Vrbo, which stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner, was one of the first major vacation rental websites to connect property owners with travelers. The website was launched back in 1995, and the company has grown to be one of the best-known vacation rental websites worldwide.
Vrbo offers over 2 million properties in 190 countries. It offers properties worldwide with a particularly large concentration of properties in Europe and North America.
Vrbo offers vacation villas, cabins, condos, cottages, apartments, beach houses, and other properties to rent. While sites like Airbnb list homestays, rooms for rent, yurts, shared properties, and such, Vrbo focuses almost exclusively on private and self-catering vacation rental properties.
Vrbo offers properties across a range of budgets from rustic budget stays at cabins to luxury villas. I would say the majority of properties fall in the middle with lots of good value and mid-range vacation rental prices offered on the website.
Vrbo has grown a lot in recent years as it was acquired by Expedia. All the Expedia vacation rental bookings and those from the HomeAway brand have been consolidated into the Vrbo website.
Vrbo was the first vacation rental website I ever used to book an apartment in France for a week. We have always had a good experience with Vrbo and have particularly liked using it for longer stays.
Company Headquarters: Austin, Texas, United States
Number of Listings: over 2 million
Geographical Availability: Worldwide, 190 countries
Pricing: Budget to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Booking.com has become in recent years the main website we use for booking hotels when we travel. However, the website also lists vacation rental properties, including apartments, cabins, and villas, in over 220 countries.
Booking.com lists over 28 million accommodation listings, with about 6 million of those being homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay. This includes over 750,000 apartments and over 400,000 holiday homes. They have listings available in 225 countries and territories.
The Booking.com website provides listings for all budgets and traveler types. You can search the Booking.com website by type of property such as for holiday homes only or for apartments only.
We have been using Booking.com for years, and although we mainly book hotels and B&Bs, we also use it for apartments and holiday homes. We have never had an issue so far with Booking.com and we like that many of the properties offer free cancelation.
We also save money on some of our bookings by being a regular user and a member of the Genius loyalty program which gives you discounts and perks (free breakfast, free upgrades, free cancelation) on certain bookings. We definitely recommend signing up if you are a regular user.
Company Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Number of Listings: over 1 million
Geographical Availability: Worldwide
Pricing: Budget to Luxury
Website to Book Vacation Rentals: Book here
Sonder is a company that is focused on offering its guests modern and well-designed apartments in city center locations. The company has been around since 2012. Unlike companies like Airbnb and Vrbo, Sonder is not a peer-to-peer service; Sonder leases or owns each property and manages them directly.
Sonder focuses on apartments in major cities and currently offers over 8,500 properties in over 27 cities. Most of Sonder’s companies are currently in the United States and Canada, but they also have a number of properties in several major cities in Europe and the Middle East, including London, Rome, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Dubai.
Sonder offers modern and well-furnished apartments that offer a standard set of amenities and conveniences which include contactless check-in, WiFi, fresh towels and bedding, shower amenities, a fully-equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, and artisan coffee. They also offer 24/7 customer service and professional cleaning services.
Sonder offers both short-term and longer-term stays. Most of the properties on Sonder are available to rent by the day, week, month, or even for a year or more. You will also save more by staying longer, so Sonder is definitely a great option for those who want to base someplace for a longer period of time.
Company Headquarters: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Number of Listings: over 8,500
Geographical Availability: 20 major cities, primarily USA, London, & Canada
Pricing: Mid-range to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Agoda is a website that is particularly known for offering a great selection of hotels, guesthouses, hostels, and homestays in Asia, but they also offer a growing selection of vacation rentals as well. Agoda started as a start-up in Thailand in 2003 and has focused primarily on Asian accommodation bookings.
Agoda offers around 2 million different accommodation properties on its website in 200 countries, ranging from homestays to hotels to apartments. Among those, over 700,000 of them are vacation rentals such as cottages, apartments, and villas. Agoda Homes offers vacation rentals in over 50 countries and has a particularly large presence in Asia.
Although Agoda is not usually our first place to check for vacation rentals, it is often our first place to check when traveling to Asia as they often have more selection, especially in smaller cities and towns. But you can also find good deals in major cities around the world and we recently used it to book a place in the UK.
Company Headquarters: Singapore
Number of Listings: over 700,000
Geographical Availability: Worldwide, focus on Asia
Pricing: Budget to Luxury, with a lot of properties in the budget and mid-range categories
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Turnkey Vacation Rentals was founded in 2012 and offers a large portfolio of high-end vacation rentals. The company currently offers over 5,000 properties in over 80 towns and cities within the United States.
Turnkey specializes in premium and luxury vacation homes and apartments located in cities and near popular tourist attractions. All Turnkey properties are professionally managed and cleaned, and each property offers a full kitchen, free WiFi, and an easy check-in process. Their goal is to offer guests “the consistency and quality of a fine hotel experience” in a self-catering vacation rental.
Unlike Sonder, Turnkey Vacation Rentals does not own or lease the properties or decorate them, but it does fully manage the properties for the owners. So unlike Airbnb or Vrbo, Turnkey manages the cleaning and upkeep, and they offer 24/7 local guest support.
