Top 10 Airbnb Alternatives

This article originally appeared on Arrest Your Debt and has been republished here with permission. 

Traveling and exploring places has been every individual’s desire to express both happiness and sadness. In this modern world, the growth of technology has brought the possibility of getting things done right from where we are. 

The modernization has made not just travel but also all the variants related to it very seamless. Airbnb is the first option that comes to our minds when we think of this topic, isn’t it? But then there are many more to it. Well, let’s spend the next few minutes discovering the other top Airbnb alternatives that can make our traveling experience better and save money at the same time.

1. TripAdvisor

If we look for the most trusted, oldest, and largest Airbnb alternative, the first choice will undoubtedly be TripAdvisor. The company has been gulping up the other companies’ rental properties and apartments. These include Holidaylettings, FlipKey, and HouseTrip.

Adding up all these properties together with those that TripAdvisor possesses, its total possessions come up to 8,30,000 – 1 million that too in more than 190 countries worldwide. This has become an added advantage to the clients as there is absolutely no shortage for booking throughout the year. 

Another advantage of this website is that it has a complete review system for every property it possesses. Apart from all this, what makes people interested in TripAdvisor is that it also allows clients to book rental cars and other required travel services and flight bookings on a single roof.

Its 400,000,000 million reviews regarding travel are not limited to just the rented apartments. Instead, it also includes the reviews related to restaurants, tourist attractions, bars, etc., which has always attracted travelers.

2. Booking.com

One of the most familiar and well-known sites that anyone could have used is Booking.com. Its astonishing deals, along with cancellation policies with less or no charge, have made it people’s preferable choice. Still, many are not aware of the possibility of booking even the properties for rent on the website itself.

This includes the apartments and luxury villas in the home city or country and makes it possible for you to book your property anywhere in the world.

The company has its properties located and available in more than 200 countries and provinces across European countries such as the United Kingdom and France. With more than 6 million listed properties in their books, do you think there will be any shortage? Absolutely not.  

3. Trivago

Trivago is a company based in Germany. It gives a comparison of prices of more than 1.8 million hotels from 400+ booking websites. Although it deals with 1.8 million, it is still seen as less than bookings.com, which isn’t listed here.

Despite its comparatively fewer resources, its familiarity among the public is pretty strong, and hence it stands in the fourth rank among the top traveling websites.

4. Vrbo (Later taken over by Expedia)

From 1995, one of the very earliest websites that initiated connecting travelers with apartment beholders was Vrbo. It stands for Vacation Rentals By Owners. Presently, it is owned and managed by the renowned Expedia Group and is a great alternative to Airbnb.

Recently in the year 2019, VRBO was newly branded from VRBO to Vrbo, meaning ver-boy. And following this newness, properties from other properties owned by Expedia were added to the list of Vrbo to unify all their vacation rentals into a single website. 

And thus, they have more significantly expanded their property listing numbers. Vrbo indeed takes pride in its additional properties that are not listed among other competitors such as Airbnb. Apart from this, Vrbo possesses more than two million listings as options for travelers to choose from, and this aspect has indeed become one of the primary lookouts for new travelers.

Today, Vrbo’s properties can be recognized worldwide in more than 180 countries with undeniable reputation, especially in North America and Europe.                              

5. Plum Guide

Initiated in the year 2016, Plum Guide is a company that presently offers more than 10,000 apartments and properties on rent for vacations. Although the company is based in London, Plum Guide has situated its properties in almost all the major cities and tourist-attracting places such as Paris, Los Angeles, etc.

Its expansion has been more significant, and currently, Plum Guide has situated its properties even in smaller towns and rural areas.

Although the rental website for Plum Guide and Airbnb vacations is identical, there is a vast difference in the way the former deals with the properties. Plum Guide is very conscientious when it comes to the properties listed under them.

They even send their workforce team or crew to investigate, evaluate, and finalize the property according to the preplanned checklist.

Plum Guide never compromises on the popularity of the properties and thus always prefers the best-rated ones. And with this, the company adds an added advantage to the clients as they don’t have to look through the vast listings to make up their minds for a perfect vacation spot.  

6. Hotels.com  

Since its establishment in 1991, Hotels.com has always remained one of the familiar traveler’s websites. Its central focus is on hotels and accommodations rather than flights or transportation bookings. Most of their properties are located in North America. 

The familiarity of the website has remained among the public as a result of its employee loyalty program. According to Hotels.com’s client loyalty program, if someone is a regular customer of the website and once booking for ten stays are done, the client gets an added stay as a reward.

7. Homestay

Homestay indeed has uniqueness in comparison to the Airbnb alternatives that we have discussed so far. It extricates itself by enabling the travelers to meet the property hosts or the families. In other words, Homestay offers hosted experiences that attract travelers the most.

Added to this, the company makes sure that either breakfast or brunch is included by default.                    

Homestay’s properties are primarily located in European countries and cities. Namely, the United Kingdom, Sydney, London, etc. And presently, the company has its properties in about 150 countries around the world.

However, the only challenge that Homestay faces is that of property shortage compared to the other sites. This may lead to the difficulty of the travelers in finding a property and getting it booked. Apart from this, the company is experiencing considerable growth with each passing year with the available resources and is on their efforts in expanding their properties.

8. Cottages.com

This company is the one that is more focused on providing the Britishers and planning holidays for the people in the United Kingdom. However, Cottages.com can be used and checked out by people traveling and need accommodation to places like the United Kingdom, France, Italy, etc. 

Cottages.com possesses more than 20000 properties, primarily situated in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, etc. The company’s focus has always remained classy and comfortable cottages or villas for their clients. Added to it, most of their possessions are in the countryside, coastal, and other small-town locations with beautiful and attractive sceneries.

This is one aspect that has kept the clients always in a queue for their bookings. And as a result, Cottages.com has remained one of the best options for people who still enjoy nature.     

9. Marriott Homes & Villas

The following website that we will discuss is a familiar one and best known for its hotel or property dealings on an international range, called Marriott. Again in the year 2019, the company relaunched itself as Marriott Homes & Villas. This step was basically taken to upgrade the company.

Marriott typically deals with providing luxurious vacation accommodation in villas, condos, etc., for its clients on rent. 

The company possesses more than 20,000 properties in more than 200 locations around the world. Another uniqueness of Marriott Homes & Villas is that they neither own the properties nor lease them. Instead, all their properties are skillfully and efficiently managed by the regional management organizations on behalf of the beholders.

The 200 locations where Marriott Homes & Villas has its properties situated include Latin, Europe, Africa, Middle East, etc. Choosing this particular company is one of the better choices for those who love luxury. Marriott Bonvoy even offers its members to earn points and redeem them as a part of their planned program.

10. Turnkey

Another familiar Airbnb alternative, especially in the United States, is Turnkey. At present, the company has 5000+ properties in more than 80 locations just in the US. Besides that, Turnkey’s properties are also situated in other states such as Florida, Colorado, California, etc.

Turnkey’s specialization includes premium luxury homes and apartments for vacation, with properly managed support to owners and customers. Its properties furnished with kitchens, easy check-in process, and cost-free WiFi availability is an added advantage for the clients that Turnkey offers.

Conclusion

The above-listed Airbnb alternatives are excellent choices that can be considered in making your travel experience most cherishing. Tap into your sinking funds and make the right choice taking into consideration all the necessary aspects. Make sure that what you choose is worth spending and have a pleasant vacation.

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