Many people aren’t aware that most of the best vacation rental websites are owned by a handful of large companies—so you could find yourself wasting time searching the same inventory on multiple sites.

The Best Vacation Rental Sites

To help you sift through the options, I tested more than a dozen top vacation rental sites to figure out which ones offer the best combination of plentiful inventory, useful filters, informative listings, and fair prices, without too many hidden fees. I discovered that there’s no single best vacation home rental site, but that each one has pros and cons to suit different types of travelers.

For example, some of the top vacation rental websites are better if you’re open to both hotels and rentals, while others are more specialized to suit those who already know they want a vacation home, rental apartment, or private room in someone else’s space. Some vacation rental sites make it easier than others to browse properties on a map or to contact the owner of a property to ask questions before your stay.

The following are the best vacation rental sites I found in my testing. Scroll down for more in-depth analysis of each.

• Airbnb
• Booking.com
• Expedia
• HometoGo
• Hotels.com
• Tripadvisor
• Tripping
• Vrbo
• Plum Guide
• Sonder
• Marriott Homes & Villas
• Agoda
• Getaway
• FlipKey

Airbnb

The name of this site is almost synonymous with short-term rentals these days, and its reputation as one of the best vacation rental sites is well deserved: Airbnb offers abundant listings in most popular travel destinations, and its site is cleanly designed and easy to use. There’s a prominent map of properties accessible from the main listing page, so you can quickly browse by location. The main listings page offers useful filters right off the bat, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, price, key amenities, and type of accommodation—such as “entire apartment” or “private room in house.” You can also scroll through a listing’s photos right on the initial results page.

Once you click into a given listing, there’s more than enough information to help you decide whether to book, including house rules, bed configurations, cancellation policies, amenities, reviews from past guests, and a full price breakdown (which typically includes things like a cleaning fee and Airbnb’s own service fee). You can also contact the property’s host through the platform if you have questions before you book.

Best feature: The site makes it easier to sort through hundreds of properties by identifying Superhosts (“experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests”) and Airbnb Plus listings (“a selection of places to stay verified for quality and design”). Because standards can vary so widely from one vacation rental to another, choosing properties with one or both of these designations can help travelers feel more confident in their selection.

Cancellation Policy: Airbnb offers several cancellation policies for property managers to choose from. They include:

• Flexible: Cancel up to 24-hours before check-in for a 100% refund
• Moderate: Cancel up to 5 days before check-in for a 100% refund
• Firm: Cancel up to 30 days before check-in for a 100% refund; cancel between 30 and 7 days before check-in for a 50% refund
• Strict: Cancel within 48 hours of booking and more than 14 days before check-in for a 100% refund; cancel after 48 hours and more than 14 days before check-in for a 50% refund; cancel between 7 and 14 days before check-in for a 50% refund

Airbnb offers similar cancellation policies for long term rentals (28+ days) that can be found here.

Check out Airbnb

Booking.com

Booking.com lists just about every type of accommodation imaginable, from hotels and B&Bs to vacation rentals and apartments. This is a perk for travelers open to a variety of lodging options, while those who know they want a vacation rental will have to take the extra step of filtering out extraneous search results. (That’s easily done via a “Homes and Apartments First” dropdown option at the top of the results page or searching by property type.)

Property listings offer plenty of information, including amenities, guest reviews, house rules, and an option to contact the host through the site. The site clearly labels whether your booking is nonrefundable or you can cancel without penalty up to a certain date. (In some cases, you’ll pay less if you’re willing to make a nonrefundable booking.)

Keep an eye out for extra fees, which can be significant depending on the property. For example, one property’s listed price was a seemingly affordable $689 for seven nights in the Outer Banks—but when I clicked “book,” the site added a 12.75 percent tax, $63.11 tourism fee, $105 resort fee, $130 cleaning fee, and $260 property service charge, taking my total charges to $1,406—more than double the original quoted price. However, none of these were Booking.com’s own fees; unlike Airbnb, Booking.com does not charge guests a service fee.

One annoyance: The site sometimes clutters up the search results page with sold-out properties, complete with a little “You missed it!” message. These are probably meant to spark a sense of booking urgency, but many travelers will find it irritating to see options that aren’t actually available.

Best feature: The sheer breadth of offerings on Booking.com means you’re almost guaranteed to find something suitable, even if it doesn’t end up being a vacation rental.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies on Booking.com are dependent on the specific partner or property. Pay close attention to the policy when booking, or check the property’s website (if applicable) for more information.

Check out Booking.com

Expedia

Like Booking.com, Expedia offers a variety of accommodation types, but it has a dedicated vacation rental search page so you can skip the filtering step. The site offers a good selection of results, though for certain searches I got some listings that really didn’t seem like vacation rentals (TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Outer Banks Motel).

Expedia also features a map to browse through listings in an area, which can be toggled on and off from the results page. Filters are also available while in map mode, so you can set your preferences without going back to the results listings.

Once you click into a listing, you’ll find photos, amenities, policies, reviews, and a list of nearby attractions. However, there does not appear to be a way to contact the owner of a given property. The total price is not visible until you click “reserve,” at which point you’ll see an additional amount listed vaguely as “taxes and fees,” with no detailed breakdown. On many properties, the site notes that you can save on the booking if you log in as an Expedia member.

Best feature: The site has useful filters such as “Business friendly,” to help you find properties with Wi-Fi and breakfast, and “Family friendly,” for listings that have “in-room conveniences and activities for the kids.”

Cancellation Policy: Vacation rental cancellations are subject to specific property policies and must be canceled directly with the property host through the itinerary page in your Expedia account. Expedia allows travelers to filter search results by “fully refundable property” so guests can book with greater peace of mind.

Check out Expedia

HometoGo

The prime advantage of HometoGo is that it’s a hybrid marketplace, which means that you can book onsite or search through deals from many of the best vacation rental sites (including most of the others on this list) with one click. Persistent pop-ups and offers to sign you in with Google or Facebook are annoying, but once you’ve cleared them away you can view tons of properties, visible in a clean listing format or on a map. Each listing features photos you can scroll through as well as user rating, type of lodging, and where you can book the property (such as Airbnb, Hotels.com, Vrbo, or directly on HomeToGo).

One handy feature: You can toggle the price filter to show you either the nightly rate or the total cost of your stay, and then adjust your price range accordingly. Other filters include accommodation types (including an “instant booking” option), location, user rating, and amenities.

In most cases, when you click on “view deal,” you’ll be taken to the site where the property was originally listed. However, there are occasional properties where you will go to a HometoGo listing page and fill out a booking request that will then be fulfilled through one of the site’s partners.

I occasionally found that when I clicked over to a deal (particularly on Airbnb), I was not taken directly to the property I was interested in but rather to a list of other rentals in my destination. Unfortunately, travelers will be familiar with this from other meta-search sites; sometimes a given deal simply isn’t available anymore. I also sometimes discovered that the price on HomeToGo didn’t match what was advertised on the original listing site.

Best feature: Despite the occasional pricing glitches, this site is the closest thing the vacation rental industry has to a one-stop shop, as it lists inventory from hundreds of other short-term rental websites.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies vary by property and can be found in the “Terms and Condition” section of the property details page.

