Taking a trip with your teenage children can be difficult especially if you have no idea how to keep the kids preoccupied throughout your family holiday. Older teens do not find their parents ideal companions during travels and holidays either. They may become restless during the holiday if they have nothing entertaining to do. Teenagers are full of energy that can be released in a number of ways. However, there are various activity holidays for teenagers out there and this post aims to give you some ideas on what you can do to ensure your family has a fantastic holiday.

Sports and Adventure Holidays

Various holiday destinations offer an array of sporting adventures. Active teenagers can indulge in canoeing, quad biking and wild camping. The teenagers can be spoilt for choice with a range of activities such as handball, basketball, tennis, golf, trekking and pony-riding. Some holiday destinations may offer facilities such as games room with pool table, pinball and table football as well as air hockey for indoor entertainment.

You can look up any holiday destination that is an ideal spot for your teenagers to have a great mixture of sport and adventure. The destination can be a great location for outdoor activities such as fishing, whitewater rafting, cycling, kayaking, hiking, swimming, bungee jumping, safaris, paintballing, skiing and mountain biking. Moreover, amusement and theme parks are some attractions for teenagers to enjoy active outdoor activities.

Urban and Cultural Holidays

An urban setting may be appealing to teenagers who are into street culture. Holiday destinations that offer the prospect of cheaper clothes, shoes, sunglasses and entertainment devices may be ideal for such teenagers. There are many things to do during an urban holiday. Teenagers can hangout with their peers and have a great time. A city break can include social activities such as pizza evenings and karaoke nights.

The kids may have a natural curiosity for a city especially if the location is famous for movies, TV shows and video games they like to play. Famous landmarks, bus tours, movie tours may be attractive to them. Other activities that can keep the teenagers busy and out of trouble include shopping, dining, sightseeing and live music nights. They can engage in recreational activities such as painting, photography and learning sessions. A plethora of teen-themed theater entertainment, dance, art exhibitions and film screenings can be ideal.

Teens can also learn the history and culture of the people in a city and surrounding areas by visiting the museums and historical sites. The highlights for cultural holidays can include learning about food, festivals, beliefs and traditions. Teenagers can learn fascinating facts about other people’s way of life that is much different to theirs, which can provide a lifetime of memories.

Beach Holidays

Soaking up the sun while enjoying the cool breeze from the waters can be a relaxing way to spend a holiday. Teenagers who enjoy going to the beach can engage in more water sports such as snorkeling, sailing and diving. Walking along the beaches while enjoying the sand on their feet and collect can also be fun. Wild beaches, beach parties, kite surfing, bonfires, forts, authentic villages and deserts can be fascinating to teenagers who enjoy adventurous beach holidays.

You can look up any holiday destination that is an ideal spot for your teenagers to have a great mixture of sport and adventure. The destination can be a great location for outdoor activities such as fishing, whitewater rafting, cycling, kayaking, hiking, swimming, bungee jumping, safaris, paintballing, skiing and mountain biking. White water rafting around Idaho Springs might just make your teenagers week. To experience the thrill of white water rafting is an adventure with friends. Moreover, amusement and theme parks are some attractions for teenagers to enjoy active outdoor activities.

I’m old enough to remember when travelling was mostly a massive exercise is personal security. I blame American Express, mainly, and their chillingly effective commercials depicting young honeymooners tearfully calling their parents after her purse had been artfully lifted from the back of a chair in an outdoor café, or befuddled senior citizens asking “what WILL we do?”

So naturally packing meant a solidly uncomfortable and, really, totally impractical money-belt with your traveler’s checks and tickets and passports and reservations and traveling meant stripping down and exposing your valuables whenever you went through security or boarded a train or had to pay for something.

