A vacation rental is what the travel industry calls renting out a furnished home or apartment on a temporary basis to travelers as an alternative to staying in a hotel or resort.  These rentals are becoming more and more popular throughout Europe and Canada, and the rest of the world is catching up on the craze as well.  But, some cities have found that the high number of vacation rentals are actually hurting the hotel industry, so they have put caps on the number of rentals that can be in a certain area.



Don't get vacation rentals and timeshares mixed up though, as there are many differences between them.  A timeshare can still be rented as a vacation rental if the owner wanted to put his “owned” week on the market.  But, a timeshare is normally a furnished home or condominium that is shared by multiple owners, where the owners have different blocks of time during the year that they can use the property.  Timeshares are normally more expensive since the owners are purchasing more time throughout the year.  A vacation rental is a fully furnished home or apartment that is rented from one owner by a vacationer for a shorter amount of time.  Unlike a timeshare, a vacation rental is not actually for sale to the guest but is simply rented to the vacationer for a short amount of time.

Vacation rentals are normally cheaper to rent than to stay in a luxury resort for the same amount of time.  Plus, vacation rentals usually offer more amenities than a hotel room will as well, such as games, DVD libraries, stocked kitchens, beach equipment, and more.  Most owners manage their own properties and are usually more in tune with what renters want when they rent a vacation home.  Also, owners are more aware of wear and tear on their vacation rentals and have a better cash flow to fix problems or make repairs as needed.

Just about every city will offer wonderful vacation rentals for you to enjoy during your next vacation.  You can check local rental agencies for listings of rentals in the area that you would like to stay in, or you can go through a web site or rental company to find the perfect one for you.  Keep in mind though that vacation rentals are becoming more and more popular, so the ones with the most amenities tend to be rented first.  So, you want to make sure that you get yours booked before the main vacation season in the area that you are wanting to stay in.