Vacation Rentals/Exchanges

This summer my daughter traveled to London for a month. Rather than sleep on a friend's floor for the month or spend a lot of money on a hotel room, she wanted a rental close to the British Library. A friend suggested a website which she used to find a great room in a flat in the perfect location. It worked out so well, she has rented her own condo when she's out of town. Then my brother mentioned that his friend was doing a house exchange with a couple in France; he enjoyed a month in Strausbourg, France, and they enjoyed the beaches and attractions of South Florida. Recently, I saw a friend who had just returned from a trip to Cape Cod with her family; they used a website to find a condo to rent for the family. Obviously, when you travel these days, there are options beyond your standard hotel room!

Airbnb connects "people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay." The site collects a fee of from 6 to 12 percent of the total transaction from the guest and the host. Spaces range from a spare room to a whole house in over 18,000 cities in 192 countries. Search for a place by destination and dates; places will be listed (you can choose to sort by recommended, distance, price or newest) with pictures, price and the street. After you make a selection, a picture of the owner(s), along with a more detailed description of the space is displayed. Read reviews of the space and host from people who have stayed there and contact the owner for more information, or just "Book it!" Use a credit card or PayPal. Your request will be confirmed within 24 hours and at that point contact information, addresses and other information will be shared. Owners can list their properties for free and upload photos, name their own price and availability. The host's responsibility is to answer guests' inquiries, accept or decline a reservation request and contact the guest directly after accepting their request. They will be paid 24 hours after the guest checks in. Be sure to read "A simple guide to a successful Airbnb experience" and their information and advice about the "Safety" of using their site.

Home Exchange bills itself as a "vacation alternative where you stay in my house and I stay in yours." Home exchangers trade homes, condos, apartments, or even yachts and villas at a time that is convenient for both parties. Often, automobiles are included. Home Exchange also facilitates "hospitality exchangers," where you host each other in your own homes at designated times. The site boasts over 140,000 listings in 146 countries. There is a cost to join once you are ready to choose an exchange. The site is easy to search by All locations, Popular locations, Most recent listings or Advanced search. Select a Listing and send a "privacy protected email to that Listing directly from the site." Likewise, you will be receiving inquiries from interested parties. They also offer safety advice and Sample Agreements are provided as guidelines once you agree on the ground rules for your exchange.

HomeAway has more than 260,000 vacation rentals to choose from. This site has an easy-to-use search engine. Just enter your destination and search by available dates, number of bedrooms and/or number of people traveling. After you select a few properties, review the details including photos, location and reviews. They suggest contacting multiple owners both to confirm availability and learn more details about the properties. After you make a selection, "secure and protect" by signing a rental agreement, pay an advance deposit to the owner through PayPal to secure your reservation and consider purchasing "HomeAway Carefree Rental Guarantee" insurance. If you're a frequent traveler, create a free account where you can select and save favorite properties, organize and create personalized lists and email your favorites or recommendations to friends.

I've written several times about one of my favorite sites, Trip Advisor. They also offer Vacation Rentals for over 100,000 rental properties worldwide. They represent both individual property owners and professionally managed sites. Their Vacation Rental Calculator allows you to compare the cost of a vacation rental vs. hotel stay. Sign up for their free newsletter to hear about "gorgeous vacation rentals, the latest deals, exciting destinations, and more."

Have You See These Sites?

Before you settle in for the World Series, visit WorldSeries.com, the official site of Major League Baseball's postseason. Find highlights of past Series, timelines, photo galleries of: top 20 WS moments, dramatic playoff moments, dramatic WS moments and more. Of course, you can also find the current standings, scores, schedules, statistics galore, player profiles and much more.

For "good live music, concerts and shows anywhere based on the bands you like," try out ShowHopping. Enter your location (choose how far you're willing to travel), a range of dates and type in your favorite bands, or simply check "Display all upcoming shows." Shows fitting your criteria will be displayed on a map; you can also choose "List View" for detailed information and links to the venue site.

If you lost the recipe for your mother's potato latkes, don't despair. Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan is a PBS series in its second season that "uses food to explore Jewish culture and history in the United States." All the recipes featured in the shows are available on the site. You will also find a myriad of recipes at Kosher Cooking.

Or maybe you'd like to try Asian cooking. AsiaRecipe.com is a comprehensive site featuring 22 countries, with information on culture, cooking methods, ingredients, and recipes.You'll find recipes for meat dishes, vegetarian, dessert and sauce recipes for each country. If you'd like to learn to make your own sushi, Make My Sushi is a detailed guide with animated flash illustrations for your favorite rolls.