Seven Must Have Rental Criteria

Accommodations are the biggest expense when traveling and they can make or break our opinion a out a town or city you visit. We have been lucky enough to "choose correctly" when picking our accommodations from the vast landscape of destination choices. You've seen the deadlines about short-term rental pushing prices out of reach for locals and we stand behind that disappointing reality. However, in sustainable travel as we are choosing, there must be a balance between accomodation choices. For example, if we will be in a location for a few days or a week, we prefer to use hotels. We can go out to eat and even feel pampered when they change the towels or make the bed. But, if we are going to a destination for two weeks or a month, an apartment stay is a better choice for us. Why? Becasue, at that length we need a washer and a kitchen which apartments tend to have. We are choosing to LIVE in another country. We are not on a permanent vacation. We don't want a personal maid. To us, using a short-term rental for a month is the best way to immerse ourselves in the local culture.

Therefore, our personal Must Have Rental Criteria will depend on the situation. We have to consider the length of stay, activities planned for that area, if we will have guests, and other factors. For the most part, these are what we choose when staying more than 1 week in a single accommodation:

1. Single, private apartment, home, condo etc. (No hostels or stays where someone else is living in the same space(s).
2. Private Bathroom.
3. Kitchen with stovetop, fridge, pots, utensils etc.
4. Wi-Fi (don’t expect high speed access regardless of what it says or even reviews say. Also don’t expect it to work consistently).
5. AC/Heat
6. Washer. Many, possibly most European homes do not have a dryer. Most will have a drying rack, but not all will. Making a dryer a must, will severely limit your choices in this region. Be prepared to wash clothes almost daily and hang dry them on a rack in or outdoors.
7. Suitable location. I have mobility issues that flare up and make it necessary for us to evaluate where our location is in relation to several things. Grocery store. Public transportation. Known or reported safety issues. Another reason we “walk” the area on a map program. Sometimes we arrive at a location and are able to zip on down the road and grab some groceries within the first couple hours without even consulting our phones because we recognize the features we already viewed on our “Walks”.