This article is brought to you by HomeAway, the story and opinions are my own. As you know I love to travel with my family (kids and my princes)
When planning vacations, I need to take a lot into consideration. Our girls are grown and we now have two grandsons, spending time with the entire family and creating new memories is a priority. It’s important that we find the perfect spot to be able to have family fun but we also want a place we can have “just the two of us” time too. Another factor that comes into play is the expense. When going on vacation if you factor in eating out three times a day for seven days it can add up to a pretty penny.
Family Time
Whether it’s hanging out at the pool getting splashed or hitting an amusement park, hearing the laughter of your children and grandchildren are treasured memories. Having the chance to be away with everyone and not having a care in the world rejuvenates the mind, body, and soul.
Us Time
Taking one of the days and heading off with just the two of us gives us the alone time we need. We sometimes hop in the car and go on an adventure of our own or while the family heads out we lounge in the pool. What we plan doesn’t really matter as long as it’s just the two of us.
Expense
An average meal can range from $70-$150. If you plan on three meals a day for seven days, that totals twenty one meals, not including snacks and drinks. You can also pay hundreds per night to stay at a hotel which gives you one room to live in for a week or more. If you’re out for the day and everyone wants to head back to chill out for a while or if the little ones need a nap, your only choice is to sit in your room. We usually have separate rooms so we can’t relax together unless we want to sit on the beds. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could grab our house and trailer it with us to our destination?
My Solution
HomeAway, the world’s largest vacation rental marketplace with more than one million listings in 190 countries, makes it easy for families, couples, or friends find the perfect vacation spot. Let’s face it, kids play a major part in the planning of vacations. We want to make sure we get the most out of our vacations, they take much planning and saving for sometimes a year or more. This is why we always use VacationRentals.com, which is part of the HomeAway family. We are sure the kids will be talking about our vacation and the memories for a lifetime. Our last vacation was to Orlando, Florida and the kids of course wanted to see Mickey but they loved having the pool right outside our door. Using HomeAway’s free resource the whole family can rent the whole home, for a whole vacation. You get twice the space for half the price so grab the whole family or make a group vacation and rent a condo or a castle! Imagine your kids faces if you pulled up to a castle! Let them know they will be a princess or prince for the week. We all know When the kids are happy, We’re happy!
Check Out HomeAway and how to find your castle!
HomeAway asked Kidfluencers what they wanted on vacation and to tell them about their favorite unique properties. The results can be found using the below links:
- What Kids Want on Vacation: http://bit.ly/1PRuFqr
- Favorite Unique Properties: http://bit.ly/1JtrSUv
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
That sounds like a no brainer for people who travel a lot. I will check this out 🙂
Linda Kinsman says
We are planning a get away right now Rachel, so this is very timely and helpful information. Checking them out now!
Catherine S says
A place with a kitchen is such a great idea. I like the idea of not having to eat out all the time. I would rather spend that money having fun.
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
This post is so well timed for me. We are thinking through a summer vacation and have not decided where to go. We are gluten-free so being able to have food with us, as well as prepare food is key. This would be a great solution.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
You couldn’t have posted this at a better time for me. We’re in the process of planning our vacation right now.
Pam says
I love renting a place when we go on vacation. Having a kitchen is nice.
Debbie Denny says
I like planning out trips. I will check them out.
Angela says
Great post! This will be perfect for our summer travels!
Marcie W. says
A service like this would be wonderful for our family of five. Finding decent hotel accommodations that can sleep all of us comfortably is quite the task.
Brandy says
We have not gone on a family vacation, well for longer than a day. I just never have had the money to stay away longer than a day plus we have a pug and I don’t know where to have her taken care of if we were to go longer. This is such a great post …. 🙂
Crissy Beam says
HomeAway definitely makes it easier when you are traveling with a group of people. Plus, the money you save can be used towards planning more activities on your vacation!
Ann Bacciaglia says
I am planning on doing a lot of traveling in the next year. I would love to stay in a home instead of a hotel all the time.
Veronica says
I need to look into this service. I am not very good at vacation planning
Beth@FrugalFroggie says
Looks like a wonderful vacation. So important that you had some time together.
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
My family is always looking for easy vacation solutions!
Jeanine says
Sounds great! Our family doesn’t travel much yet but I plan to change that in the near future!
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
This sounds like an awesome tool. I am always looking for ways to save when traveling.
Ora Lee Gurr says
What an excellent way to make the vacation fun and less expensive for everyone. I’m glad you planned some “Us” time in there for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Shell says
Sounds like a helpful resource. We like to stay somewhere where we can have some downtime and where we can make some of our meals.
Megan @ C'mon Get Crafty says
I love HomeAway! We used that to book a house for a Florida vacation with friends, and it was awesome! I never want to vacation another way.
Candy O says
Wow I will have to use HomeAway next Summer! We did a suite hotel stay for our vacay..
Tracey says
I travel a lot so I am definitely going to check this resource out. Thanks for sharing!