Check out HometoGo

Hotels.com

Like Booking.com, Hotels.com lists a wide array of accommodation options, so travelers who know they want a vacation rental have to use the “Property Type” filter on the search results page to weed out hotels, hostels, and other options. I appreciated the honesty of the note at the top of the page: “How much we get paid influences your sort order.” That said, you can sort your results by star rating, distance from a given landmark, guest rating, and price, and refine the list with a variety of other filters.

There is a map view available, though I didn’t find it very useful; it shows properties that don’t meet your criteria by default, and by the time you screen those out, you’re often left with just a few options (even if the site is showing hundreds of listings on the main results page).

The list view of results is better, displaying both the nightly rate and the total price for your stay, as well as guest rating and location information. Note that you may need to weed through occasional “fully booked!” listings.

Once you click into an individual listing, you can see amenities, policies, photos, guest reviews, and a list of attractions within walking distance. One drawback: There’s no way to contact the owner or property manager directly. While there is a phone number given for “more info” about the listing, this does not put you in contact with the owner but rather takes you to a general Hotels.com corporate phone number. Taxes and fees aren’t visible until you click the “Let’s book” button, and there’s no detailed breakdown of where your money is going.

Best feature: Many vacation rental bookings are eligible for OneKeyCash (formerly Hotels.com Rewards), so you can count your stay toward a future free night at either a hotel or a rental.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are subject to individual property policies and guests who wish to cancel a reservation must contact the property owner through the itinerary page in their Hotels.com account. Like Expedia, Hotels.com offers a “fully refundable property” search filter so guests can weed out stricter policies at the start of the booking process. 

Check out Hotels.com

Tripadvisor

Although it’s best known for hotel reviews, Tripadvisor also provides vacation rentals thanks to its acquisitions of FlipKey and HolidayLettings. (The sites share inventory, so searching Tripadvisor will turn up properties from the other two sites.) There are plenty of listings, which you can filter by price, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, distance from a landmark, and many other factors. The site also lets you change the order of your results based on traveler reviews and number of reviews, making use of its large base of user generated content.

The site has a mix of properties, some of which can be paid for online and others that require direct arrangements with the owner. (The former is generally preferable, as paying with a credit card is the safest way to go—and you’ll be backed by Tripadvisor’s Payment Protection guarantee.)

I found that photo quality could vary widely from one listing to another on Tripadvisor, whereas some other vacation rental sites have more consistently glossy images. Otherwise, Tripadvisor’s listings are generally informative, with traveler reviews, house rules, and an owner profile. Prices and fees are spelled out in detail.

Best feature: The price on the listing results page is the final price you’ll pay, including taxes and fees—rather than the base rate, which is what most vacation rental sites list. Tripadvisor also lists both the nightly rate and the total cost.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies are not as clearly stated on this site as on some others. There is an option to send a message to the owner through the site. Tripadvisor also gives property owners the option to waive their policy and offer a refund to guests who cancel their stay, so try kindly explaining your situation to your hosts if your trip is disrupted by extenuating circumstances. 

Check out Tripadvisor

Tripping

Acquired by HometoGo in 2019, Tripping is another meta-search site for vacation rentals that turns up listings from hundreds of different sites, including many on this list. When I searched HometoGo and Tripping side by side, I found a lot of overlapping properties, but the results did not appear to be completely identical. (A Rome search turned up 8,800+ properties on HometoGo vs. more than 14,000 properties on Tripping, for example.) So even though the two sites are owned by the same company and offer virtually identical layouts and filters, it may be worth your time to check both.

Tripping offers a prominent map view alongside the listings on its main results page. Like HometoGo, Tripping shows hotels and hostels in addition to apartments, homes, and other types of properties, so you can use the “Accommodation types” filter to trim your results. You can toggle between “per night” and “per stay” options for pricing, specify a minimum number of bedrooms, and filter for amenities such as internet, air-conditioning, and washer. And you can scroll through listing photos right from the results page.

Clicking on “view deal” takes you to an external site for information and booking. As with HometoGo, there were occasional snafus in this process; prices didn’t match, properties weren’t available, or (in one case) I got a dead-end error page. But in most cases the listings were as advertised.

Best feature: Both Tripping and HometoGo have a flexible dates feature that lets you search with a date parameter of “anytime” to see when the best deals are available.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are subject to the policies found on the booking sites surfaced by Tripping’s search results. Tripping frequently populates deals from its parent site, HomeToGo, who’s cancellation policies (as noted previously) vary by property and can be found in the “Terms and Condition” section of the property details page.

Check out Tripping

Vrbo

Acquired by Expedia Group in 2015 and then merged with its sister site HomeAway in 2019, Vrbo (originally stylized as VRBO, which stands for “vacation rentals by owner”) offers the strongest features of both sites. You can browse by property type, from condos to cabins, through their catalogue of over 2 million vacation rentals. If you have an idea of the type of trip you’d like to take but aren’t attached to a destination, you can check out their curated lists of properties by vacation type and nearby activities. The search results are displayed alongside a convenient interactive map to show how far your rental is from your target destination. While this is a great visual, if you move the map even slightly the site will recalibrate your search to show you new properties, which can be a bit of a nuisance.

The search results display the number of bedrooms and bathrooms at a glance for each property along with both the nightly price and total price of the stay for the selected dates. Click into a result to see an in-depth and easily navigable description of policies and amenities, along with star ratings and traveler reviews.

Best feature: Vrbo highlights Premier Partners that offer great guest service. The Premiere Host program is invite-only, designed to ensure guests of a track record of success of its members. The program requires that all properties managed by members have an average rating of at least 4.4 stars, a booking acceptance of at least 95%, owner-initiated cancellation rate of less than 1%, at least 3 VRBO reviews, and at least 5 books or 60 booked nights.

Cancellation Policy: Property managers can choose from a list of pre-drafted cancellation policies provided by Vrbo, which include:

• a no refund policy
• Strict: 100% refund if canceled more than 60 days before check-in
• Firm: 100% refund if canceled more than 60 days before check-in; 50% refund if canceled between 30-60 days before check-in
• Moderate: 100% refund if cancelled 30 days before check-in; 50% refund if cancelled between 14-30 days before check-in
• Relaxed: 100% refund if cancelled 14 days before check-in; 50% refund if cancelled between 7-14 days before check-in

Property owners are also permitted to create custom cancellation policies. Make sure to review the property page before booking. 

Check out Vrbo

Plum Guide

Aimed at taking the hit-or-miss guesswork out of vacation home rentals, Plum Guide has dedicated itself to what it refers to as “the science behind the perfect stay.” This site is extremely selective in its properties, with only 3 percent of homes at any given destination passing its 150 criteria Plum Test conducted by their seasoned Home Critics. 

With a real person team of Plum Experts available seven days a week to assist with any questions and an easy to navigate, highly visual website, the Plum Guide’s people-centric approach to booking will make your vacation rental experience easy and pleasant.

Best Feature: Plum Guide’s best feature by far is their selective criteria. You can be sure you’re getting what you see online. While this can be a blessing if you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing your accommodation has been given a professional seal of approval, it may restrict your options if your travel dates don’t allow for flexibility. 

Cancellation Policy: Plum Guide featured a wide spectrum of cancellation policies, with seven options ranging from SuperFirm60, in which guests receive a 50% refund for cancellations made 60 or more days from check-in, to Premium Relaxed, in which guests will be fully refunded for cancellations made up to 24 hours before check-in.  See their full list of options here.

