• About
  • Blog
  • Working together
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

Travel
/
June 7, 2011

Renting a vacation home when traveling

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share

Some years ago, long before blogging or traveling professionally, I headed out to Paris with my oldest son, then 3 years old. In planning for the trip I was extremely nervous because I didn’t know how my son would behave with us stuck in a hotel room, or how my neighbors would react to the sounds of him crying or playing. Most importantly, I was trying to factor in what it would cost me to have all the things I needed such as cold milk, snacks, coffee, and baby supplies in a hotel room, that I also hoped provided me with enough room so that I didn’t feel trapped under it all for the almost two weeks we were going to be there.

A friend of mine suggested that instead of spending the incredible amount of money that I was going to have to spend on a hotels, I should look into renting an apartment.

I have to admit, as a then single mom traveling with her toddler to Paris, the idea of renting a flat made the whole thing seem so incredibly exciting! “I could pretend to be living there,” I thought and immediately, I began to look up places.

I was surprised to see the very many options that come up for vacation home rentals, many of them with pictures of the various flats.

We managed to find a beautiful flat in the center of Les Marais, the gay and ultra trendy district in the 4th arrondissements in Paris, only steps away from Notre Dame and wonderful bakeries and cafes. I was in heaven. The rental process was easy, and the local rental office staff was incredibly friendly.

I fell in love with the third floor walk-up apartment, and the gorgeous French doors found throughout, as well as the full kitchen, nice size living room, and bedroom. I would spend early mornings with my kid in tow walking in and out of small cafes and window shopping, before walking to all the nearby sites including Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre. It was lovely and close to everything.

I was comfortable the entire time, well, except for when the garbage truck stopped by, which seemed to be daily!  But having “our own place” in Paris was the intro to my preference for vacation home rentals in Europe, and I still recommend it.

This first experience was quite some time ago, and I paid less than $2,000 for my rental, but since then renting a home, especially when traveling with kids in tow, is one of our favorite options. This option can provide not only the utmost in lodging comfort, but can also be far more economically then renting a hotel room long-term.

In the next vacation rental post, I will share tips on what to keep in mind when looking to rent a vacation getaway.

[subscribe2]

Related

Enjoyed this post? Give it some love and share!
Share
Pin this Post
Share this Post
Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, close to home or farther away. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and CEO of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications management, and brand development agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She splits her time between her homes in New Jersey and Finger Lakes.

You May Also Like...

Christmas Tree Hunting in Long Island, NY

December 12, 2008

Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, NY

December 10, 2008

Winter afternoon in the Bronx Zoo, NY

December 16, 2008
6 Comments
  • Becca Taylor
    June 9, 2011

    I'm going to Paris next year to celebrate my 60th B-day – I plan to stay for at least 14 days, and maybe 30 if I can swing it. I too also plan to rent a flat for my time there. I'm so excited.

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Becca Taylor
      June 9, 2011

      That's wonderful Becca!

      Reply
  • Suzanne @ Mom Confes
    June 13, 2011

    I don't know any other way to travel. I've done hotels with kids and having a kitchen or more of a home like feel is priceless.

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Suzanne @ Mom Confes
      June 13, 2011

      Yeah, it really makes all the difference. This is why there are more and more hotels offering all these amenities to family travelers.

      Reply
  • Louisa
    May 1, 2012

    Hi Carol, we are renting an apartment in NYC when we come over later this month and I can't wait. I'm so excited about having that more personal experience than staying in a hotel – not to mention it being significantly more affordable!

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Louisa
      May 2, 2012

      That's so great Louisa! And SO true! Apartment rental while vacationing is hands down a much more affordable option. Enjoy it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Post
Helicopter Over NYC
Next Post
Taking The Ride Around NYC

About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am a communications professional, an award-winning travel blogger, a public speaker, CEO of a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency, a wife, and a mom of 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading!

Carol Cain

Categories

  • Asia5 Post(s)
  • Caribbean17 Post(s)
  • Central America4 Post(s)
  • Europe53 Post(s)
  • North America313 Post(s)
  • Oceana1 Post(s)

Contact

  • carol@girlgonetravel.com

Follow @girlgonetravel

Another snowy day. I do have to say, I love them. Another snowy day. I do have to say, I love them. I think they are blissful and pretty, and inspire me to want to make the yummiest dishes.
Started our day in nature and all is right with th Started our day in nature and all is right with the world.
.
.
.
#fingerlakes #myflx #countryhouse #naturelover #snowday
Our very first Valentine’s Day together was our Our very first Valentine’s Day together was our second date after we met. Up until that moment I never celebrated the holiday, even if I was seeing someone, except with girlfriends which was the only way I tolerated any of it. But this time, it felt like a thing to do because I had just met this guy that I really, REALLY liked and he had planned a night out. 

I was a single mom, and my oldest (then 4) was supposed to be with his dad - who called last minute to say he would be late. So, I had to bring him to the restaurant with me, on our second date (!) because reservations were tight (we were also going to watch a concert after).

As we were ordering dinner (to go for my kid), my ex shows up and instead of taking my son and leaving, he decides to pull up a chair and sit and embarrass me in such awful ways. After dinner, as we paid the bill, he got up, took our son, and said goodbye, pretty convinced he had done the damage he came to do.

I quietly got in the cab with @travisjcain and just broke out into ugly crying. Convinced this really nice guy, that I really liked, had seen enough and would never call again.

But he did. And he never left my side. And though on that night we both agreed that Valentine’s Day is the worst, what we had was not and it has only gotten better since. So, though we don’t celebrate, that is the V Day love story that always makes me love him more. Happy Valentine’s Day, you crazy kids. Live life never doubting you are deserving of love and kindness, however it may come your way.
.
.
.
#ValentinesDay #LoveStories #coupleselfie
Escaped to further seclude ourselves in nature and Escaped to further seclude ourselves in nature and found an even more wintery wonderland.
.
.
.
@theflxcottage #farmhouse #vineyards #fingerlakes #myflx #upstateny #winterwonderland
Travel scenes. I remember taking this photo quickl Travel scenes. I remember taking this photo quickly before any one of them noticed because I wanted to capture the realness of it. So much of our travel experiences have been this: waiting for planes, trains, buses, taxis, boats. And it is the realness of all of it that I like showing the most because the more real we can show travel to be, the more accessible it feels. The more our travel moments can become an inspiration for somebody else’s travel moment. 

In an industry so deeply steeped in privilege, exclusivity, and wealth, it’s nice to just be able to say, “Hey. So, we saved up our pennies for a road trip through France. It took us two years and then when we got there here are they ways we saved some money...like, not renting a car for when in Paris and taking public transportation.”

It’s nice that my family and I have been able to travel. It’s nicer if those stories inspire another to do the same.
.
.
.
#travelstories #travelmemories #parisfrance #travelstyle #familytravel
I did it! I motivated myself to get up and go outs I did it! I motivated myself to get up and go outside in the snow. And I got hubby to go out with me. It was enough to lift my spirits (been a bit more prone to feeling meh lately - haven’t even felt all the motivated to post on here. How are you all doing, by the way?) and more focused to get some things done today. I also was reminded of how happy the snow makes me and of how beautiful it is where I am when it falls. It’s the little things.
.
.
.
#snowday #newjersey #outdoors #winterwonderland #getoutdoors

Copyright © 2021 Girl Gone Travel | Privacy Policy | Copyright Notice