Company Headquarters: Austin, Texas, United States
Number of Listings: over 5,000
Geographical Availability: United States of America
Pricing: Mid-range to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Interhome was founded in 1965 as a vacation rental company offering short-term holiday home rentals in Switzerland. Today, the company offers around 50,000 self-catering vacation rentals in over 25 countries and is one of the largest home rental businesses in Europe.
All kinds of vacation rentals are listed on Interhome, from budget-friendly studio apartments to luxury villas. They are rated on a star system from 1 star (simple furnishings) to 5 stars (luxury furnishings).
Most of their vacation rentals are in Europe, but they also have properties available in South Africa, the United States, Oman, and Mauritius. They have a particularly large number of vacation rentals in Switzerland since this is where they started. So if you are looking to rent a Swiss chalet, this is a good one to try first.
The listed properties are owned by local homeowners and then rented via Interhome. Some are managed by the owner and others are fully managed by Interhome. The company offers 24/7 customer service to its customers.
Company Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
Number of Listings: ~ 50,000
Geographical Availability: Worldwide, but primarily Europe
Pricing: Budget to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Founded in 2014 in Athens, Greece, Blueground specializes in apartments that can be rented for 1 month and longer. They currently offer over 3,500 apartments in 12 major cities, including New York City, Paris, Athens, Istanbul, Chicago, London, San Francisco, and Boston.
Blueground strives to offer long-term rentals that are comfortable, thoughtfully furnished, and feel like home. Apartments on Blueground are fully furnished and managed properties with all the basic amenities. Since the company caters primarily to business travelers and those moving to a new city, the apartments are set up for remote working and everyday living.
Blueground leases properties from owners and developers, and then they furnish, decorate, and manage the apartments. Blueground handles all bookings and customer service issues.
Although they cater to business travelers, Blueground can also be a great option for leisure travelers and digital nomads wanting to stay in a place for a longer amount of time. You can even rent some of the properties for 1 year or more for those wanting to spend months or even years abroad. The company notes that the monthly rates for their apartment rentals are on average about 50% less than the rate of a hotel for an equivalent stay period.
Company Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
Number of Listings: over 3,500
Geographical Availability: 12 major cities, primarily USA and Europe
Pricing: Mid-range to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
The Plum Guide focuses on properties for the luxury traveler and personally vets each property to make sure it meets a high level of standards. The Plum Guide is based in London and launched in 2016.
The Plum Guide started only with short-term London flat rentals, but has expanded into several other countries. It currently lists over 8,000 properties in several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, United States, Italy, Israel, and Spain. Most of its properties are currently located in major cities like Paris, Rome, Los Angeles, and London.
The Plum Guide is a bit different than the other peer-to-peer vacation rental websites on the list, as the properties go through a more stringent level of vetting. They send a staff member to meet the host and evaluate each property in person before deciding if it can be listed on the website. They list all kinds of vacation rental properties, including flats, houseboats, bungalows, and country villas.
The listings on The Plum Guide are really great, with lots of photos of every aspect of the vacation rental interior and a section pointing out the unique features and highlights of each property. A good website for city travelers who have discerning tastes.
Company Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
Number of Listings: over 8,000
Geographical Availability: Mostly European cities, but also the United States and Israel
Pricing: Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Novasol was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1968. It offers over 50,000 self-catering holiday homes across 22 countries in Europe and is one of Europe’s largest self-catering holiday providers.
Novasol offers properties that range from basic summer cabins to luxury villas, and it has a star rating system (1 to 5 stars) to help show the level of comfort and amenities for each holiday home. The company currently only offers vacation rentals throughout Europe, with a particular focus on northern Europe and Croatia.
Novasol does not own the properties but it handles all the marketing, booking, and guest communication on behalf of the owners.
Company Headquarters: Virum, Denmark
Number of Listings: over 50,000
Geographical Availability: Europe
Pricing: Budget to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Top Villas is a vacation rental website focused on luxury villas and vacation properties in Florida and the Caribbean. Top Villas started in 2010 as a Florida vacation rental company and has since expanded to include over 4,000 properties in over 50 destinations. The website offers condos, vacation homes, apartments, and resort villas.
The company specializes in luxury Florida vacation rentals, so it is a particularly good website for those traveling to Florida as they offer a lot of properties there. Their specialty is the Orlando area as that is where their USA headquarters is based. They also offer concierge services to guests such as car hire, airport transfers, excursion planning, catering, and more.
But Top Villas also have a large presence on some of the Caribbean islands. They do offer rentals in over 50 destinations and are working to expand their offerings in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the United States.
Company Headquarters: Orlando, Florida, United States
Number of Listings: over 4,000
Geographical Availability: 50 destinations, primarily USA (Florida) & Caribbean
Pricing: Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
HomeAway was founded in 2005 and grew to be the world’s largest vacation rental website. They currently list over 2 million properties in over 190 countries.
HomeAway lists all kinds of self-catering vacation rentals across a variety of budgets and has properties worldwide. It has a particularly large number of properties in Europe and North America.
Properties listed on HomeAway are rented by the local owner through the HomeAway website, and the local property owners manage the property.
