The world is huge

Don't miss any of it

Travel news, itineraries, and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

X

Booking now may net you the best vacation rental

Getting the right vacation rental for your trip is truly a case of the early bird getting the worm. Unlike hotel inventory, where you may have multiple oceanfront, mountainside, or other desirable rooms to choose from in any given destination and/or season, the most appealing vacation rentals (often limited in size and number) are simply gone once they’re booked.

January is typically the time with the most booking activity, as many travelers start thinking about summer and holiday vacations and snap up the most desirable properties early.

According to the bloggers at PickPackGo, a site following the vacation rental industry, today is traditionally the busiest day of the year for vacation rental bookings (based on past industry booking stats). The lesson here is that you should be prepared to book in the very near future, if not today.

Personally, I prefer vacation rentals over hotels and find early booking to be very sound advice. You get the greatest variety of properties, locations, and prices. I tend to book as soon as I choose my destination, typically a few months in advance. For a popular destination in peak season, sometimes I’ll even book up to a year early, as I did for an upcoming summer vacation on Cape Cod.

To browse listings and book, check the offerings on VRBO, HomeAway, CyberRentals, and PickPackGo.

Have a great travel tip you’d like to share? Send your insider travel strategies to editor@smartertravel.com.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Top Fares From