Finding Accommodation

Finding the right place to stay is important for a positive experience. Standard search tools like Airbnb have downsides, such as inaccurate descriptions and hidden fees. Cancellation policies and customer service are also important factors. When standard methods fail, try creative strategies like contacting property managers, using Google Maps to find local businesses, joining Facebook groups for recommendations, or placing ads in local online newspapers. Being more creative can lead to better results. Finding the right place to stay for your vacation or next long-term destination is critical in whether your experience will be positive or negative. I look for accommodation before I look for how I'm going to get there. So most people are familiar with the standard search tools such as Airbnb, hotels.com, Agoda, VRBO and in Europe a common one is spotahome.com. There are couch surfing sites, there are different things like that that are pretty standard. The thing to consider when you're looking at these standard strategies are first of all accuracy of the descriptions in the photos. So it can be pretty disappointing if you get to a place and it does not look anything like those photos. Also consider any extra fees they're charging. They are often put those fees after what you first see as the charge so watch for those. Cancellation policies are important and they vary tremendously. Another thing to consider is the customer service support of that organization. So if something does go wrong will they be there to help you as the renter? Well sometimes none of these result in finding the right place. When that happens I go to more creative ways to find my next place to settle especially for more long-term destinations. These are often helpful for at least one month's stay. So here are four strategies that I use. One is find property manager ads, contact property manager and ask if they have clients who might want to rent their properties. Oftentimes they will have owners who have an empty property. Well the owner is happy to have it rented for short term and they know that the property manager will watch it for them and you have a personal contact through that property manager as well. So that's a possible strategy. The second one I've used is open Google Maps to the area where you want to stay and expand it. Keep expanding it until all the little local businesses start appearing including apartment complexes. So then just click on one of those, find their website or phone number and contact them directly. Many of these apartment complexes are not on Booking.com or Airbnb but they do have availability for short term rentals and sometimes it's a better deal because it's directly through them. So that's my second strategy using Google Maps. The third one is to join Facebook groups in the area where I want to be and ask for input from those members. This can be really helpful because they might know someone who has a room or an apartment for rent or they might know some really good resources for looking for accommodation in that area. So that's been a very helpful one. The fourth one that I have used is to create an ad in the destination's local online newspaper in the real estate section. Oftentimes you can put a free ad for rentals in real estate sections of online papers. So when I do that I try to be very concise and clear, short and sweet. So I might post something like retired single non-smoking female looking for fully furnished accommodation for these dates. I will treat your home like my own because it will be. And I have gotten some good results that way. I have found some really nice places to stay at very reasonable rates. So if the standard methods don't work try being a little more creative.