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Staying in a vacation rental instead of a hotel can save a lot of money on a family vacation. But it takes some experience on what to look for in a vacation rental to make sure your “deal” is worth the savings. This week we chat with Jen Reyneri, experienced renter and property owner, to get her best vacation rental tips.
ON THE PODCAST
00:31 – Talking with Tamara about her previous vacation rentals
09:32 – Introducing Jen Reyneri
13:06 – How Jen started renting her property
15:45 – Jen’s favorite rentals
17:55 – What is it like to rent
19:54 – Renting vs. hotel
24:50 – Minimum amount to stay at rental
26:05 – What to look for in a rental
33:10 – Sites to look for rentals
38:50 – Jen’s favorite travel gear
40:28 – App(s) of the week
41:41 – Shout Out
ABOUT JEN REYNERI
Renaissance Woman Jen Reyneri is the founder of WordTraveling.com, a faith & family travel community. Jen calls herself a bridge, here to connect, excite and ignite you on your journeys. She and her husband Luis (a Certified Wine Educator and Advanced Sommelier) own a beach vacation rental property in Hobe Sound, Florida, lead local stewardship & fellowship ministries, coach STEAM education through art, Lego robotics and Speed Cubing, and host food & wine gatherings. Jen and her family often live life on the road with their sons, Makani Kai and Luke Ezra.
Jen is founder of the Grape Living wine club and the #LetYourWriteShine retreats of Shine Digital Marketing, where she coaches other authors and bloggers. Spirited and spirit filled, she savors life, sabbaticals, poetic words and strong coffee. Follow Jen on Instagram and Facebook.
Vacation Rental Tips
- If you like to cook your own food, renting a home or apartment would be the right choice for you! You will have a kitchen to do your cooking and to reheat your leftovers when you do go out.
- There is generally more space when you are renting rather than staying at a hotel. You can spread out and not worry about your noise level for your hotel neighbors.
- It is a good to check and see if the person you are renting from is paying their taxes on rental. You want to make sure they are a legitimate business.
- Be sure to check the location of your rental compared to the places that you want to visit and see. This is also a great tip for the hotel you choose as well. You want to find a place where you will not be wasting time getting to these other locations you are going to see.
- If you are traveling with children make sure to look into what the property has to offer before renting. For example if you are traveling with a baby, you would want to see if they have a place for changing or even just if there is enough space your 3 year old to run around.
- Be sure to read all the listing and reviews carefully.
- Make a checklist of your “must have” amenities — don’t assume that every location will include things like a washer and dryer.
- Use services like Google Earth to scope out the neighborhood of your rental, especially in cities.
FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR
Jen loves to wear a pair of Chico’s jeans and her Olukai flip-flops.
APP OF THE WEEK
Both Homeaway and Airbnb have mobile apps where you can search for some vacation rentals and ideas of where you would like to go by creating wish lists for different locations. You can then share those wish lists or listings with friends and family, and make notes on what you liked and didn’t like.
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
We3Travel Post on Tips on Using Homeaway and Airbnb
Tips For Successful Vacation Rental Hosting
FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!
If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email or leave us a voicemail at +1.641.715.3900, ext. 926035# You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!
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I’ve rented a home once before when on vacation and it was a great experience. I like that you said you have more room when you rent rather than staying in a hotel, because they are usually either a home or condo sized places. It’s definitely a great option that is available to travelers and one that I think people are starting to take better advantage of.
It has definitely made an impact on the family travel industry!
Thanks for the tip about choosing a vacation rental home if you want to cook your own food. My husband has very specific food allergies, so it can be difficult for us to eat out on vacation. Renting a house might be a good way to make our own food to accommodate his allergies and still have fun.
Thanks for the tips for renting a vacation rental. You’re right, they sound a lot more convenient than staying at a hotel. I love the fact that we can be as loud as we want, and we won’t disturb anyone else. With six kids, that’s important.
My husband and I really want to plan a trip for the whole family, but we have never rented a vacation rental before. That is great that at a rental we will get more space than staying at a hotel. It would be really nice to have our own kitchen and not have to worry about neighbors.
I agree that one must read all the reviews carefully before coming to a decision on rentals. My mom is looking to get vacation rentals for her and my dad’s 50th anniversary. I think I’ll talk to her about reading through comments and reviews to find the best rental for them.