Season of Sharing
Saturday, December 31st, 2011I grew up in a large family where sharing was commonplace. Sharing my bedroom with my younger sister, sharing the bathroom with all my sisters, sharing clothes and sharing our VW bug.
With people looking for creative ways to stretch their resources, sharing has come back in style. For travelers this offers some great options for staying in places with more personality and more space than traditional hotel lodging. Some of the top services for vacation home sharing are: VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey by TripAdvisor and AirBnB.

I used VRBO recently and stayed in a nice 2 bedroom/2 bath condo in Scottsdale for $100/night and had a great experience. Booking through an individual home owner requires a little more coordination than a hotel, but in return you’ll get much better accommodations for the same or lower price of a hotel.
Going to Baja Mexico for some sun? Book this Mexican villa near the beach with a rooftop deck for ~$100 a night. Wonder what it would be like to live on a vintage tug boat? Stay overnight on this 100 year old boat in Sausalito for $150/night.
Booking Tips
Before booking it’s a good idea to check what the deposit, cleaning fee (if any) and taxes will add beyond the basic nightly rate. Read the reviews from previous guests, call the owner with questions, and check to see how walkable the location is. When making payments, use your credit card or paypal on a secure site to protect your transaction.
Here’s to sharing!









