subject: Vacation Apartment Rentals, Traveling To Paris, Prague, Barcelona With A Touch Of Home [print this page] Seasoned travelers often tire of the standard routine of airplane, hotel, restaurant and visiting museums and cultural attractions. So as an alternative, some of these travelers look for ways to get more in touch with the local culture of the place they are visiting. One way of doing this is short term, vacation apartment rentals.
Thanks to the internet, renting a private apartment for a few days or a few weeks is fairly easy. What was once a small market of properties available in specialized catalogs, classified ads and by word of mouth, has grown into a cottage industry. Nowadays many landlords own several properties available only for short-term business or vacation rentals. In cities like Paris, Prague and Barcelona, entire agencies are devoted to this market niche as well.
In fact, even in popular tourist meccas like Paris, finding accommodation in a private residence during your trip is quite easy. An Internet search turns up hundreds of available properties and dozens of agencies. In fact, the biggest challenge is not finding the apartments, it is finding something that suits you, for a reasonable price that is available when you need it.
Once you find a place, you will also want to have some way of knowing that what you see is what you get, so many travelers choose to work with reputable agencies or via a vacation rentals website. That way they will at least have some neutral authority to give them recommendations on their particular needs, as well as some recourse in the event of problems (which are rare).
Of course, finding a rental apartment in a city you have never seen presents its own particular set of challenges. You will want to make sure that you do research on the neighborhood that you will be living in. In large cities, like Paris and Barcelona neighborhoods can change dramatically in the space of just a few blocks. In newer tourist destinations, like Prague, tourists want to do a little research to make sure that they will be staying in a desirable neighborhood.
Doing your homework up front will help to make sure that your stay is an enjoyable one. Additionally, you need to try to have a basic idea of what you want from your vacation rental. Will it just be a place to sleep, or will your trip be a stay at home getaway for rest and relaxation. Different situations require different amenities, so be sure to ask about such things up front.
All in all, renting an apartment for a short period of time during a vacation is a sure way to a unique and rewarding travel experience. And one that let's you get closer to the culture than you would by staying in a hotel.