ATM cards and just general experience have eliminated the stranglehold the evil geniuses at American Express held on the imagination and the traveler’s check is, thankfully, a thing of the past. Indeed, unless you’re making off with the proceeds of a jewel heist, there’s no reason to have a money-belt anymore at all. Whatever you might have been tempted to put in one has been replaced by the cloud:

ATMs and the Euro are the new currency traders

I still see those dead-eyed money changers at airports and train stations and I wonder who’s left to prey on. Who can still make it to an international airport with nothing but a wad of cash and no way to access their bank account in local currency? In fact no one, as far as I can tell, and by and large their tellers appear to be reduced to the role of ad-hoc information booth.
So don’t ever change your money. The trick is this; whenever you leave somewhere for a destination that uses a different currency than where you are are, be completely out of money. Take cash out of the ATM in small, safe amounts that you can afford to lose and you’re certain to spend or can donate to the World Wildlife Fund at your departure gate.
Incidentally the currency traders still have a revenue stream in their own ATMs. If it need be said, do not use them. Any ATM is going to charge you to access your own damn money but for the currency traders this is all they’ve got left and they can’t let go of the glory days when they had you at their mercy.

The cloud is the new tearful call home

Before you go, scan or photograph your passports, credit cards (just the front, if you’re concerned about hacking) and all your tickets and reservations and either email them to yourself or, even better, upload them to Google Drive or Microsoft Skydrive where you can access them from any computer with an internet connection (ie, any computer). By all means have printouts of whatever tickets or reservations are more convenient as hard-copies but above all know that nothing bad is going to happen. You can lose pretty much everything and so long as you can get online and to your bank or embassy you can get it all back again in 24 hours. The real objective here is not to travel physically lighter but psychically lighter.

E-Tickets are the new tickets-tickets

Just about all western travel can be done these days without issued reservations. There remain some archaic peculiarities, such as the very German train ticketing system in which a ticket entitles you, in practice, to buy a seat. But even these amusing cultural curiosities can be accommodated online and you can almost always select some variation of print-at-home.
I remember when I first encountered print-at-home tickets and being utterly perplexed: what was to prevent me from printing all the tickets I wanted and inviting my friends for unlimited free travel? Of course, apart from the fact that each ticket has a unique and irreproducible code and a scannable motif — usually a QR code — I just wouldn’t do that and neither would most people. This is the evolution in thinking that facilitated e-tickets — the realization that the comfort and convenience of the vast majority of passengers was a more important objective than catching the few cheats.
Refer above to the cloud. By all means print your tickets but don’t have a regularly-scheduled freak-out when you forget where you put them because it doesn’t matter any more — you can print them again or, as often as not, just show the conductor the confirmation on your phone.
Airline e-ticketing tends be even more convenient these days and self check in should be nominated for some sort of Nobel prize. Typically you arrive at the airport (as usual, way, way earlier than you should need to — security theatre has only gotten worse) and scan your passport through a machine which offers you seat selection and prints out your boarding pass. Self check in is such a sea change from the rote torture that, really, wasn’t that long ago that it can seem a little suspicious at first but it’s actually as simple and convenient as it seems.

Carrying a little less paper isn’t going to make your luggage much lighter but that’s always a secondary objective to enjoying where you are and the time spent getting there. So take a little weight off your mind, put it in the cloud, and it’ll follow you wherever you go.

You’re young and you’re single and you’re in Europe. You’re answerable to no one and you’re at your peak and now’s the time for a summer romance. And when you’re travelling you have the unquantifiable advantage of romancing people you don’t know and may never see again and that should give you the courage to make an approach, introduce yourself with an assumed name and personality and even livelihood if you like, and ask out a stranger.

And now what? In your own element in your own country dating is enough of a nerve-testing ordeal, but the downside of visiting someplace new is that you’re visiting someplace new and you probably don’t know where to take a date for a guaranteed good time.

Whatever you were planning on doing as a lone tourist is probably suitable but just in case you think you’ve met the one and want the first date to be one of many then below are some sure-fire, low-budget, conversation-starting, romance-igniting evenings out in some of Europe’s most romantic capitals.

