European Rental Villas for the shoestring budget traveller?

Don’t you hate when people start or title a travel piece with a rhetorical question? But seriously. On your backpacking adventures, typically the first buzzword that comes to mind regarding budget friendly lodging needs is…hostel. Depending on your geographic locale or lingo, maybe it’s guesthouse, bed, or dorm. Couch or floor will do if you’re a couch surfer. But nevertheless, resort and villa are typically terms out of the question. In an independent or small group setting, this is probably rightfully so. However, in a larger yuppie backpacking/flashpacking group setting, villas and vacation rentals might not be so far out of question. I said it…yes..vacation rentals. Hear me out.

First, what am I talking about with vacation rentals and villas? Well, I’m talking about self catered apartments or homes. Considering a few nights at a mid level hotel or resort will run the same as a month’s rent from a nearby apartment, there are a plethora of vacation rentals out there. Finding them is the tricky part. Fortunately, the interwebs revolution has helped out and given us a few tools. First is HomeAway the legit short term rental website that has gotten some recent love from TechCrunch for its apps.

HomeAway’s European flavor comes in OwnersDirect that serves some of the Euro/UK demand. Both legit, comprehensive, and a good place to start.

So..a quick budget travel, villa feasibility analysis after my twelve minutes of research and high level thinking.

First fact: Budget friendly ‘villa’ gems - they do exist at 30-40 euros/night.. 200 euros/week. Perusing both villas in Greece and villas in Majorca, cheap apartment rentals are present, but definitely are a minority.

Vacation Rental Pros

• Off the Beaten Path - if you’re a slow traveler looking for some relaxation off the beaten path, vacation rentals are probably for you. You may be in a less bumpin’ locale further away from the clubz, but the feeling of a home and culture could be more prevalent.
• Comfort - Getting to share a home with a group of friends on a foreign beach with a pool might be more comfortable than your bunk in a hostel dorm.

Cons

• Social - Meeting other travelers in hostels is easy and bomb. Let’s be real. Secluding yourself to a rental might inhibit the ability to run into rando travelers.
• Effort - Planning and making reservations beforehand is a novel idea to many, and = effort that many of us don’t want to put in. Simply showing up at a hostel at 11pm is a little pleasure in life not offered here.
• Uncertainty - we fear what we do not know. I know cheap guesthouses, not vacation homes and the best practices involved in short term rentals.

Bottom Line: PRICE. Personally, vacation homes vs. hostels in a group travel setting would be a push for me in most cases. What I’m intrigued most by is the price. A 2 bedroom Greek apartment for 40 euros/night, split 4-5 ways seems bomb for a long short-term stay. Plus, it’s something different, and variation is always good. I should end with a rhetorical sentence as well, right?