Check out Plum Guide

Sonder

Focused on eliminating unnecessary steps in the rental process, Sonder is a streamlined way to book your next vacation rental. Guests can check in, make requests, and ask for recommendations all through their phones. The site’s layout is remarkably easy to navigate—the search results are clean and simple, populating next to an interactive map that displays the rental’s approximate location. Key amenities, such as in-unit laundry, parking, and access to fitness equipment, are highlighted directly on the search results page so travelers can compare at a glance without clicking into the details of each property.

The streamlined designed carries into the details pages, with clearly marked amenities for each property and information on parking, accessibility, and house rules readily available. The pages feature a brief description of the surrounding neighborhood and there’s an easily accessible phone and email contact for any further questions about each property.

Best Feature: Sonder’s totally contact-free process is perfect for travelers who want flexibility during check-in and to have all their communications with their host neatly handled by a dedicated system.

Cancellation Policy: Guests can select their cancellation policy at the time of booking. Choose between the Economy Rate, in which the rental costs less per night but the booking is nonrefundable, or the Flex Rate, which is more expensive but allows you to cancel for a full refund up to three days before check-in.

Check out Sonder

Marriott Homes & Villas

If you want the quality assurance of a big hotel brand without the big hotel feel, then Marriott Homes & Villas may be the right site for you. All accommodations come with 24/7 guest support, kitchen essentials, in-unit washer, bathroom amenities such as shampoo and soap, wi-fi, linens and towels, and a television.

The site has the same easy user interface you expect from Marriott. The search function allows you to filter by destination, with travel dates being optional criteria to narrow the search. This is great for those early in their trip planning process or travelers who like to let deals dictate their itinerary. No destination in mind? You can click the “near me” option to see what weekend getaways are available right down the road. Properties on this site typically have upward of 30 photos in their galleries so you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re booking.

Best Feature: Marriott Homes & Villas ties into the larger Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. You can earn points when you book or redeem existing points on a vacation rental. Just set the results to “Show in Bonvoy Points” in the Filter & Sort menu to see how many points a booking costs.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies vary by property, so make sure you review the policy outlined in your reservation. Marriott Homes & Villas 14-day policy outlines the refund travelers can generally expect to receive depending on the time of cancellation. Reservations made 10 days or less before arrival or booked 11 to 14 days before arrival but canceled after a 48 hour window has elapsed will not be refunded. 

Check out Marriott Homes & Villas

Agoda

Agoda allows you to book both hotels and vacation rentals through its online services. With over 2 million hotels and rentals available, at first glance booking through Agoda can seem overwhelming (my cursory search for an August week in Kuala Lumpur returned just shy of 3,700 results). 

Luckily, Agoda allows you to refine its catalogue with highly specific search criteria. Travelers can filter by the typical destination, trip dates, and number of guests, but they can further narrow their search through options such as 

• Deals and discounts
• Number of stars
• Payment options
• Guest rating
• Specific amenities
• Property type
• Proximity to local attractions 

This is great for whittling down your options as well as sparking some inspiration for how to fill your days at your destination.

Best Feature: Agoda will match any competing online price for their properties or refund the difference (in AgodaCash credited to your account). Once you know where you want to stay, do your comparison research to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies for each property are outlined on the details page under the Payment & Cancellation section. During search, you can filter by properties that offer free cancellation.

Check out Agoda

Getaway

If a break from your hectic day-to-day is calling your name, there’s no better option than Getaway. Getaway makes it their mission to give people the “time, space, and permission to be off.” Their thirty Outpost locations—focused mostly in the eastern and central parts of the country with a few options on the West Coast—are made up of minimalist cabins that range from about 140 to 200 square feet. The mini-kitchens at these properties provide only the bare necessities, but you can supplement your supply by opting for a $35 Sustenance Box, which includes some nonperishable meal and snack options. Other camping essentials, such as insect wipes and log bundles, are also available for purchase.

Each cabin has a firepit, grill grate, and picnic table. The neighbors are close enough to be seen but far enough away that everyone has their own outdoor space to enjoy. Check in starts at 3 pm with a personalized entry code sent to your phone, so it’s possible you may not see another soul your entire trip. The trade-off for some time in the great outdoors is that cell phone service may be spotty or unavailable. However, there is a landline for emergencies and to contact the Getaway team. There’s also no Wi-Fi (and “never will be” according to their FAQ) so make sure to download those Spotify playlists pre-trip. 

Best Feature: If you’re looking for the feeling of an off-the-grid escape but aren’t truly ready to pitch a tent in the middle of the wilderness, this is the right rental experience for you.

Cancellation Policy: Bookings must be canceled at least 15 days prior to check-in to be eligible for a refund.

Check out Getaway

FlipKey

FlipKey was founded in 2007 and acquired by Tripadvisor the following year. As such, booking through FlipKey gives travelers access to the same Book with Confidence payment protection guarantee found on Tripadvisor’s main rentals search. The homepage is clean and simple, with pre-populated lists of suggested rental destinations like Trending Destinations, Traveler Favorites, Hidden Gems, and Beach Getaways. FlipKey allows guests to filter by an extensive list of rental types like chateau, apartment, and yurt, so you can get highly specific with the type of stay you want.

The listing pages highlight “key information” along the top of the listing, then break down the details like amenities, access, and house rules further down the page. Each property displays a note from the owners about the level of interaction guests can expect to have with them during their stay and a graphic clearly laying out which cancellation policy applies to the property. A map shows nearby attractions and restaurants.

Best Feature: You can save rentals to “My Shortlist” and return to compare your favorites from a variety of searches side by side.

Cancellation Policy: Travelers who wish to cancel their accommodations within 24 hours of booking may do so for a full refund as long as the dates of their stay are at least 60 days away. Cancellations that don’t meet these guidelines are subject to individual property’s cancellation policies, as follows:

• Relaxed: full refund if a guest cancels more than 14 days prior to check-in; 50% refund if a guest cancels more than 7 days prior to check-in
• Moderate: full refund if a guest cancels more than 30 days prior to check-in; 50% refund if a guest cancels more than 14 days prior to check-in
• Firm: full refund if a guest cancels more than 60 days prior to check-in; 50% refund if a guest cancels more than 30 days prior to check-in
• Strict: full refund if a guest cancels more than 60 days prior to check-in

The timeframe within which a guest cancels their booking also determines the portion of booking fees they will be charged on their cancelled reservation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What vacation rental site is right for me?

The best vacation rental website for you will depend on your goals for your trip. Travelers looking for a chic city apartment near the best nightlife spots won’t have much luck on Getaway, while those just searching for the cheapest nightly rate may not need the extra vetting provided by Plum Guide. Determine your priorities—easy access to a nearby nature hikes, in a family-friendly neighborhood, by the best restaurants—and let them guide which sites you book through.

Is a hotel or vacation rental better?

Hotels and vacation rentals both have features that are suited to different travel styles. Those who want the convenience of housekeeping, concierge service, and onsite amenities like dining and fitness centers may prefer the all-in-one feel of a larger hotel. Travelers who value privacy, want to experience life in a local neighborhood, or are traveling with larger parties may do better with a rental. Investigate your travel style and find out what type of accomodation fits your trip with our ultimate hotel versus vacation rental guide.

