The Gen XY Lifestyle
Does renting a house when travelling with kids make sense for families?
Traveling with kids, particularly for vacations, can be challenging. You have to plan for activities that will make the holiday memorable but also find a safe environment for them.
Is it challenging to plan a family trip, especially if the kids are in the picture?
Should you book a hotel or a vacation home for your family?
When booking the vacation home, you want to consider comfort, security, extra space for the children to play, and proximity to different amenities. A vacation home can offer all the comfort your kids may need during the period. But it also comes with a few disadvantages. Let’s consider both perspectives.
Here are the advantages of renting a house.
Lots of Space for Your Kids
Square footage always matters when traveling with kids. Most family-friendly vacation rentals provide more room for your kids to run around. Additional square footage means the kids will get their bedrooms, more space to play evening games, extra bathroom space, and extra space for luggage or bikes. You won’t be forced to cram the whole family into a tiny hotel room.
Pets Can Come Along
Finding a pet-friendly hotel is hard. The few hotels that allow pets often take in well-behaved pets, limit the number of pets, and may restrict the pet’s weight. Most vacation rentals are pet-friendly. So, you can bring along all your family members including your pets.
You’ll Have a Kitchen
Does your family enjoy home-cooked meals? Most vacation rentals have kitchens. You’ll cook anytime you wish, have any meal your family wants to, and your kids can eat any time they want to. You won’t be at the mercy of a hotel’s schedule. It’s a stress-free way to travel with picky eaters. Most picky eaters like predictability. If the rental has a balcony or garden then you can take a portable traveler grill with you and have a nice barbeque with your family without spending much.
Save More
Renting a vacation rental home is not as costly as booking hotel rooms for the whole family. However, it’s cheaper to rent a vacation rental than to stay in a hotel when traveling with kids. You get extra square footage for less. You’ll also get access to amenities like enough bedrooms, washers, a yard, and a private pool for your family.
Comfort and Privacy
Rentals also come with extra comfort for your kids and the whole family. If your child requires extra care and space, the rental will give them the safety they need. They will have a quiet space far from strangers to decompress after the journey or the day’s activities.
There are some disadvantages about renting a house
Check-In is a Headache
Checking into a vacation rental is the most challenging part of planning a vacation while traveling with kids. It may be hard to book a rental if the rental is abroad. You need to ensure the home suits your family, get a safe location, and all the amenities your family will need. It is hard to get a good rental if you don’t inspect it and do the bookings yourself. Thankfully, you can always use a rental company. Let a property management company locate, rent, and do the check-ins for your family.
Location and Transportation
Most vacation rentals are located off the city. Therefore, access to public transportation may be a challenge. You may need to seek a convenient form of transportation to move from one place to the next.
Rental Scam
Apart from checking in, it’s easier to get duped when renting a vacation than booking a hotel. But you can always let a property management company do the renting. It’s a safe and perfect way to avoid rental scams.
Housekeeping
Unlike hotels, you do not get staff on-site to clean after your family or cook meals. Vacations are intended to give you time to relax with your family instead of cleaning up after everybody. Some rentals may provide housekeeping services at an additional cost. But you may have to clean the dishes, wash dirty clothes, or clean the house.
Extra Requirements
Rentals always require you to bring your food, linens, towels, and additional toiletries. Therefore, you’ll need to plan on this if you intend on renting a house for your family.
Based on the above, we think a vacation house is better than getting a hotel room when traveling with kids. The children will get more space, comfort, privacy, and kid-friendly amenities. There will be additional square footage inside and outside for the kids to stretch their feet and release their pent-up energy. And you can access many of these benefits at a cheaper cost compared to renting a hotel for the family.
Article contributed by Inna Atwood and edited by the Active Age. Inna works as a fitness coach & a part-time content writer. She loves reading and travelling. She is young and ambitious and does hope to share her knowledge and experience with anyone willing to learn something new.
Photos by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash and by roam in color on Unsplash