Paris. Midnight picnic on the Seine

For this night out to be a success you need a date, a bottle of wine (or two), one baguette, cheese, sausage and summer. In fact an umbrella and scarves and a positive attitude can spread this into Spring and Autumn. The key to this plan is that it’s not even a little bit unique and you just need to pick a spot and be friendly and you’ll be picnicking with like-minded individuals with all the advantages of a group date without actually needing to know anybody. When you’ve sufficiently impressed one another a private romantic walk along the Seine is exactly one step away. Quai des Grands Augustins is on the left bank of the Seine facing Ile de la Cité and, hence, Notre Dame. Of the various midnight picnic spots this has probably the best view and you’ll find a nice mix of young people following this very advice. Further East toward the Sorbonne you get a slightly denser and more local crowd of university students playing bongos and guitars and speaking mostly in French. Pont des Arts is very convivial and probably the most touristy but has the only slight drawback of thousands of padlocks woven into the railing by lovers observing this recent and, as of lately, rather annoying tradition of symbolically locking their love to the bridge and throwing the keys into the river. The rebel crowd climbs over the fence to drink wine and smoke drugs on the western point of Ile de la Cité which, as a municipal park, closes at 21:00.

London. Pub comedy

You need to eat and you could probably stand a pint anyway so a pub is an ideal first date for a couple of strangers just arriving in London. First dates can be awkward, though, and the safer option might be to make sure there’s a distraction. And you’re in London, home of pub comedy, so that distraction might just as well be hilarious.
The Comedy Store off Leicester Square is probably the best pub comedy in London but it’s also the most polished, professional and pricey. Don’t go there on a first date. Go instead to the Comedy Café or the Lion’s Den or just look in Pub Comedy under Standup in Time Out magazine. Try to make a point of selecting something near where you’re staying and go on open-mic night for the friendliest atmosphere and by the end of the night you and your date will have at least one thing in common.

Milan. Buskers in Navigli

The sure-fire first date in Milan for tourists is the sure-fire any date for everyone in Milan – Navigli. Navigli is a residential quarter with a canal running through it and at night it’s lit up and festive and scenic in the way that only slightly run-down neighborhoods around dry canals can be when the sun goes down. An evening in Navigli can be a very economical date if you install yourself in one of the bars with outdoor seating (they all have outdoor seating) restrict yourself to wine or beer and the bruschetta and chips they give you as accompaniment to your drinks. That’s dinner and drinks sorted, now you just need a little light entertainment and your natural charms can do the rest.
And that’s where Navigli really comes through. Evenings by the canal are a non-stop parade of talented buskers, jugglers and, for some reason, fire-eaters. It’s a spectacle made all the more remarkable by how unexpected it is so I suggest bringing your date to Navigli for drinks as the sun is setting and acting all coy until the show starts.

Amsterdam. Free boat tour

Amsterdam is all about the water (and the drugs and prostitution but this is a FIRST date) and it’s easy to take a guided tour or hire your own boat and get lost. These options are expensive, though, and require maybe more commitment than a first date should and there’s little sexier than knowing a secret city-hack like a free boat tour. Behind the central station is a ferry dock that doesn’t offer so much free tours as an indispensable service to bicycle commuters who live on the other side of the river. But you don’t have to live on the other side of the river and you can go back and forth as you please and there are several routes lasting from ten to twenty minutes. The Buiksloterweg crossing lasts the longest and they all run with varying frequencies on a 24-hour schedule.

If your city’s not here or if the season’s wrong or some dark trauma from your childhood has rendered you incapable of enjoying pub comedy, remember the advice from above and just do whatever you were going to do if you hadn’t met this charming travel companion. There are also some generic guidelines that are almost guaranteed experiences in any city: a lot of museums have one night a week that they stay open late, a campus is never devoid of a group in which a charming couple of travelers would be welcome and if there’s a beach then just don’t forget to pack for a moonlit picnic.

