Vacation Rentals: The Personal Option
Wherever you stay, traveling abroad can be a wondrous adventure.
New sights, new sounds, new people, and perhaps even a new
language add sparks to your vacation and provide you with
experiences and memories that can last a lifetime.
Although many people choose to travel abroad with group tours or
book hotels through a travel agency, others are increasingly
choosing a more personal option: vacation rentals. Homeowners in
places ranging from Europe to the Caribbean are offering either
their primary or secondary residences as vacation rentals.
Nestled within small towns or at the center of bustling
metropolises, vacation rentals can provide a unique and more
personal vacation experience.
When you book holiday homes in France, Italy, Spain,
Switzerland, or the Caribbean, you spend your vacation
surrounded by locals and immersed in the culture. Vacation
rentals provide a refreshing contrast to more impersonal hotels,
and give you more options for your holiday experience. With a
vacation rental, you can buy your own groceries and cook at
"home," which will save money and give you greater flexibility.
Vacation rentals can also serve as a "home base," from which you
can travel to outlying areas.
Vacation rentals also provide a broader range of options than
more traditional accommodations. You can rent a house, a flat, a
room, or even a castle or a barge! You can select from among
vacation rentals with two bedrooms to more than nine bedrooms.
You can also find accommodations with private pools or those
that are wheelchair accessible.
Whether you choose holiday homes in France, Italy, Spain,
Switzerland, or the Caribbean, it's important to be prepared for
traveling abroad. The U.S. Department of State offers these ten
tips to U.S. citizens traveling abroad:
1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if
required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information
page of your passport.
2. Read the U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheets
(and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for
the countries you plan to visit.
3. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the
countries to which you are traveling. Remember, while in a
foreign country, you are subject to its laws.
4. Make two copies of your passport identification page. This
will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen.
Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the
other with you in a place separate from your passport.
5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home
so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.
6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not
accept packages from strangers.
7. Prior to your departure, you should register with the nearest
U.S. embassy or consulate through the State Department's travel
registration website. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency.
8. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous
clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive
amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.
9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with
authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or
antiques.
10. If you get into trouble, contact the nearest U.S. embassy.