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Top 18 Vacation Rental Sites like Airbnb to Find Holiday Home

Updated on by in Web Tools

Airbnb is the largest and world’s renowned web service for booking rental properties; from hotels, resorts to boats, manors, and even private islands while you plan your next vacation/travel arrangement. Airbnb earns in the form of commission just like any other rental property transaction works, where the agent or the middleman gets compensated with a spread of commission.

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Established in 2008, it garnered international attention in the year 2011 and naturally brought an influx of worldwide users of the service. Simultaneously, competition rose and currently, many names are circulating in the market that can serve as an alternative to Airbnb.

Before we proceed to provide you with a list of alternatives, let us delve a little as to how Airbnb model operates. There are two parties, “Hosts” and “Guests” who are required to register with Airbnb and subsequently are allowed to take part in the vacation/property rental process. Host being the party who rents and Guest being to whom it’s rented. Strict policies and guidelines ensure that properties listed are legit with proper paperwork. Users can browse (no. of bedrooms/bathrooms, images, owner information) and add properties to their wish lists and can also benefit from the mobile app version of the service.

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Now, what if the said the giant has no property that could interest you on their site? Have you ever considered the possibility? There are only so many properties people own and the pricing structure of Airbnb may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Consequently, what happens is that people switch to the competitors and this is true for any market be it an online marketplace or a physical one. We will take a look at 18 such alternatives in turn and discuss them as an otherwise worthy choice, after Airbnb.

1. Tripping.com
With 8 million properties listed in over 150,000 destinations, this should be your pick if you’re seeking long-term rentals.

2. FlipKey
It was acquired by TripAdvisor back in 2008 and provides both domestic and international destinations to rent the property from. It is known for its low cost, luxurious placements.

3. HomeAway

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Although HomeAway charges 10-50% upfront for reservation but according to company claims, their owners earn up to $12k through their site annually. It also offers a ‘Free-to-List’option to the owners by means of which no upfront charge is incurred only that commission percentage becomes 10%. More suited for both long-term and seasonal owners.

4. VRBO
Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) works similar to Airbnb model and is a subsidiary of HomeAway. Cancellation and payment policies differ depending upon the property at hand but despite having half the number of properties than its parent organization, it is pretty much in the game.

5. HouseTrip
Although relatively new in this online rental bookings league, but is definitely one to watch out for. Hailed as the Airbnb of Europe since it’s located in Lausanne, Switzerland it does not charge the 3% commission, unlike its North American counterpart. So if you’re in Europe, it istime you opted for one your own.

6. VayStays
It is partially a both vacation booking and property management site. Its layout and color scheme are a thing to marvel at whilst browsing. All types of credit cards are accepted and you can select destinations in Mexico, Central America, Carribean, and the US; all of which are a specialty for VayStays.

7. VacayHero

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Previously called Zaranga it hosts 13,000 vacation locales. Payment method is pretty straightforward &without any hassle. Cleaning services are paid for, and only lists purpose built vacation properties.Hence, only the best is available to choose from.

8. Roomorama
Roomorama is based in Singapore and currently has 60,000 plus properties in over 4,000 locales world over. Its visitor traffic is close to 50,000 on a daily basis and the best part about this website is the ‘ShoutOut’ feature – where travelers post a requirement as to what they seek in a rentalproperty and resultantly owners themselves approach the former to ask if their property is a match. You can also get discounts on spas and restaurants when you book via Roomorama.

9. Wimdu
With aregistered user base of millions, this alternative provides a seamless booking and satisfying rental experience. You should give it a go!

10. OneFineStay
OneFineStay delivers on what it promises to be “a fine stay”. Usually, the property listings herein are places where their own staff has spent time and have positive things to say about. So in a way, these listings are handpicked by the staff at OneFineStay. You can also seek advice from locals and read reviews before you make up your mind on a destination of your choice via OFS.

11. 9Flats.com

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Another European entity, although low on property arsenal but is known due to its secure payment methods, including Bitcoin currency. Booking fees are borne by the host at 9Flats.com.

12. Overnight
Joinovernight.com is another such site which deals in rental bookings across Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and New York City.

13. NightSwapping.com
NightSwapping is unique in so many ways; it allows its members’ pool to act as a community. When hosts invite their guests over, they earn Night Credits to redeem for later travels. The only expense is the upfront booking fee of €990 which is inclusive of insrance from international company Allianz. The listings are thoroughly checked and background checks are carried out of members to ensure the security of the community. You can also opt to experience the night at your preferred place before inviting guests for a price.

14. Fridayflats.com
Friday Flats is also a community-based setup that allows for lease/rental arrangement in a cost-effective manner.

15. HomeEscape.com
Upload listings for free. No upfront charge. Pay directly to the owner. As simple as that!

16. GuestHouser.com
An Indian based travel accommodation companion.

17. CouchSurfing
Another hospitality service website that binds the concept of “couch” and “surf”, meaning you get to stay at a host’s couch in their home. An annual fee is charged and users’ accounts are verified upon its payment. The stays are mutually agreed upon by host and the guest.

18. PandaBed.com
PandaBed operations are situated in Singapore, and its prime market is Asia. So if you’re traveling to Asia, PandaBed can be your pick to find unique places, hospitable hosts and at a lesser expense.

Author: Catherine Daisy

Catherine Daisy is a writer for UAE Assignment Writing. She is a rigorous traveler and loves to explore. The author, during his travels, has experienced some of the services mentioned in the piece. She holds a degree in mass communication and is an HR consultant by profession.

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2 Responses to “Top 18 Vacation Rental Sites like Airbnb to Find Holiday Home”

  1. john vincentt says:

    A great list of airbnb like website, very helpful. Actually want to make a website like airbnb but don’t have a coding knowledge. what are the way to make a vacation rental website.

  2. Stewart says:

    Great article! Agree #1 is super helpful.