I’m from an American family where holidays are very important. Like, biblically important. Despite living on (and perpetually traveling around) an entirely different continent than the rest of my family, I honestly cannot imagine not coming home for the holidays.

I’m not sure what it would look like – but it wouldn’t be pretty.

The joys of coming home for the holidays are twofold. First off, I can rest easy knowing my mother won’t begin the process of disowning me in the new year. Secondly (and more importantly,) I get the chance to be home with the people I love. It’s hard to keep in touch when I’m away! But coming home often also elicits the oft-asked question of what the heck I’m supposed to do with all this downtime?

Here’s a list of things I generally do when I’m home for a prolonged amount of time in between travels. No promises they’ll work for you, and I can’t say I’m proud of all of them. But they all kind of average out to a mildly productive holiday break.

1. Download, edit and upload photos

I take approximately four million pictures per trip (roughly) and then they take up space on my memory cards for up to months thereafter. I guard those little gigs like precious rings, but it takes me a while to muster up the energy to truly sort through them, edit them and then create Flickr sets or Facebook albums or whatever. Being home is a great time to do this, plus it’s a nice segue into sharing pictures with family and friends.

2. Watch obscene amounts of television 

Besides Barcelona football matches in bars, I rarely (if ever) watch television while I’m away from home. So when I make my epic return to the epic flat screen at my mom’s place, I somehow turn into a total TV junkie. I am frankly blown away by how easy it is to waste incredible amounts of time in front of a television. And I am totally not better than that.

3. Hang out with my grandma 

My grandma is awesome, and I really do miss her when I’m away. Plus, she’s definitely the matriarch of our family, meaning that quality time with her goes along way to reestablish my cred in the family. So I am open to all manner of help she may need around the house, which often comes with pea soup and a genuine feeing of love and warmth that kind of makes me never want to leave.

4. Bake

I love to bake, but it’s a luxury (in terms of time, money and space) i really can’t afford while on the road. So when I’m home for the holidays (a perfect excuse to bake if there ever was one,) I really go to town. Chocolate chip cookies, apple pies, and French macarons are suddenly cooling on every available surface space of my mother’s house. Plus then I have all these great gifts to give for Christmas, which serves as an excuse to visit old friends and also saves me from eating my way into a bigger pants size before I leave again.

5. Plan my next trip

Nothing like being stagnant for weeks at a time to motive a chronic under-planner to start breaking out the guide books and maps. I create wildly ambitious future plans for myself for the first half of my stint home, and then spend the second half paring them down into realistic adventures. It’s awesome to have the time to plan like that, and usually means my first trip back on the road is the best planned of all.

Photo Credit: John-Morgan

You’ve spent countless hours researching the perfect destination for your big holiday. You have taken every precaution to acquire and pack everything you may need, from common over the counter remedies for ailments you may across while on holiday to every type of garment you may possibly need. You arrange for transportation, arrive at the airport early, and set out on your marvellous holiday. So what’s wrong with this scenario? You’ve forgotten the most important thing needed in any holiday: travel insurance.

Many travellers roll their eyes or let out a sigh at the mention of it. As mentioned above, you’ve been exceedingly careful in planning and executing every bit of your holiday. What on earth could you need travel insurance for? For the unexpected! Because no one ever expects to be left with no luggage on a tropical island, or to be forced to pay full price for a pre-booked holiday that was cancelled at the last minute by the travel company who now gets to keep your hard-earned money because you didn’t read every line of the booking agreement you signed. Or worse, to find yourself injured and in need of medical care in a foreign place that wants to charge you thousands of pounds just to provide with medically necessary treatment. If these are not scenarios you want to face on your next holiday then keep reading.

Holiday insurance isn’t a big block of unnecessary protection on things you care nothing about. Contrary to popular belief, travel insurance can be altered to fit your exact needs. You can chose specific amounts for your baggage, health, and cancellation insurance to fit your budget and keep you perfectly protected. This way, if your luggage is lost, you need medical treatment, or have to cancel your trip at any time for any reason, you are protected from potentially thousands of pounds lost or spent in bills.