What is the cheapest vacation rental site?

Sites that offer points eligible bookings, like Marriott Homes & Villas, will be the cheapest option for rewards members. Metasearch sites and OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia have a larger inventory with more chances to turn up a bargain. However, there is no single cheapest vacation rental site. Each option on the list will surface great deals—its all a matter of filtering and refining search results.

What is the best website for beach rentals?

Year after year, beach vacations remain one of the most popular types of getaways. Options for beach rentals will populate across all sites on this list (with Getaway being a notable exception). Larger sites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Tripadvisor, Tripping, and HomeToGo make it easy to compare deals on beach rentals from across the web. However, if you have a specific destination in mind, its worth looking on some of the smaller sites to compare prices. There may be a hidden gem within the results.

Book Your Stay With SmarterTravel Hotels

While vacation rentals are great options for a little more privacy and living space, some travelers miss the perks and conveniences that a hotel can offer. If you’re dreaming of room service and a poolside bar, book your hotel stay for a great rate with SmarterTravel Hotels.

Book Now

Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2019. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post The 14 Best Vacation Rental Sites for Travelers in 2024 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Below, we review 10 hotel alternatives and evaluate the pros and cons of each. Read on to see if these affordable alternatives to hotels are something you’ll dig or want to dump.

Short-Term Room Rentals

This is a popular and ever-growing trend in the travel world—a cross between vacation rentals and homestays. Using websites like Airbnb, Homestay, and 9flats, you can rent a room in someone’s house, a cottage, or a private studio apartment for low nightly rates—it’s not uncommon to see prices under $50 per night. It’s a way for hosts to open up their homes and make a little extra money while giving travelers a great deal and a local’s-eye view of a destination.

Dig It
Do you love the chance to meet people, see how they live, maybe play a midnight game of Scrabble or Call of Duty? Although you may score a cottage all by yourself, the cheaper options are usually a small bedroom with a shared bath. If that’s cool with you, a short-term room rental could be your thing.

Dump It
If uncertainty keeps you awake at night, you may sleep better at a chain hotel.

Religious Housing

Depending on where you’re traveling, there may be affordable lodging offered by religious organizations, such as convents and monasteries in Italy (check out Monastery Stays). An internet search or a visit to the local tourist board’s website can help you find these options.

Dig It
If you’re looking for a calm, quiet environment—perhaps even with a private bathroom, as Monastery Stays promises—religious housing may be for you. Many even welcome children with open arms and often have larger rooms set aside for families.

Dump It
Your room will be clean and functional, but if you want luxury, look elsewhere. The same goes if your kids are hellions, accustomed to running up and down halls screaming at the top of their lungs. Also, if you’re a night owl who likes to party into the wee hours, chances are you’ll miss curfew and be locked out. Finally, not all religious accommodations will accept unmarried couples.

Hostels

Though they’re commonly known as “youth” hostels, these can be an excellent hotel alternative for budget travelers of any age. Even if you’re not up for the cheapest option—a bed in a shared dorm—you can often get a basic private room at a hostel for significantly less than the cost of a low-end hotel.

Dig It
Hostels are perfect for the unscheduled traveler or backpacker, and for those who are up for an adventure—read: those who don’t mind plenty of company. They often have communal kitchens for those interested in making their own meals.

Dump It
Some hostels can be sketchy—lacking not only privacy but also safety. Consider checking sites such as TripAdvisor or Hostelworld for reviews and recommendations. Also, check whether the property is a member of Hostelling International, a U.K.-based nonprofit organization with thousands of properties worldwide that meet a minimum standard of cleanliness and safety.

Homestays

Sleeping in someone’s spare bedroom, or on a living room couch, is by far one of the cheapest ways to travel. In many cases, it’s free, and it’s also a great way to meet locals. You can organize a homestay through long-established hospitality networks like Servas International, or check out sites like Couchsurfing.

Dig It
If “life is an adventure” is your motto, then this mode of traveling is for you. You stand the chance of meeting interesting people and getting a close-up look at local life. Servas International is social and socially conscious, encouraging members to get involved in their hosts’ communities. Just super-social? Go with a Couchsurfing-type option.

Dump It
You must be trusting and trustworthy, flexible and friendly, for homestays to be an appropriate choice for you. You also have to be patient—the Servas interview process takes about three weeks. CouchSurfing is looser and much more in touch with social media, providing plenty of opportunities to connect with locals and other travelers.

Vacation Rentals

A Paris apartment, a villa in the Caribbean, a log cabin in Vermont … vacation rentals offer unique and affordable lodging around the globe. Because they tend to be more spacious than hotel rooms, they’re a particularly good bargain for families and groups who can divvy up the cost. And having your own kitchen can save you big bucks on restaurants. Sites to try to include TripAdvisor and Vrbo. And make sure to read up about whether vacation rentals are right for you.

Dig It
The many options in the vacation rental world mean that this choice is great for a variety of trips. If you appreciate the convenience and savings of having a kitchen and a laundry room during your trip, then a vacation rental could be for you. And if you’re traveling with a group of friends or family, having everyone gathered in one home can be priceless.

Dump It
If there’s going to be a fight over who gets the master suite, avoid holiday havoc by checking the floor plan of your rental and deciding ahead of time who gets which room. A rental agreement is a binding contract, so if there’s a chance your vacation plans may change, stick with a cancellable hotel reservation.

Academic Housing

When students go home for the summer, many colleges and universities open their dorms to visitors. Expect very affordable but very basic accommodations (bathrooms may be down the hall, for example). There are few central databases of these type of lodgings—UniversityRooms is one to try—but it’s worth calling a few local campuses directly to see if anything might be available during your trip. Your destination’s tourist board may also be able to help.

Dig It
Restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues often surround college campuses, so there should be plenty of action nearby.

Dump It
Most college kids are hard on their dormitories, so you shouldn’t expect shiny new carpets, furniture, or finishings. Elevators and air conditioning are uncommon in older buildings, too.

Farmstays

From rural B&Bs to working ranches and cattle farms, this type of stay can cover a wide range of accommodations—and you don’t necessarily have to be willing to milk a cow to take advantage of it. Farmstays are particularly popular in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Dig It
If you think you might enjoy waking with the sun to feed a bottle to a lamb or cornmeal to chickens, a farmstay may be right for you. You could enjoy a hearty breakfast, learn to make cheese or spin wool. The quiet, bucolic setting is perfect for relaxation, catching up on reading, or finishing handicraft projects.

Dump It
It can get very quiet, especially in the evening—so if you’re a night owl, your only companions may be the mice. These types of lodging can vary widely, though if you’re traveling in Europe or Down Under, you’ll have more choice than in the United States. If you need to know exactly what you’re getting, then farmstays may not be for you.

B&Bs with Shared Bathrooms

Bed-and-breakfasts can often save you money over hotel rooms, especially if you’re willing to use a bathroom down the hall. And it may be less inconvenient than you think: Sometimes the room you’re supposed to share a bathroom with might not even be booked—giving you the facilities all to yourself.

Dig It
The coziness and camaraderie of a B&B appeal to many travelers—enough to overlook the possibility of having to share a bathroom. You’ll save not only on accommodations but also on meals since breakfast is covered.

