Vacation Rental Talk – Slow Travels

Fragrance-free Vacation Rentals Please!

We have been sold a false image of fragrance. Manufacturers tell us it is like a spring day, fresh flowers, lemon scented, but nothing about fragrances used in most personal and household products is natural. These are synthetic fragrances, full of chemicals that produce the smell, others that make sure the smell lasts and others that do who-knows-what. Fragrance is added to the obvious – perfume, aftershave, air freshener – and the not-so-obvious – soap, … Continue reading Fragrance-free Vacation Rentals Please!

Architect Designed Vacation Rentals

The travel section of The Guardian is always worth reading. This weekend they had an article about a new vacation rental agency that lets people rent modern architect-designed houses in unique locations in the UK. High design, low price: UK holiday homes, Alain de Botton’s set of cutting-edge, affordable holiday homes is bringing modernism to the masses, by Hannah Booth, The Guardian, Saturday 2 October 2010 Alain de Botton, the author of The Art of … Continue reading Architect Designed Vacation Rentals

Vacation Rentals and HomeAway

This is a big weekend for vacation rentals. HomeAway.com is running an ad in the Super Bowl! This will introduce vacation rentals to millions of North Americans and put vacation rentals in the travel accommodation mainstream. My website SlowEurope.com gives you the tools you need to find and book vacation rentals in Europe, but I am not running a Super Bowl ad. Instead I am writing this blog post to give my view of vacation … Continue reading Vacation Rentals and HomeAway

HomeAway Puts Vacation Rentals on the Scoreboard

View from our balcony in Cetona, Tuscany

updated January 29, 2010 HomeAway, the Austin TX based company who owns most of the major Rent-by-Owner websites (HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, VacationRentals.com, etc.*) will have an ad in the 2010 Super Bowl! Finally, vacation rentals will be on the scoreboard! The ad features Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reviving their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold in the 1983 movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” about a family on a vacation to “Walley World” (a great movie!). Brian … Continue reading HomeAway Puts Vacation Rentals on the Scoreboard

Find Vacation Rentals in Germany

Germany was once the dividing line between Western and Eastern Europe, but now sits at the heart of the new Europe. November 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. When East Germany was reunified, five new regions in the north-east became part of Germany. We have added German vacation rentals to Slow Europe. We searched to find agencies with vacation rentals in Germany and good directory sites with rent-by-owner listings for … Continue reading Find Vacation Rentals in Germany

Thinking About a Vacation Rental in France?

Airfares are on sale for this summer. Staying in a vacation rental is less expensive than a hotel and you get more for your money – a whole house or apartment where you can spread out, settle in and live like a local for a week or two. Maybe it is time to think about a week or two in the French countryside? Walking out to the village cafe in the morning, exploring nearby historic … Continue reading Thinking About a Vacation Rental in France?

USA Today Recommends Slow Europe

USA Today recommends Slow Europe for vacation rental advice in “Get a great deal on a vacation rental” and “Tips for choosing a vacation rental“, by Laura Bly, March 19 2009. These great articles give you a good introduction to vacation rentals in Europe and worldwide. Are you new to vacation rentals in Europe? Read our Vacation Rentals Guide. Are you looking for a great vacation rental in Europe? Use Slow Europe to find the best … Continue reading USA Today Recommends Slow Europe

Are Vacation Rentals on Sale This Year?

I have been looking at vacation rental sites for the last few months, deciding which ones to list on Slow Europe, and have noticed that some agencies are now offering discount prices. I have also been talking to agencies and owners, booking our summer trip, and some have offered discounts when I asked. * I am keeping this post on the top of the blog home page as we add new information about discounts. Create … Continue reading Are Vacation Rentals on Sale This Year?

Comparison Shopping for Vacation Rentals

I have been shopping for vacation rentals for our summer trip. Finding great cottages in England is easy. Local agencies in England tend to be good, to have hand picked properties and offer fair prices. You may find a better price renting from an owner directly, but many owners list their places only with agencies, and I have found the prices are not that different. Now we are thinking about a week and a half … Continue reading Comparison Shopping for Vacation Rentals

Time to book your holiday cottage!

There was an interesting story on the BBC Radio Newspod yesterday (Friday, January 23) about tourism in Britain (it is the last story on the Newspod). People in the travel industry are expecting travel in Britain to increase for two reasons: 1) the pound is low making Britain a more affordable destination, 2) the economy is not doing well and Brits will save money by traveling at home instead of going abroad. A recent article … Continue reading Time to book your holiday cottage!