On your next holiday, be sure not to forget the most important step in your travel planning to ensure you enjoy your holiday with the peace of mind that comes with being protected.

Travel vaccinations should not be viewed as a simple precaution, they should be looked at as vital protection for anyone travelling abroad. According to the NHS, one in four British travellers heading to parts of the world known for being home to infectious disease travels without having had vaccinations.

Some people assume that because they are not particularly prone to getting ill at home, they will more than likely be OK abroad. But places in Asia and Africa expose you to diseases you will not have had to deal with in the UK, and if the body is not prepared, you can fall ill quite easily. Having perhaps saved for months to be able to afford that dream holiday, it’s not worth risking having it spoiled by illness, which could then mean having to meet hefty medical bills or even pay for repatriation.

The first thing to consider is what type of vaccinations you will likely need. This handy interactive NHS guide allows you to isolate your destination(s) and find out what diseases you may be at risk of if you travel there. For example, if you select ‘Thailand’ it recommends looking into vaccinations for typhoid, diphtheria, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B and cholera, as well as giving some brief information on each disease.

Another reason not to overlook vaccinations is the fact that many of them are available for free! Speak to your GP about what vaccinations are available to you on the NHS, but you can get an idea from this section of the health service’s website. Some immunisations will have to be paid for privately but don’t let this put you off; most are available from high-street chemists such as Lloyds pharmacy and are not expensive – especially when compared to the potential cost of getting treatment for the disease abroad.

Obviously, doing research about the vaccinations you’ll need and having them done can take a little time, so don’t wait until the last minute. Travel vaccinations should be part of your holiday preparations every time you go away, and bear in mind that some treatments must be taken over the course of a few weeks, or you might need a period of watching for adverse reactions to these shots before you travel anywhere.

So you wish to put your travel shoes on again? Want to globe-trot and see cultures, customs and traditions very different from your’s? Feel like meeting new people and exploring new landscapes that nature has to offer? Indeed, there is no better joy than travelling! Right from the planning stage to the actual travel experience leaves such a deep impression on one’s mind and teaches you a whole new things that it changes at times your very approach towards life.  This write-up will hopefully give you some insight on what needs to be done to fulfil this insatiable need that some of us have!

Very often if you are a lone traveller, you tend to feel a little homesick of unconnected with international calling costing a bomb.  However, with technology at your behest you can now stay connected at all times and give your folks back home some peace of mind. Try new calling cards and free calling options from your laptop. If you are a lady travelling or backpacking alone, this is a must as it ensures safety and connectivity while you are on your toes. If you are travelling in a group, safety is not much of a concern, nor is connectivity as long as one person in the group carries a cell phone or has a laptop with VOIP options. All you need to do is find an Internet hotspot close by and the rest is taken care of. Preparing an itinerary is a must when you think of travelling whether locally or even more so, internationally. You could search for all the information you need on lonely planet. Their website offers exhaustive information and so do their travel guides. It is essential to take into account the likes and dislikes of all, if you are moving in company. Have activities that all will enjoy and you must ensure some adventure if you have kids on board!

Once the destination is finalised, you need to put in place all travel documents and start making arrangements for that extra cash. Remember, when you are travelling, uncalled for expenses are very frequent and very often you will end yourself in a soup if you do not have suitable arrangements made to the effect. Take care of all the visa formalities much in advance so that it does not become a headache at the last minute. Prepare a check list of all the items to be taken with you and make sure you have all the shopping done with sufficient time left to pack.

A few things to remember while on your toes are – always carry your passports on you, even when you are sight-seeing as it is always safer to have them on you instead of leaving them at hotels. If you have not booked your accommodation in advance, go to the local municipal tourist office and they will provide you with all the information required in terms of places to visit, visiting hours for popular tourist destinations etc. You can also get maps and plan your travel whilst on the move. Sometimes, it is better to go for package travel deals if you are travelling in a sizeable number as you might avail yourself of a lot of discounts.

