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Airbnb alternatives for renting a vacation home

Alex Keshen

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Settle into a home away from home with the help of these sites that offer accommodations and rental options similar to Airbnb.

Living like a local has never been easier. There are all kinds of sites like Airbnb out there offering you the chance to stay in local homes, quirky places and other unconventional sleeping quarters – all much more exciting than a hotel.

Here are just a few places where you can find your dream accommodation, be it a hilltop villa in Italy, a chic New York City apartment, a traditional ryokan in Japan or a cozy chalet in Whistler.

HomeAway

Acquired in 2015 by travel-giant Expedia, HomeAway offers secure booking of vacation homes all around the world.

  • No booking fees
  • Make bookings using the mobile app
  • More than one million listings in 190 countries

Shop HomeAway

FlipKey

Part of TripAdvisor Rentals, FlipKey has more than 830,000 properties in 190 countries.

  • Filter searches by property type and useful extras like whether it’s wheelchair accessible, is pet-friendly and allows smoking
  • Features certificates of excellence on top properties, just like TripAdvisor does with hotels

Shop FlipKey

VRBO

Part of the HomeAway family, VRBO, or Vacation Rentals by Owner, boasts more than a million vacation rental options worldwide.

  • See transport and attraction maps on your search to help you better choose your stay
  • Read reviews from past guests
  • More than 25,000 dog-friendly properties available

Homestay

Experience what it’s like to live in another culture with Homestay. The Ireland-based site ensures your hosts aren’t just leaving you keys to their place for a more authentic homestay experience.

  • Find accommodation in more than 150 countries
  • Hosts are always present during your stay
  • Get to know your host and make your reservation via video call

Home Exchange

This site is a bit different than Airbnb, but still offers you the chance to stay in a local’s home. Home Exchange opens you up to a new world of house swaps. Just pay a membership fee and then start exchanging your home – there’s no limit to your swaps!

  • Gain access to more than 65,000 homes in 150 countries around the world
  • Save on the price of hotels and accomodation
  • 24/7 customer support

TripAdvisor

While it’s best-known for user reviews and advice forums for hotels and resorts, TripAdvisor also offers a huge selection of vacation rentals that can be booked right on the site: 630,000 of them, to be exact.

  • Compare vacation homes to hotels in one place
  • Feel secure with the “Peace of Mind” payment protection for online payments
  • Choose from a range of accommodation options including homes, condos, cottages and rural retreats

HotelsCombined

This handy site is a tool that compares different homestay and alternate accommodation sites for the best rate.

  • Easily compare the prices of hotel rooms and homestays in one list
  • Awarded the “World’s Leading Hotel Comparison Website” at the 2015 World Travel Awards
  • Guaranteed to offer you the lowest accommodation rate

Rentals Combined

Offering competitively priced rentals, Rentals Combined offers both short- and long-term rentals around the world.

  • Best rate guaranteed
  • No additional booking fees
  • Choose from more than 600,000 properties in more than 75 countries around the world

Tripping

Save time and money and compare over 10 million properties around the world..

  • Use filter to customize your search
  • Save on the price of hotels and accommodation
  • Choose from more than 150,000 destinations

Best for luxury: One Fine Stay

Designed to provide the ultimate homestay experience, One Fine Stay provides “unhotels” – homes in London, Paris, Los Angeles and New York.

So what it that makes One Fine Stay the ultimate homestay experience provider? The company will make sure a representative personally vets each home before it’s listed online and you’ll be personally greeted on arrival. Even more? You’ll be provided with all the comforts of home including an iPhone with free data and local calls.

  • Get a discount on your first stay
  • Committed to choosing the finest homes to rent out
  • Enjoy boutique toiletries, quality linens and 24/7 customer support by phone or text

Best for visiting Australia: Stayz

Choose from more than 40,000 properties in 2,000 locations across Australia with the country’s largest holiday rental site.

Another member of the HomeAway network, Stayz is a Sydney-based rental booking site boasting everything from beachside homes to farmhouses to city apartments. It is limited to just Australian properties, but provides loads of information and inspiration on exploring every corner of Australia.

  • Filter searches by attractions or themes, ranging from cheap to executive and honeymoons to family holidays
  • Receive free property features protection assurance
  • No additional booking fees

Best for budget stays: BedyCasa

Focusing mainly on bedroom rentals, BedyCasa claims to be as little as a third of the price of staying in a hotel and offers guests the opportunity to stay in traditional homes in 185 countries around the world.

France-based BedyCasa may have started as a blog, but it’s since evolved into a platform designed to help travelers explore in a more economical and authentic way in more than 8,500 cities around the world.

  • Earn a free stay every 10 nights with the loyalty program
  • Experience authentic home stays including riads in Morocco, ryokans in Japan and gîtes in France
  • Choose from more than 50,000 hosts

Best for entire home rentals: HouseTrip

Get all the comforts at home with HouseTrip’s carefully vetted properties in 20,000 destinations around the world.