Dump It
B&Bs, especially those with shared bathrooms, may lack modern amenities such as flat-screen televisions or multiple outlets for charging electronics. And for travelers who aren’t particularly social, having to show up at a group breakfast with strangers can feel like a chore.

Camping

Sleeping under the stars can be a magical experience, and it’s one of the cheapest options on this list, especially if you cook your own meals over a campfire instead of eating in restaurants every night. And don’t worry, you can opt for cabins or luxury tent camps (i.e., glamping) if you’d rather not be slapping mosquitoes away all night.

Dig It
Camping is a great choice for anyone seeking a digital detox. A campfire beneath the night sky can be relaxing and mesmerizing; you won’t miss your TV or tablet. And you can’t beat a perfectly toasted marshmallow as a bedtime snack.

Dump It
Cooking a meal over a camp stove or fire, washing dishes in a bucket, waking up to rain-soaked sleeping bags—those who choose camping should be open to doing without a few comforts and conveniences.

Home Exchange

Swapping houses with another traveler is an ideal way to enjoy the comforts of home while traveling, and it’s practically free. To become a member of a home exchange network, you’ll typically pay an annual fee that costs about as much as a night in a hotel room, so after the first couple of nights of your vacation, your membership has paid for itself and then some. Learn more in SmarterTravel’s how-to guide to home exchanges.

Dig It
All the conveniences of home—kitchen with all the gadgets, laundry with detergent, Wi-Fi—and usually, a location away from tourist traps and traffic. What’s not to love?

Dump It
There’s always a chance something might happen (power outage, burst pipe, the homeowner’s angry ex banging on the door at 3 a.m.) and there’s no one around to take responsibility except you. Home exchange isn’t for the worried traveler: Will I break something? Will they trash my house? Am I safe in their home? Is my grandmother’s china safe in my home? If these concerns keep you up at night, do yourself a favor and sleep in a hotel.

Jodi Thompson contributed to this article.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the most current information. All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Ditch the Hotel: 10 Cheaper Ways to Stay appeared first on SmarterTravel.

From providing free hotel stays for health workers to donating huge sums of money, here are some of the ones we’re seeing step up.

Hotels Stepping Up During the Pandemic

Hotels are offering free or low-charge rooms to communities for housing both caregivers and non-COVID patients. Standout individual hotel offers in hard-hit New York City include those from the Four Seasons Hotel, which was the first hotel in New York City to begin providing free stays to healthcare workers responding to the pandemic.

The Plaza Hotel, Room Mate Grace Hotel, Palace Hotel, St. Regis Hotel, and Yotel are now counted among the hotels hosting health care workers and non-critical patients free of charge. More broadly, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), a major hotel trade association, notes that more than 6,500 hotel properties that are adjacent to medical facilities across the country are offering temporary housing for health care workers, noncritical patients, and/or the homeless:

“To help match and streamline the process, the [AHLA] is working to create a Hotels for Hope database at the federal level with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as at the local level with industry partner state associations. Local, state and federal government officials will be able to search willing properties based on geographic location.”

Very few are doing it for free, but many are doing it at very-discounted rates. Some are providing food or other support to medical communities. Examples include:

• The Sophy Hyde Park Hotel in Chicago has opened its rooms at no charge to medical staff respondiong to the pandemic at nearby University of Chicago Medical Center.

• Caesars Entertainment has donated more than 250,000 pounds of food to a variety of food banks and charities, along with gloves, masks, and hand sanitizers.

• The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air have provided hundreds of meals to first responders and medical personnel.

• The Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon has arranged with Multnomah County to serve as a homeless shelter.

Airlines Doing Good During the Pandemic

Airlines are also doing their part in fighting the pandemic. As befits their status as the generally top-rated U.S. airlines, Delta has offered free transportation to Georgia, Louisiana, and Michigan for medical professionals, and JetBlue has offered free transport for medical personnel and some stranded college students. JetBlue has also donated a million frequent-flyer points to the Red Cross for travel to support its vital work. United is offering free travel to health workers heading to New York. Airlines around the world have removed seats from regular passenger planes, providing added cargo capacity to ship medical supplies where they are needed.

Airlines around the world have also notably intensified their cleaning and disinfecting procedures to keep their fewer operating planes free of the virus. They’re also rightfully ensuring travelers maintain safe physical distances from each other: A few lines, including American, have stopped assigning middle or every-other seat to maintain social distancing.

And keep in mind that the travel industry is taking a big financial hit from the pandemic. Much of what individual suppliers are doing to minimize effect is as much public relations as it is a public benefit. But, in a difficult time, travel companies are clearly stepping up to help the effort. Kudos to them.

More from SmarterTravel:

• Travel in the Time of COVID-19: What You Need to Know
• The Dos and Don’ts of Canceling a Trip Due to COVID-19
• The Rule TSA Is Changing Because of COVID-19

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuse every day at SmarterTravel.

The post How Hotels and Airlines Are Helping During the Pandemic appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you use Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare services while traveling in new places, there are a few specific safety tips you should keep in mind to avoid dangerous situations. Uber lists some of these on its website under Rider Safety Tips, but the list is incomplete. Here’s what you need to do before, during, and even after your ride to ensure rideshare safety for you and others.

Rideshare Safety Tips for Travelers

Make these 11 rideshare safety tips part of your routine, whether you’re traveling around your hometown or in a new and unfamiliar destination.

Share Your Trip

When traveling alone, especially at night, always share your trip with others. It’s the easiest and quickest way to let someone track your whereabouts in case something happens during your ride. The person you share your trip with will get a notification to their phone and be able to follow along via GPS. To do so, hit the “Share trip status” option with Uber and “Share ride details” with Lyft.

Give Feedback

This is an often overlooked part of rideshare safety, but an important step to take once your ride is complete. Post-trip, make sure to rate your driver and leave helpful feedback so you can keep good drivers on the road and bad ones off.

Keep Your Personal Info Confidential

There’s no harm in exchanging pleasantries with your driver, but avoid giving him or her any personal information, like how long you’re traveling for, where you live, your phone number, or any other contact information.

Request Your Ride While Inside

If you can, request your ride while indoors to avoid lingering outside too long with your phone out, which may attract thieves or pickpockets.

Confirm Your Driver and Car Before Getting In

There are some reported cases of scammers posing as rideshare drivers, so always confirm the license plate and name of your driver before getting in, and check their appearance against the photo in the app. And, if you’re getting picked up in a popular area, like an airport, this will also avoid accidentally taking someone else’s ride. 

Pro tip: Always ask a driver for the name of the passenger before you get in the car instead of saying your name first. This way, you can be 100 percent sure that person is your driver.

Wear Your Seatbelt

Just because you’re in someone else’s car or riding in the back seat doesn’t mean you’re at less of a risk of being in an accident. Always buckle up—drivers appreciate it. Under Uber’s description of “Your Rating” you’ll find that wearing your seatbelt is listed as an item that helps your passenger rating. 

Sit in the Back Seat

If you’re traveling alone, always choose the back seat. According to Dave Sutton, spokesperson for Who’s Driving You?, a public safety campaign from the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association that promotes for-hire vehicle safety, “Many of the incidents that we’ve seen … have happened to passengers riding up front.”

