4. Vrbo: Best Vacation Rental Site
Vrbo stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner, which is the fundamental difference here from hotel booking sites: you book directly from private property owners. There are no individual hotel rooms listed on Vrbo, but you’ll find just about everything else, from sprawling oceanfront condos to city apartments to mountaintop cabins.
Most people think of Airbnb for booking vacation rentals, but after doing a deep dive, Vrbo really came out on top. Although it doesn’t have as many listings, I found that Vrbo’s customer service far exceeded Airbnb thanks to its 24/7 customer support (meanwhile, Airbnb’s was basically non-existent). Vrbo also has a Book With Confidence guarantee, so you’ll get free cancellation coverage even if you cancel last minute.
Vrbo has the best deals for vacation rentals, with cheaper service fees to boot. Vrbo also isn’t subjected to extra taxes like Airbnb sometimes is. For example, in some places, Airbnb automatically collects an occupancy tax due to regulations in place to ease the burden of over-tourism (it seems like some governing bodies don’t deem Vrbo to be as big of a threat to over-tourism as Airbnb). Overall, Vrbo is my top choice for vacation rentals.
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Pros
- More affordable listings than on other vacation rental sites
- Exceptional customer service
- Low booking fees
- Backed by an insurance policy for last minute cancellations
Cons
- No option to book private rooms within an accommodation
- Not as many listings as Airbnb