't have to deal with tripping over each other in such a small room like in a hotel.

The ultimate advantage to renting a home is not having to deal with loud TV's, noisy neighbors in adjoining rooms, and doors slamming at 3 am as boarders arrive home from the bars drunk. A rental home equals privacy.

Rental homes are actually usually comparable if not cheaper than hotel rooms. An adequate hotel room will normally run you around $100 per night for single occupancy, charging as much as $10 per person and extra if you have pets. While out of town for work for three months, I opted to rent a home and paid only $500 per month. I ended up saving thousands of dollars.

If I am ever given a choice between a hotel and a rental home, I will always opt for a rental. To me, privacy and free will to eat when I want and come and go as I please is necessary. Rentals save money, offer more room, and make me feel relaxed - isn't that what vacationing is all about?

Learn more about this author, Molly Carter.
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