Check Your Driver’s Rating

Both Uber and Lyft allow passengers to rate drivers on a scale of one to five Always double-check that your driver has prior experience and a rating as close to 5.0 as possible (over 4.8 is generally pretty good). Uber and Lyft may deactivate drivers whose ratings fall below a certain standard.

Never Pay Cash

A driver should never ask you to pay cash for your ride. Both Uber and Lyft give you an option to tip through the app after your trip, so there’s no need to have your wallet out during a rideshare.

Know Your Surroundings

If you’re in an unfamiliar city or area, make sure to track your route on your own maps app to ensure the driver is following the correct route. If you’re getting picked up from the airport, be sure to follow the prompted instructions when you open the rideshare app.

This also goes for the neighborhood and time of day you’re requesting a ride. Be smart and aware of open businesses around you and avoid calling rideshares alone late at night. If you’re getting picked up from a bar or restaurant, pay extra attention to these tips.

Call for Help

Both Uber and Lyft have emergency buttons that let you call 911 directly from the app if something goes wrong. The apps will display your current whereabouts so you can share them with the dispatcher during your call.

More from SmarterTravel:

• The Best Uber Alternatives Around the World
• The Best (and Worst) Countries for Cheap Taxi Rides
• How to Use Uber and Lyft When You Travel

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 11 Important Rideshare Safety Tips for Travelers appeared first on SmarterTravel.

For smokers, Las Vegas is a haven—a desert oasis where they can smoke cigarettes butt-to-butt day and night on the casino floor without fear of interruption or complaint.

But while it can be mildly entertaining to watch old ladies whittle away their retirement savings at the penny slots, wearing every piece of jewelry they own while chain-smoking themselves into an earlier grave, all that smoke can be a destination deterrent for non-smokers. And managing a smoke-free Las Vegas trip is no easy task.

Smoke-Free Las Vegas

In 2006, Nevada passed the Clean Indoor Air Act, banning cigarette smoking in public spaces like restaurants, hotel lobbies, and elevators. Yet much to the chagrin of those who value lung health and pleasant-smelling hair, smoking is still allowed in gaming areas—and the eye-stinging stench remains pervasive everywhere else.

Here’s how to avoid the smoke on the Strip and enjoy a smoke-free Las Vegas vacation.

Stay at a Smoke-Free Las Vegas Hotel

Breathe easy. The Delano, Vdara, and some of the other MGM Signature Hotels, such as the Signature at MGM Grand, are completely non-smoking Las Vegas hotels and will fine guests a minimum of $500 for smoking in their rooms.

That means no lingering smell in the elevators, no residual odor from smoking rooms, and no need to plug your nose in the hotel lobby. The non-smoking policy also applies to recreational and medicinal cannabis.

Take a Lyft, Not a Taxi or Uber in Las Vegas

While it is illegal for Las Vegas taxi drivers to smoke or use tobacco products when passengers are present in their vehicles, they are allowed to smoke in their cars when they don’t have riders, which is why so many taxi cabs reek of stale smoke.

Lyft specifies in its safety policy that smoking inside Lyft cars is against community rules because some passengers may have respiratory issues or be bothered by the smell. In fact, if a passenger reports that a driver’s car smells like smoke, that drive can be deactivated.

Uber’s community guidelines list smoking as an example of “property damage,” which is not allowed.

Bet on Poker and Sports

Generally speaking, the only way to avoid the smoke soup while gambling at some of the casinos is to take advantage of the well-presented sports book and poker rooms. While there are still some hold-out poker pits that remain hell-bent on maintaining Mad Men-era atmospheric conditions, thankfully they are few and far between.

You may want to hold your breath if you go all-in on no-limit hold ‘em or take 11/4 odds on the Cubs to win the World Series, but it won’t be because the air is rife with nicotine emissions.

Go Shopping

For the most part, if you want it, in Las Vegas, you can get it. Indoor retail shopping venues are covered under the smoke-free Las Vegas restrictions, so you don’t have to worry about checking clothing for cigarette burn holes in the dressing room. Stick to the major shopping areas that are inside a venue instead of clustered together around the Strip to sidestep any residual smoke.

Retreat to the Pool and Spa

The Delano Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay are both properties of MGM Resorts International and are connected by corridors so guests of the Delano Hotel have all the same access as Mandalay Bay guests to the impressive medley of swimming pool options, including the lazy river and wave pool.

But Delano guests have exclusive access to the Beach Club, a private pool area within the larger pool complex that doesn’t allow smoking. For $30, guests can purchase a day pass to the resort’s Bathhouse Spa to take advantage of the eucalyptus steam room, cold plunge pool, sauna, and relaxation room. Non-guests can access the spa by purchasing a treatment.

And obviously, smoking is prohibited there, too.

Take in Dinner and a Show

As part of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, smoking is not permitted in restaurants, lounges where food is served, meeting and convention spaces, theaters, arenas, and some other areas. Restaurants inside casinos are non-smoking.

However, your smoke-free Las Vegas experience does not extend to nightclubs and lounges, which are not required to ban smoking as long as they do not serve food or allow minors. So if you’re trying to avoid smoky-hair syndrome, steer clear of those places and opt instead for one of the amazing Cirque du Soleil offerings or a comedy show.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 10 Fun Things to Do in Las Vegas
• 10 Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Las Vegas
• 13 Free Things to Do in Las Vegas

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2017. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 6 Ways to Have a Smoke-Free Las Vegas Vacation appeared first on SmarterTravel.

San Diego, California

Relax and unwind in California while avoiding the hassle of Los Angeles. San Diego makes for a great solo trip or bachelor party destination—with activities suiting both types of trips. La Jolla is a great surfing destination, while downtown San Diego is home to great nightlife. Go to a Padres game, play a round at world-famous Torrey Pines, take a craft brewery tour, enjoy rooftop bars in the Gaslamp Quarter—the activities are endless with year-round mild weather and fewer crowds than other popular California destinations.

Where to Stay: If you want to golf, stay at Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines for a guaranteed tee time at the legendary course every day. Or opt to stay closer to downtown at Hotel Indigo San Diego Gaslamp Quarter for a more urban experience.

Rome, Italy

For an incomparable European experience, look no further than Rome. From the ruins of the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Circus Maximus to the lively nightlife, Rome is the perfect guys trip. You can also golf at the championship course, Parco di Roma Golf Club, with the St. Peter’s dome as your backdrop.

Where to Stay: The Rome Cavalieri offers pools, access to Parco di Roma Golf Club, gladiator training in the hotel’s private park, a central location, an Italian Super Car “experience day”, a private visit to the Vatican Gardens and Sistine Chapel, and its own art collection for the ultimate Roman experience.

Phoenix, Arizona

Enjoy the desert heat in Phoenix poolside or on the golf course at any of the area’s 185 courses. Depending on the time of year, you can also catch a football game at the University of Phoenix Stadium or a baseball game at Chase Field. Take an ATV tour in the desert, river raft and fish outside of Scottsdale, or rent a boat on Tempe Town Lake (all within driving distance of Phoenix).

Where to Stay: The Arizona Biltmore boasts eight pools, private cabanas, bike rentals, desert jeep tours, Grand Canyon tours, and a championship golf course. You’ll have it all at this resort.

