Vacation Travel And Tourism News
Search Our Site

This Week's Top 25 Travel Deals!
Looking For A REAL Travel Deal?
Your Guide To Top Travel Specials.
Order 100's Of FREE Travel Brochures!
"Premier Specialty Tours, Lodges and Outfitters around the world. Search from over 14,000 extraordinary trips. Get advice directly from the suppliers."

Search Travel Deals From 100+ Sites At Once "Compare Hundreds Of Travel Websites With Just One Click..." Internet Shopping


Alternatives for Business Travelers


"I'm coming home. I've been away too long. Been away so long. I'm coming home" - Ian Thomas, in Coming Home

I still recall my road warrior days. It seemed like every other week, I was hopping on a plane for Orlando or Vancouver or Palm Springs or Washington or Chicago or Toronto.

It might not be Rome, Paris, and Monte Carlo, but Washington, Toronto and Orlando are pretty classy places. I went to crucial meetings. I was an important person. I was a frequent flyer.

However, after a while, all the towns begin to look the same. One airport hotel looks amazingly like another. Surely the taxi driver in Washington and the taxi in Orlando were twins separated at birth. I was yearning to just stay put. I had had enough of hotels and restaurants

Traveling sounds glamorous until you have to do it over and over and over. Especially when you have a family, you want to spend some time at home between the episodes of jet lag. Comfort becomes a much bigger deal, and you want every place to feel like home.

You just can't do that in a hotel. Not in a Marriott. Not in a Sheraton. Not in a Hilton.

I wish I knew then about two other options.

Private Vacation Homes (or rental villas)

Private vacation homes, known also as holiday homes or villas are essentially houses that rent on a weekly basis. They are not much help for fly-in meetings. For those, only an airport hotel will do.

But if you plan to be in town for the better part of the week, there is nothing like kicking back in your own private home - a rental home, of course.

"Hotel rooms are cramped; a villa is spacious with room to walk about. Hotel rooms have a TV and desk in the bedroom; a villa has surround sound TV and stereo with comfortable couches and chairs in various parts of the home. A hotel has a public pool; a villa has a private pool," says Florida villas rental agent Stewart Granville. "It's private. It's comfortable. It's like a home away from home."

Mr. Granville notes that a vacation home rental also serves as an office away from home, with one room dedicated to the office. "In a villa, you don't have to sit on your bed when you type those memos. And what a great way to entertain business contacts."

Mr. Granville specializes in villas in America's vacation heartland: Orlando, Florida. Business travelers often bring their family along to enjoy Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and other famous theme parks. The family plays while the business traveler works. When the meetings are over, they all head for Disney together, perhaps for another week. With family in tow, a private rental home makes much more sense than a crowded hotel room.

Bed and Breakfasts

Bed and Breakfasts are also an option. Although they do not offer the same privacy and space as villas, they are warmer and more homey than a hotel. And like a hotel, they rent by the night, not by the week.

Is a bed and breakfast for you? If a relaxing atmosphere is more important to you than room service, a bed and breakfast is for you, yes. They are comfortable and relaxing, so the business traveler can walk confidently into his meeting free from stress and worries.

Bed and Breakfasts are growing more popular for weekend getaways in the country, but most major urban centers have bed and breakfasts right in the heart of the city...and these are ideal for road-weary business travelers.

So forget about room service and the mint on the pillow. For a stay of several days, the business traveler can rent a spacious, private vacation villa. And for just a night or two, it's a warm and comfortable bed and breakfast.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is a freelance writer, and an online and offline publicity specialist. Contact him at: mailto:info@thehappyguy.com

or visit his website at: http://www.thehappyguy.com

For Florida vacation villa rentals: http://www.lastminutevillas.net

For Orlando vacation home rentals: http://www.orlandovillaowners.com


MORE RESOURCES:

RV Vacations Are Least Expensive, Study Shows
FOXBusiness - 20 hours ago
PKF Consulting, an international consulting firm with expertise in travel and tourism, found that "typical RV family vacations are on average 27 to 61 ...


Those glorious summer vacations of old
Riverside Brookfield Landmark, IL - 9 hours ago
Because we had such gloriously long summer vacations! I swear it was so, with uncrossed fingers. Our vacations lasted nearly a whole three months, ...


Luxury travel less affected by poor economy
USA Today - 15 hours ago
Instead of seeking outright opulence, many travelers are now seeking vacations that educate as well as entertain. Travelers are seeking out language ...


Melchior calls for shortening 'dangerous' school vacations
Jerusalem Post, Israel - Jul 7, 2008
"Vacations for pupils have gone beyond reason. It has become very hard for parents, and the vacations become dangerous for the children who run around ...


Now, firms let staff take vacations when they want
Economic Times, India - Jul 7, 2008
Michael Kirven, 38, and Eric Berridge, 39, didn't worry about a vacation policy when they started Bluewolf, their New York IT consulting firm, in 2000. ...


VACATIONS AND HEALTH.
Journal of American Medical Association (subscription), IL - 16 hours ago
Vacations are taken mainly with the idea of improving health, yet it often happens that people return to their homes suffering from some form of ill health ...


Inland Empire News

Vacations downsized, airlines fight fuel costs
Inland Empire News, CA - 15 hours ago
ONTARIO--Vacations and summer travel are shifting into high gear. But, high fuel prices may keep some people from reaching overdrive. ...


Save Up To 40% On Vacations To: US Destinations, Mexico, Caribbean ...
Earthtimes (press release), UK - 23 hours ago
MILWAUKEE , July 8 /PRNewswire/ -- United Vacations is helping customers book affordable vacation packages to all US destinations (including Hawaii ) ...


Insurance a benefit on summer vacations
Newton Kansan, KS - 21 hours ago
When taking summer vacations or other long-distance trips, rarely does the average person think their personal items might come up missing — especially with ...


The golden road — Summer family vacations create powerful memories
Deseret News, UT - Jul 7, 2008
By Carma Wadley If you are of an age — say a baby boomer or thereabouts — you probably remember the summer family vacation. It probably went something like ...
What family travel cost in 1954 Deseret News
all 2 news articles

vacations - Google News

Home | site map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
View Hundreds Of Free Travel Guides And Articles All In One Place.