13 Things Home Sweet Vacation Home

We found a fix

- By Melissa Klurman

1 SUMMER IS ALWAYS a busy travel season, but even at peak times like July 4th, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll see lots of hotels with No Vacancy signs. More and more travelers are opting instead to stay in vacation rentals: furnished private houses, rooms, or apartments that only you and your party share for the duration of your stay. Or you can get adventurous and book a cabin, yurt, tree house, RV, houseboat, tiny home, or even a castle. One of the most sought-after rentals this year is a glass-enclosed Utah home with sweeping views of Zion National Park.

2 THE IDEA sparked in 2007, when Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, realizing that a San Francisco tech conference would make hotel rooms in the area harder to come by, let visitors sleep on air mattresses in their apartment for a fee. They called this humble venture Air Bed and Breakfast, but the company-now known as Airbnb-is worth almost $100 billion today and has six million listings worldwide.

3. THESE DAYS, dozens of sites can help you find accommodations for your next trip. Vrbo (short for Vacation Rental by Owner) and Booking.com function similarly to Airbnb. Vacasa and Vacation Perfect feature rental options owned by management companies as opposed to individuals, so their offerings are more standardized. Even the hotel booking site Hotels.com lists vacation home rentals.