If you’re looking for a private stay, then HouseTrip may be the best option for you. Unlike some of the other homestay and property rental booking sites out there, HouseTrip exclusively lists entire home rentals so you’ll never find yourself sharing your space with other guests or the owners.

  • Read reviews from actual guests before making your booking
  • Join the HouseTrip+ rewards program
  • Choose from more than 300,000 properties

Best for North and South America and the US: Vacasa

Discover over 7,000 vacation rentals across the US, South America and Central America.

Vacasa’s point of difference is that it not only managers your whole homestay experience but is responsible for marketing, maintenance and housekeeping, making the process easier for both hosts and guests.

  • All bookings managed through Vacasa
  • Homes can be booked for up to 29 days
  • Changes are permitted up to 30 days prior to the reservation

Best for all: Innclusive

An all “innclusive” homestay site that celebrates people and helps you connect with the community.

Perhaps Airbnb’s greatest rival, Innclusive aims to curate a fun and rewarding vacation experience for all cultures. On top of accommodation it organizes Innclusive networking events to help build its community and allow users to meet like minded travelers.

  • Reward system lets you earn money through referrals
  • Curates networking events
  • Available in 130+ countries

Best for families: Kid and Coe

The ultimate platform to discover kid friendly accommodation throughout the world.

Whether you’ve a family of three or have an army of little ones, Kid and Coe is a supportive network for families who love to travel and offers suitable accommodation and services for your family’s vacation.

  • Partnered with concierge services and baby equipment rental companies.
  • All properties are personally reviewed to ensure their suitability for families
  • Stay, host or exchange your home for the holidays

What should I know about Airbnb and other homestay sites?

Are sites like Airbnb legal?

In the United States, renting out your home on platforms like Airbnb is generally legal. However, if you live in an apartment complex or are a tenant rather than an owner, the landlord or building management may not allow you to rent your unit out. There are also some cities that have banned Airbnb to protect hotels, so do your research before you travel.

As the laws are constantly being changed, it’s important to double check with your local jurisdiction if you have any doubts.

If you’re looking to book a stay in an Airbnb, it’s also good to know what the laws are where you are, especially if you’re booking a stay overseas. Laws differ from destination to destination, so it’s important to check whether renting out someone’s home for profit is legal for them to do without a license. If you’re contacted by the host and they tell you anything that raises a red flag (like for you to pretend to be their relative and not a paid guest), tell Airbnb and try to get your reservation canceled and refunded.

Some cities where it’s recommended to double check local laws are Barcelona and New York City (Manhattan, specifically). Other destinations, like Santa Monica (Los Angeles) and Berlin restrict Airbnb-style listings to only offer a room in someone’s home rather than an entire home.

Are sites like Airbnb safe?

Just like hotels, listings on homestay sites get reviewed by previous guests, which are usually clearly displayed on each listing. The rating (usually out of five or 10) and the number of reviews are clearly listed.

For example, on this listing on Homestay, the host has an average of 5/5 based on 39 reviews. The green badge on the upper right corner means the host is verified by the company. When looking for a place to stay, find a host that has a higher number of reviews – it will also likely mean they’re a more experienced host.

HomestayListingExample

Similar to the green badge used by Homestay, Airbnb has “super hosts”, who have received five stars from at least 80% of their guests.

It’s also recommended to check the area that you’re staying in. Check online to see how far the stay is from the attractions you’d like to visit and check out Google Maps’ street view function to get a feel for what the local area is like.

How do you pay for your stay?

Most sites act as a middleman between the guest and host and allow you to pay for your stay through their platform. This is also the safest way to pay, as it will offer a secure payment system and you’ll get a confirmation screen or email stating you’ve paid.

Like hotels, some prefer you pay upfront when you make the booking, while others you’ll pay for closer to your stay date.

When you pay upfront, it may take a day or two to process your booking as the host needs to accept your request to stay before your card is charged.

What additional fees do these sites charge?

Provider Additional Fees
Airbnb 6-12% guest service fee + variable cleaning fees
HomeAway Varies, but averages at 6%
VRBO Varies, but averages at 6%
Homestay Booking fee of up to 10%
Home Exchange Annual fee of $180 (Unlimited exchanges)
FlipKey Booking fee of 8-14%
TripAdvisor No additional fees
HotelsCombined External fees may apply
Rentals Combined No additional fees
Tripping No additional fees
Stayz 2% service fee
Camplify 13-15% booking fee, some hires require a service fee
BedyCasa €3.90 booking fee
HouseTrip 5% of the total cost
Vacasa Varies
Innclusive 15% booking fee
Kid and Coe 3-15% booking fee

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