Travel
Like The
"Rich and Famous. . ."
Discover How A Pauper
Travels Like A King!
Ditch The Hotel For A Villa Or
Vacation Home
by: David Leonhardt
Two visits to Budapest. Two apartments, walking
distance from
downtown. I did not even set foot in the Hilton. My mother and I saw
Budapest like only someone who stays away from the Americanized hotels
can. We stayed with the locals. We came to feel the city, not just see
it.
Several years later, I returned to Europe on my
honeymoon (this
time, without my mother). The first two nights in a little village near
Schaffhausen, Switzerland, we stayed in the European version of a
vacation villa rental: our own unit in a private home, our own balcony
overlooking the scenic village, comfort, privacy and peace.
Three weeks of touring brought us to one or two
hotels, several
bed and breakfasts, and a couple "gasthauses" in Austria and
Liechtenstein that felt more like private homes.
"There is no way to compare the comfort and
privacy of a
private villa with squeezing everybody into an impersonal hotel room,"
says Stewart Granville, CEO of Last Minute Villas ( http://www.lastminutevillas.net
), a booking site for Florida villas and vacation rental homes. "You
have your own space – and lots of it – and you don't have to worry
about noise of peeping eyes. Usually you have a private pool, spa,
sound system and other luxuries."
Last Minute Villas books some vacation rentals on
Florida's
Gulf Coast, but mostly in the Orlando area. Typically, theme park
visitors stay in the motel strip in Kissimmee. Those with deeper
pockets might stay at the Disney World Hotel. Few people realize that a
Vacation home near Disney World or in nearby Orlando is even an option.
Fewer still realize how cheap it is. One Florida
villa owner
describes how he had just checked his guests in to his own
Kissimmee/Orlando area villa. Drew was heading out of town, but he
missed his flight. With ten people staying in his rental home, there
really was no place for him. He checked into a very basic motel,
typical of the Kissimmee strip, and realized he would be paying over
$200 per night for ten people – or about $1500 per week – for
uncomfortably basic motel rooms typical of Orlando and other vacation
mecas.
"They stayed in my house for $900 - and they got
their own
private pool, ensuite bedrooms, laundry facilities, refrigerator and
all the things you now take for granted in villas," Drew says. "It
really opened my eyes to just what a sweet deal my visitors are getting
– and how little motel visitors get for their money, too."
Two years ago, my brother and I rented a private
cottage in the
Laurentians. We had four bedrooms, enough to accommodate both our young
families. We could see two of the neighboring houses, which would be
useful in case of an emergency.
We had the television, the stereo, the fire place,
fresh
raspberries right off the bushes around the house (some blueberries,
too!), a screened patio with a private table/bench swing, and a nice
big fridge to keep juice, milk and beer cool. We had plenty of space to
spread out and a table just perfect for a relaxing evening of cards.
Last summer, we rented a private villa in the
Laurentians again, this time overlooking a small lake, and a canoe was
supplied.
Why would anybody want to crowd their family into
a hotel room?
Or even two? I've been spoiled. From Orlando, Florida to Budapest,
Hungary, travel in style by staying in a private vacation rental home,
no matter where you go.
Todays Travel Tip
How would you like to go to Paris, France for five days, airfare
included complete with hotel package, including continental
breakfast, transfers, and sightseeing vouchers, for less than $400
per person? Our Pauper sure would!
That very offer was recently presented in an American Airlines
online newsletter to subscribers. Sign up for the airline newsletters
(you can unsubscribe anytime) they are free. Check back tomorrow for
another tip.
P.S.
If you have ever wanted to travel like the "rich and famous," here is
your opportunity. The Pauper's Secret Confessions alone, are
worth 10 times the cost of this book. Never take another trip
without being prepared!