Expedia purchased HomeAway in 2015 and also owns a number of other vacation rental websites including Vrbo. Expedia has recently decided to consolidate its websites and most of the HomeAway website are now redirecting to the Vrbo website. However, the HomeAway UK brand is continuing to operate under the HomeAway brand for British travelers.
Note: Those booking from outside of the UK will want to go to the global Vrbo website instead as Homeaway UK is designed only for those booking in British pounds sterling. The USA and global HomeAway websites have moved their listings to Vrbo, but the UK website is still operating under the HomeAway brand name. The same properties are offered on both websites.
Company Headquarters: London, England, UK
Number of Listings: over 2 million
Geographical Availability: worldwide
Pricing: Budget to Luxury
Book Vacation Rentals Online: Book here
Now that you know where you can book vacation rentals online and have a list of some of the best vacation rental websites, you need to start searching and booking your holiday home or apartment. Here are some tips to help you, especially if you are new to booking vacation rentals online.
- Make a checklist before you start searching for what your must-haves are for the property in terms of amenities, number of bedrooms, location, etc.
- Use the filter in your search results to narrow down the search to properties that fit the kind of property you are looking for. For instance, if the property has to be dog-friendly, be located in the city center, offer laundry facilities, or have a swimming pool, you can usually narrow your property search to ones that fit those specific criteria. This can help save you time and make sure you get all the things you need in a vacation rental.
- Read property descriptions thoroughly. Make sure you read through all the information provided about the property, what is included, and the property’s guest policies.
- If you are traveling with pets, you want to make sure that the property welcomes them. Many properties do not allow dogs, whereas others may charge an extra cleaning fee or require you to get in touch in advance to get approval to bring a pet.
- If you are traveling with kids, especially young children, make sure that you are booking a family-friendly vacation rental. Some properties, especially resorts and luxury villas, may also have age requirements and may not allow young children.
- Make sure you have a way to get to the property. Can you reach it by public transport, taxi, or car? Is there a bus stop within walking distance? If you are planning to drive, is there parking nearby? Is parking free?
- Look at all the provided vacation rental photos. You will want to look through the photos and make sure they match up with the property description. Photos for properties are often shot at the most attractive angles and edited to highlight the most photogenic qualities of the vacation rental. If you don’t like the look of the photos, I’d find another property.
- Pay close attention to reviews from prior guests. We recommend only booking properties that have high overall ratings and good reviews. A few negative reviews are to be expected, especially for popular properties, but check to see what the guests were unhappy about. If you see a lot of complaints about the same issue and that issue is important to you, I’d move on to another property.
- We recommend avoiding properties that have no reviews or seem too cheap to believe. Although you may get a good deal on a newly listed property, you may also end up with a bad vacation rental experience. We have been in both situations, and in general, we recommend avoiding properties that have no reviews. Fraudulent and illegal listings are more likely to have no or few reviews and be listed at very attractive prices.
- Check to see if there are any additional fees that may be charged in addition to the booking price. For instance are there additional pet fees, tourist taxes, resort fees, or cleaning fees that may be charged on arrival or after your stay?
- Check cancelation and refund policies before you book. What happens if you need to cancel your booking or change your booking date? Is there a date that you must cancel beforehand to be eligible for a refund?
- Compare prices across vacation rental websites before making your booking. If the price is important to you, we’d recommend checking across a few websites first as you might find a better deal on another website. We list lots of options above. Although you want to be sure to also compare the cancelation policies, fees, etc. across booking sites as sometimes it is worth paying a little more to have a more flexible cancelation policy.
- If you have any important questions about the property, ask them before booking. For instance, if you know that you need to have a later check-in time than the time frame listed, make sure you ask to see if this is possible BEFORE booking. Never assume that changes to the policies will or can be altered after you have agreed to them at booking. Always ask beforehand.
- We always recommend that travelers have travel insurance. If you have travel insurance, check to see if it would cover you if you need to cancel your trip, are unable to travel, or if the company becomes insolvent or bankrupt.
- Check to see what you might need to bring with you. Some vacation rentals may come fully equipped with everything you need including linens, toiletries, and basic kitchen goods, whereas others may require you to bring some things. For instance, you may need to bring your own towels, bed linens, pillow, soap, laundry detergent, hairdryer, coffee/tea, travel crib, kitchen essentials, firewood, pet bowls, etc. Add anything you need to bring to your packing list and you can pack it or pick it up at your destination.
- Once you make a booking, be sure to save the confirmation and other relevant details. For your trip, you’ll want to have a digital and/or paper copy of your confirmation along with the vacation rental address, phone number for the property owner or local manager, check-in process details, and check-in and check-out times.
So that is our guide to booking vacation rentals online. Hopefully, you have found a vacation rental website you like and have found the perfect vacation rental for your next trip!
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Do you have a favorite vacation rental website? Have you ever booked a holiday home online? If so, we’d love to hear about your own experiences and any tips you may have for others.
If you have any questions about booking a vacation rental online, just ask in the Comments section below. We have booked dozens of vacation rentals across the world and are happy to try to help. We love hearing from you!
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