And last but not the least; do not forget to take your camera and batteries along! You must not let these moments go uncaptured as there is nothing better than having a sip of coffee and looking at your beautiful collections of memories together years and years later!

Renting out a holiday home can be a great source of income all year round. However, with so many holiday homes available making sure that yours stands out from the crowd is essential if you are to ensure that it’s not left empty for most of the year.

1. Get a glossy brochure printed

One of the best ways to grab people’s attention is to develop a good brochure printing that not only describes the facilities available at the holiday home, but also describes the properties unique selling points, such as facilities available nearby, proximity to key tourist spots and utilities and other interesting content. The brochure also needs to have good photos that showcase the holiday home, preferably both the interior and the exterior, in good light.

People interested in holiday homes are invariably travelers who research and like to take informed decisions. The brochure aids such travelers. In any case, a brochure is indispensible to market the holiday home amidst the other competing accommodation option. It is easy and convenient to post the digital version of the brochure when replying to advertisement made at travel forums or elsewhere.

2. Improve visibility

People who rent holiday homes are invariably short-term visitors. As such, it is important to advertise the holiday home on an almost continuous basis. Good places to advertise the holiday home online are at various travel portals and travel forums. Offline advertising also pays. For instance, the brochure at the popular stores in the nearby tourist spots would increase visibility among tourists. Even if the tourists who pick up such brochures already have accommodation, they may pass it on to their friends or would try it out during their next visit.

3. Use Neutral Décor

Aesthetics and décor play an important role in the saleability of the holiday home, but resist the temptation to spruce up the holiday home with some exotic décor. Neutral décor works best in a holiday home. The guests are invariably short stay visitors who seek to spend the limited time at their disposal exploring the various sights or indulging in the activities on offer, rather than spend time at the holiday home. If the guests prefer to stay indoors most of the time, they would rather book a resort than avail a holiday home.

In any case, a neutral look and colour palette is a safe option should appeal to the widest range of tastes. Any other décor may put off some prospective clients, for personal tastes vary. Rather, seek to make the place look more attractive by complementing the décor with colourful yet simple and standard accessories and quality furniture. It is important to de-clutter the area as well, and opt for a consistent pattern across all rooms.

4. Maintain the facilities

Maintaining the facilities at your holiday home and paying attention to the little details to ensure that everything is taken care of is essential if you want holidaymakers to return year after year. Leaky faucets, lights not working, dirty linen and broken furniture is sure to put off any traveller.

These days reviewing holiday homes online as well as word of mouth recommendations means that you can’t afford to have people dissatisfied with their experience staying at your holiday accommodation. Clean and well-maintained facilities help in positive reviews, increasing the chances of more customers in the long-term.

5. Be flexible

Flexibility in rescheduling dates to the extent possible, providing discounts to repeat clients or long stay clients, offering commissions to agents who bring in clients, providing some additional service such as pick up or drop to clients who make a specific request and more, all contribute to impressing your clients. The best advertisement for a holiday home is a happy customer and as such the holiday homeowner should go to all lengths in meeting all the legitimate requirements of the clients and accommodate their demands where possible.

Snowboarding and skiing are two popular winter pastimes across all age groups and skill levels. Skiing has been a popular winter spot from time immemorial whereas snowboarding became a popular in the 1970s.

Both snowboarding and skiing involve traveling across snow in high speed. The basic difference between these two activities is the technique adopted and the equipment in use. A snowboarder navigates the snow by standing sideways using a single, wide board. A skier navigates the snow facing forward, using one or two narrow skis.

Equipment

A basic difference between snowboarding vs. skiing is the equipment used. Snowboarders use a single, wide board, which is similar to a surfboard or a large skateboard. In addition, the snowboarder also wears boots attachable to the board using bindings. The bindings ensure that the toes face one side of the board, either left or right, depending on the snowboarder’s preference.