Bali, Indonesia

If you’re willing to make the journey, Bali is the best Southeast Asian destination for a guys trip. You can surf at some of the world’s best beaches, relax at countless infinity pools, visit Hindu temples, and enjoy the beautiful landscape of the rice paddies and volcanoes. Once you’re there, everything is pretty inexpensive and the food, nightlife, and culture are well worth the flight.

Where to Stay: Conrad Bali is located on the coast of Nusa Dua at Tanjung Benoa and offers activity planning, golf, a beach coastline, a wellness studio, three restaurants, and multiple pools.

Maine

If you’re looking to go off-the-grid, the Maine Huts & Trails is the perfect adventure trip. The hut-and-trail system is located in western Maine along trails marked by mountains, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. There are four hut stops—Stratton Brook, Flagstaff, Grand Falls, and Poplar—connected by paths accessible via foot or bike. From hiking and biking to fishing, canoeing, paddleboarding, and swimming, the options are endless. And if you’re looking for a winter trip, you can ski and snowshoe.

Where to Stay: Book your trip through Maine Huts & Trails, with rates at $90 per night, including three daily meals.

Louisville, Kentucky

Take on the bourbon trail with your group of guy friends (and SmarterTravel’s handy five-day guide). From the bourbon to the food, Louisville makes for a great weekend or long-weekend destination. Check out the Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center for some non-bourbon activities.

 Where to Stay: 21c Museum Hotel Louisville also doubles as a contemporary art museum, fulfilling your childhood dream of sleeping in a museum. They offer free tours, and a great view of downtown Louisville, all within a few blocks of 4th Street’s nightlife.

Killarney, Ireland

You can have any type of vacation in Killarney. It’s a stop on the Ring of Kerry circuit, the start and endpoint for the Kerry Way walking trail, and home to the castles, lakes, and mountains found in Killarney National Park. It also offers access to renowned golf courses and a great culinary and pub scene.

Where to Stay: The Ross is located in the heart of the town center, close to the national park. They also offer an “Off the Beaten Track” guide and cater to whatever activity you decide to do: if you’re golfing, they will store your golf equipment and offer early breakfast, or if you’re hiking, they will reserve guides, pack a lunch, and give route recommendations.

Lake Louise, Canada

Located in Banff National Park, Lake Louise offers a variety of activities for your guys-only trip in Canada’s “Diamond in the Wilderness.” Come summertime, the area offers hiking, ATV excursions, canoeing, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, rock climbing, and white water rafting. And in the winter, the lake is home to some of the best downhill skiing areas anywhere. Year-round, you can opt for a helicopter tour, glacier walk, wildlife safari, skydiving, paragliding, cave tours, or grizzly bear tour. Make sure to also check out the town of Banff, about a 40-minute drive away for even more activities, bars, and fine dining.

Where to Stay: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise will plan your entire trip through their concierge service so you can enjoy your vacation stress-free. Choose from their seasonal guides and make sure to take one of their GoPros with you to capture your adventures.

More From SmarterTravel:

• The 5 Best Sling Bags for Every Type of Traveler
• Packing Tips for Men
• 7 Best Travel Bags for Guys

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 8 Best Mancations for Every Type of Guy appeared first on SmarterTravel.

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I was packed and ready to board my red-eye, transatlantic flight to England when I got the e-mail: My Airbnb had been canceled 11 hours before I was set to check in. There had been a “plumbing issue at the property,” the host told me, and staying there would be impossible given the lack of running water and necessary repairs.

“We’re happy to help you select another property to stay at!” a cheery Airbnb representative told me via phone as I frantically pulled up an Airbnb search page to see that only a handful of properties in London-proper were still bookable at 9 p.m. England time. “I’m not sure what that means,” I flatly replied.

My answer was icy for a reason: This was the second time an Airbnb host had canceled on me less than 12 hours before my arrival. “Plumbing issues” were cited for both. A measly 10 percent discount on a new booking was offered for both.

As Airbnbs go, most people choose them for one of two reasons: affordability over local hotel options (this was my case, as I was visiting London in summer on set dates for a wedding), or for the advantage of staying in homey digs with amenities like a kitchen and laundry. But recent reports uncovering Airbnb scams paired with the company’s fuzzy cancellation/refund policies are reason to consider the possibility that your rental might end up costing you more money, and for far lesser lodging.

In my experience, I had no choice but to rebook one of the few Airbnbs left—a seedy option that was far from the area I had originally chosen to stay in, and that was more expensive than the original, larger, nicer listing I had booked months in advance. The hotels left by then were both astronomically expensive and no better than the second-rate rental option. Sitting on my six-hour flight after the mere hour I had to rebook, I increasingly began to feel like I should be owed something. It wasn’t until I complained to Airbnb multiple times via email (which went ignored) and then on social media that the company refunded me anything.

In a spate of recent reports, Airbnb customers detail being canceled on for similar reasons (plumbing, in many cases) even later in the process than I was. Vice.com reporter Allie Conti recently detailed her Chicago listing being canceled 10 minutes before check-in time and talked to a slew of other customers with similar horror stories. Ultimately, she uncovered an Airbnb scam that spans cities and relies upon fake listings.

Note: I don’t think either of my canceled listings abroad seemed similarly fake, as Airbnb processed the rebooking rather than the owner—but I can say that Airbnb shrugged responsibility for the cancellation and my incurred cost until I publicly called them out on social media.

“For every person who doesn’t receive a complete refund, Airbnb makes money,” Conti said in her story on Airbnb scams. Airbnb is valued at $35 billion, and plans to go public next year. For comparison, hotel chains Marriott and Hilton are valued at $43 billion and $25 billion, respectively.

Yet last-minute Airbnb cancellations seem to be a grim reality for many travelers: A recent poll by airfare deal site Airfarewatchdog.com (SmarterTravel’s sister site) found that 32 percent of over 1,000 respondents had experienced a last-minute Airbnb cancellation, with half of them saying they were given less than 24 hours of notice. That’s 160 cancellations.

Have you ever had an Airbnb cancel on you at the last minute?

— airfarewatchdog (@airfarewatchdog) November 5, 2019

If a hotel ever canceled a room on a customer who prepaid with just hours to spare, it would most likely put the customer in an upgraded room, or in a different hotel at no extra cost (if no rooms were available at the original hotel). That’s generally what you’re owed as a paying customer with a binding contract—equal or greater value for what you paid. Or your money back in full.

But Airbnb has long told victims of last-minute cancellations that they simply need to rebook a new property on their own, using the prepaid amount toward a new reservation, or be refunded their money—”which could take several weeks.” I did request a simple refund in my prior Airbnb cancellation, but in the London case I couldn’t because of the red-eye-flight logistics involved.

When all was said and done, for a second time I wished I had just booked a hotel. And next time I will.

Airbnb’s CEO recently announced that the company will take a more hands-on approach to vetting its “verified” listings to guarantee accuracy and safety—without providing many specifics about how. According to travel website Skift’s response to the move: “Guarantees aren’t really anything new to the world of online travel; Travelocity has offered a 100 percent guest guarantee to customers for years, for instance. Platforms like Airbnb, however, have played off a lack of guarantees and skirting local regulations to help grow its platform over the years.”

