“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fall is such a special time of year! As two ladies who used to live in South Florida, we didn’t even know what we were missing until we moved to North Carolina. We can’t believe we missed out on so many years of beautiful fall colors! With that said, we are sure to make the most of the season now. Naturally, one of the best ways to take advantage of fall is to take a trip to where the foliage is at its best!
When we visit our nearby Blue Ridge Mountains or Great Smoky Mountains this time of year, we tend to use vacation rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO to book a cozy cabin. Did you even go to the mountains if you don’t stay in a cabin? :)
We’re going to share some of our top tips and warnings to keep in mind while using sites like these to find the perfect vacation rental any time of year!
1. Always set your filters first
The first thing to do when using vacation rental platforms is to set the filters to specify what type of property you are looking for. What number of rooms and bathrooms do you need? What part of town do you want to be in? Do you want the whole property to yourself, or just a room or floor? Don’t forget to check the cancellation policy as well! Setting these filters at the beginning of your search will save you a lot of time and potential frustration.
2. Reviews, reviews, reviews!
We have all heard a horror story or two of someone who booked a vacation rental with few, or even zero, reviews! To put it lightly, they often regret that decision. Even if it isn’t a matter of personal safety where you may be traveling, you still never want to end up at a property that was falsely advertised. The easiest way to avoid this is to stay with “super hosts” on the Airbnb platform, or “premier hosts” on the VRBO platform. Admittedly, these properties may cost a little bit more, but we tend to prioritize the peace of mind that comes with them. One step down from this would be to base your choice off of the previous reviews even if the property isn’t necessarily from a top-tier host (at least 50-100 reviews is our sweet spot).
3. Time your booking appropriately
Are you planning to travel during a peak time or for a special event, like a sports tournament or festival? It's never too soon to book your rental if you know your travel dates and you find an option with a flexible cancellation policy! Rentals can be really scarce during these times. For example, if you want to visit the mountains for the remainder of the fall season, get booking like yesterday!
4. Be wary of hidden fees
While rental platforms are generally well known and easy to use, there can be sneaky fees that raise the nightly rate significantly. Check out this example we recently ran into:
While initially listed at $150 per night, once taxes and fees were taken into account, it came out to $261 per night. That’s a pretty steep difference to consider.
5. Try to be understanding
At the end of the day, you are renting a normal person’s home, not a room at a hotel. Things won’t always be perfect! The parking could be a pain, you may have a plumbing issue, and other little issues can definitely arise. We once had one of the fire alarms at a rental start to beep incessantly and practically had to scale up the wall to get it to stop. This is where having a responsive host goes a long way, and we always try to give them some grace. These things are unavoidable sometimes!
6. Make sure you follow the rules and check-out policies
It’s not only the reviews of the host that matter on these rental platforms, your reviews as a renter matter, too! To make sure you don’t get dinged on your review, follow the vacation rental rules and complete the check-out list. You risk extra fees or losing a deposit if you break big rules like smoking or throwing a wild rager (always read the fine print). The check-out lists often differ between rentals, but typically include things like taking out the trash, emptying the refrigerator, stripping the beds that were used, etc.
We hope that these tips are helpful for you to find a great vacation rental! Let us know if you have other helpful tips in the comments.
For folks who live in or around North Carolina, here are some rental properties we recently stayed in and would vouch for:
Happy Travels!
-Nikki + Pam