The skier uses a ski for each foot, and in addition, uses ski poles for balance, to turn and to propel. The ski pole comes with a grip on one end and a pointed tip at the other end. It also features a strap that fixes the pole to the user’s hand or wrist firmly. The skier also uses bindings to attach the boots to the skis, with one binding per ski.

Both skiers and snowboarding wear specialized outdoor pants. The design and style of ski pants vary from the design and style of snowboarding pants, both serve the same purpose of comfort, preserving warmth, preventing water absorption, and protecting the skin from wind. For more information about the kinds of equipment you might need try MadDogSki-a resource for those considering going snowboarding.

Terrain

Skiing is possible on almost all terrains, including mountain slopes, undulating hillsides and flats. The poles allow the skiers to propel forward or navigate wooded terrain. Snowboarding, on the other hand, requires a flat descending surface.

Similarly, snowboards require powder and crud surface to excel whereas skiers perform well even in bumpy and ice surfaces.

Technique

Snowboarding and skiing are popular winter pastimes, but both require considerable skill to master and attract their fair share of dangers.

Comparing snowboarding vs. skiing, snowboarding is more difficult to learn and usually take longer time to master. Snowboarding also require considerably better athletic skills compared to skiing. Snowboarding is more taxing as well as snowboarders need to sit or exert energy constantly to remain on edge while stationary. In skiing, the poles help remain upright and standing when stationery. Snowboarding however is easier on the knees.

Snowboarding is riskier than skiing, for balancing on a single board, without poles, is more challenging. Two separate skis and the poles give the skiers greater balance and control, allowing them to turn or navigate away from dangers such as rock or trees, or stop more quickly and easily.

Both snowboarders and skiers are prone to injuries. The biggest risk in snowboarding is wrist injury whereas the biggest risk in skiing is knee injury. Both these sports have their share of fatal injuries owing to accidents, and in this regard, both are equally dangerous or safe. While skiers have more control, the control makes them move faster, thereby make them more accident-prone.

You’ve got the flights booked, accommodations reserved, activities planned, and everything else you could possibly think of for your upcoming trip. The only thing that’s left is what to do with your house. If you’re going away for an extended period do you really feel comfortable leaving it unattended?

There are so many things that could happen while you are gone – a robbery, a fire, flooding and natural disasters. So, instead of leaving your house vacant and vulnerable, why not charge someone to occupy it?

If you live in tourist destination city or near popular attractions, you can lease out your home as a vacation rental. That way, you can have the peace of mind knowing that it is being cared for and that you will profit from the rental fee.

Determine a Price

According to expert mortgage brokers, vacation rentals tend to go for a higher rate than a home on the market because of the shorter lease period. Those who live in top vacation cities, near beaches or mountain resorts are in a great position to rent. If you live in a town where there is a large convention or fare going on you may also be able to take advantage of the high demand for accommodations and charge more. To help find right price for your house, research the market to find out what other rentals in the area are going for.

Understand the Regulations

Technically, a lease is 30 days or longer. If you’re renting your home out for less than that, then it is considered a license. With a license, you may have to pay certain taxes, but as a renter, you do have more control over the agreement.

Advertise the Rental

First, tell friends and family. Let them know that you are leaving and that you are looking to rent out your home. They may have suggestions or friends who would want to use the house. It may also be beneficial to create a listing on websites. Upload pictures that accurately show the property and the surrounding area. In your description, the amenities of the home and the main attractions nearby.

Pick Renters Carefully

Ask potential renters several questions, such as the purpose of the trip and the number occupants and their ages. Perform a thorough background check and ask for references. Picking a renter comes down to whoever you trust to be in your home and keep it in good condition.

Security

To ensure that your home remains safe and unharmed, experts suggest asking for as much money as possible upfront. Some websites like Airbnb and Home Away, which are designed to help homeowners lease their homes provide some sort of security deposit or p