What to Wear this Season

More from SmarterTravel:

• 7 Airbnb Problems and How to Fix Them
• The 15 Biggest Travel Scams to Avoid
• Think Millennials Prefer Airbnb? Think Again

SmarterTravel’s Shannon McMahon writes about all things travel. Follow her adventures on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

The post The Airbnb Nightmare That Could Happen to You appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you’re looking to find the least expensive accommodations in a destination regardless of what kind of accommodation it is, you might be surprised to learn that Airbnb isn’t always the cheapest. A new study from Compare the Market shows that hotels can sometimes beat Airbnb prices. The study covered the average Airbnb vs. hotel rates (per night) in 52 important destinations around the world.

Airbnb vs Hotel: Where a Hotel Is Significantly Cheaper

In seven of those cities, hotels undercut Airbnb by an average of $10 or more:

The big California presence on the hotels-are-cheaper list is probably due to those California cities’ decision to limit Airbnbs due to housing shortages. Santa Cruz limits listings to 450 total Airbnbs city-wide to protect renters. San Jose also limits Airbnbs, and San Diego is weighing similar action.

The Airbnb vs. hotel price difference was closer to a draw in six destination cities: Hotels beat Airbnb by less than $10 a night in Berlin, Boston, and Oakland; Airbnb beat hotels by less than $10 in Bologna, Dublin, and Melbourne.

Airbnb vs Hotel: Where Airbnb Is Cheaper

On the other end of the spectrum, Airbnb rates were lower by at least $10 in 39 cities:

It’s worth noting that some much cheaper Airbnb options are available even in cities with the highest average rates. A nightly average of $243 for Nashville seems extraordinarily high, as does $215 for San Francisco. Overall, average prices for any group of Airbnb accommodations depend heavily on the mix of accommodations involved. Accommodations can range from a couch surf to entire luxury apartments, and there is no way to extract a standardized quality/price subgroup as there is with hotel star ratings.

And on the hotel side, common-sense challenges some of the hotel rates as overly high for three-star; most notably $339 in Providence (RI), $256 in Las Vegas, $198 in Salem (MA), $194 in Asheville (NC), and $266 in Nashville, all cities where rates can be briefly inflated by special events.

My take-away: If you’re searching rock-bottom accommodation prices, you can find both hotels and Airbnb options throughout the price spectrum, and you’ll need to test both sources to find the best deal. In some destination cities, however, extenuating circumstances like housing shortages can shake things up significantly.

The findings were compiled by London-based comparethemarket.com, a website that compares prices for a wide variety of consumer goods and services. I converted original data from pounds to U.S. dollars, so prices are approximate; at time of writing the exchange rate was 1.21 dollars to pounds, a lower pound value than Compare the Market used at its compilation time. The data show average rates for stays in May and June of 2019.

Average Airbnb rates were (and can be) sourced from AirDNA, a Denver-based specialist in vacation rental analytics. Figures are for the average daily rate (ADR) over a month’s worth of rates and fees. Average nightly hotel rates are for 3-star hotels, as posted by Kayak.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 7 Airbnb Problems, and How to Solve Them
• Think Millennials Prefer Airbnb? Thing Again
• 10 Commandments of Being a Good Airbnb Guest

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuses every day at SmarterTravel.

The post 7 Places Where a Hotel Is Cheaper Than an Airbnb appeared first on SmarterTravel.

With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.

And keep in mind that where there are cheap taxis, there’s often a comparable competing rideshare. A look at the cheapest countries for taxis could also have some insight into where you can and should be using a rideshare service—and the most expensive places for a taxi are where you should consider relying only on public transit.

Top 10 Countries for Cheap Taxi Rides

A three-mile taxi ride in Egypt, the top country for a cheap taxi, costs under one U.S. dollar. That’s according to a report by Taxi2Airport.com, which analyzed 2019 data from Taxi-Calculator.com. The  top 10 countries for cheap taxi fare are:

• Egypt
• India
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Turkey
• China
• Argentina
• Vietnam

Countries with the Most Expensive Taxis

At the other end of the scale, the most expensive rate by far is in Switzerland, where a three-mile trip costs an astonishing $25. Other expensive countries have rates ranging from $11 to $17.50, with the next most expensive countries being Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, and Sweden.

Basically, that means most Western European countries plus Japan are not home to cheap taxis. While the tabulation did not include U.S. data, similar reports on taxi prices have come to about the same conclusion about taxi pricing across the globe in recent years.

The Takeaway

I’ve always been wary of country-by-country cost comparisons, but relative taxi costs are a bit different: They may not influence your choice of destination, but they do influence your choice about how to get around in a destination you visit. I experienced this effect a few years ago in China, where I found that taxi fares are so low you can pretty much forget about public transit. While public transit is good in China, the hassles of coping with crowds made taxis an easy choice. On the other hand, in Western Europe and in Japan it’s a good idea to stick to trams, metros, and any suburban rail services.

And although taxis are nominally very cheap in many countries, drivers can and do take advantage of tourists. Just about everybody recommends negotiating a price—or at least reliance on a functioning meter—before you get into a cab. And even then you have to watch out for circuitous routes, or, as some call it, “taking you for a ride.” That practice is not limited to developing countries, either: New York cabs are notorious for adding a couple of miles to a LaGuardia trip by taking the Triborough Bridge rather than a more direct tunnel, and Las Vegas taxis routinely take a long way out of the airport to the Strip.

The report does not include other non-taxi options ranging from Uber to pre-booked independent car services to shuttle vans, but it’s worth checking which cities have an equally cheap rideshare competitor that might be easier to pay for and track via smartphone. For example, the top country for a cheap taxi, Egypt, hosts cheap rideshare services Uber and Careem. And the ride search system RideGuru includes pricing estimates for both Uber and independent car services, along with conventional taxis.

The take-away from these results is that before leaving home, it’s a good idea to check out local travel costs wherever you want to visit. That includes checking taxi fares and Uber rates along with local transit costs and ticket options.

What to Wear on Your Next Vacation

More from SmarterTravel:

• The Best Uber Alternatives Around the World
• 10 Important Rideshare Safety Tips for Travelers
• Where to Find Premium Airfare Deals on First Class

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuses every day at SmarterTravel.

SmarterTravel’s Shannon McMahon also contributed to this story.

The post The Best (and Worst) Countries for Cheap Taxi Rides appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If seeing the seven wonders of the world is on your bucket list, then group-travel operator, Contiki, wants to help you achieve this dream by paying your rent while you do it. With the company’s new Jordan trip, it now has itineraries to all of the “new” Seven Wonders of the World. To get the savings, book each of Contiki’s trips to the seven wonders (these are individual trips that visit the Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Petra, and the Colosseum) and then prove your rent amount with your rental agreement. Contiki is offering a savings of up to $2,840, the national average of rent for two months.

The Fine Print: 

• You must be between 18 and 35 years old to book Contiki trips.
• You still have to pay your actual rent … Contiki will apply the amount of your two-months rent to your trip.
• You must book each of the seven individual trips, with a $200 deposit on each.

Interested? Head to Contiki’s website to book.

More from SmarterTravel:

• 19 Trips of a Lifetime to Take in 2019
• 5 Myths About Millenial Travel and Why You Shouldn’t Believe Them
• 10 Trips Millennials Will Love

The post This Company Will Pay Your Rent If You Book Their Trip Around the World appeared first on SmarterTravel.