Finding Your Family Beach Vacation Rental has never been easier!
We keep hearing that the economy is struggling, but I'll be honest, everytime I drive past the mall near my home I find that hard to believe. The parking lots are full, the restaurants are swamped and people in general are out and about spending money.
If you are like me the one area of my expenses that simply cannot suffer is our annual family vacation.
Working 70-80 hour weeks myself and with my kids participating in sports, band, piano, and the list goes on and on...we simply do not spend enough time
as a family as we probably should. Don't get me wrong, we are not odd or abnormal. In today's market this is all very normal.
Kids are swamped between school and extracurricular activities. Employers demand ever more of our personal time to meet deadlines with fewer workers and we're all plugged in like a giant appliance by laptops, cell phones and PDAs.
No longer do you need to spend thousands of dollars on a Florida Beach Vacation. As the years have gone by more and more vacation rentals have become available to the average traveler via the internet and this is making it not only easier to find, but cheaper to rent a condo or beach home for your family's one week of sanity. Most management companies charge the owner from 10 - 25% and so the management fee is built into the price you pay. Go straight to the source for real savings!
Many websites list Vacation Rentals By Owner. Simply do a search on Google for the area or city you wish to visit (example: Indian Shores Vacation Rentals) and get back a variety of websites where you can compare properties, view photos and contact the owner directly for the best deal.
A great example of this is Florida Gulf Vacation. The site has been connecting Florida Gulf Coast renters and property owners since 2004. Properties are currently available in the following Florida Beach towns along the Gulf Coast: Key West, Anna Maria Island, Fort Myers, St petersburg, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks, Crystal River, Clearwater, Perdido Key, Panama City Beach, Biltmore Beach and St George Island.
Visitors can contact the owners directly and Florida Gulf Vacation does not charge any fees to the traveler for the service.
The web site offers photos, availability, links to the owner's website and email as well as phone numbers if you prefer to call.
Owners pay a minimal annual listing fee for their property to appear on Florida Gulf Vacation.
Find great weekly rates for this summer from $950 including all the taxes and fees. Drive or fly to the beach, buy some groceries for your full kitchen and have a fantastic week at the beach without the crazy expenses of a resort.
Two words of advice - Book Early! Many owners build a loyal following and often have reservations on the books several months in advance.
Most require a small deposit or security deposit with the balance of the rental rate due somewhere between 30 and 60 days before you arrive.
As costs have come down many owners have added the ability to pay via credit/debit card or as always by personal check.
So fire up your web browser do a little surfing for your next Great Family getaway!
