Seaside Oregon is just 90 minutes from the heart of Portland which is the largest city in Oregon. With such close proximity, Seaside is a popular vacation destination for many Oregonians. There are many options for accommodation when visiting Seaside and more and more people are exploring vacation rentals as a great way to save money and experience this beautiful town like the natives do.

Seaside vacation rentals afford all of the amenities that you enjoy at home with the privacy that hotels don’t provide. The fully equip kitchens allow you to save money on food and with more than one room available you can split the cost or accommodate more people with one unit.

There are many different companies that you can use to find vacation rentals and most of these can be accessed online so you can look through pictures and rates to narrow down the perfect company you want to use. I would suggest www.thevacationbug.com .

Seaside has many different shopping and dining options to choose from and its friendly streets encourage you to stop and enjoy without the hassle of parking meters and traffic. Stroll up and down the promenade boardwalk and visit the many boutiques, antique shops and art galleries.

If you are a history buff you will enjoy the many attractions Seaside has to offer including the destination point for the Lewis & Clark expedition marked with a statue of Lewis and Clark. This attraction is a National Landmark and a special piece of US history.

For the adventurous vacationers there are a host of different activities from surfing and kite flying to fishing and bike rides. If you want to get out and go for a hike there are plenty of open beaches and trails to accommodate beginners and advanced hikers alike.

We hope that you come and enjoy this special part of Oregon and come back often to get away from the busy life and enjoy costal living in your own rental is Seaside.

Pet friendly vacation rentals are the clear answer to enjoying an affordable and hassle-free vacation with your pets. Most hotels strictly follow a no-pets policy. If at all they do, it comes at an exorbitant price. Pet friendly vacation rentals are gaining popularity not only because of their affordability, but also because they provide a ‘home away from home,’ both for you and your pet. Pet friendly vacation rentals comprise a spacious living room, a fully stocked kitchen and an additional room just for your pets.

Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals: What Makes Them Popular?

The following factors are responsible for the growing popularity of pet friendly vacation rentals:

• Privacy: Pet friendly vacation rentals are usually single unit properties that allow you to indulge in your favorite activities with your pet, without bothering other guests. Your pet, especially if it is a dog, has lots of space to run and play and feel at home.
• Customization: Pet friendly vacation rentals are customized to meet individual needs and requirements. For instance, pet friendly vacation rentals come with sprawling lawns, fenced backyards and big pools for the convenience and comfort of all.
• Space: Spaciousness of vacation rentals is what attracts them to people. Pet friendly vacation rentals have enough indoor and outdoor space, which allows your pet to run around and feel at home. These vacation rentals often have trekking trails and side walks for taking your pet for that customary walk. Some vacation rentals also provide kennels and other pet homes.

Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals: How to Choose the Right Vacation Home?

Before booking a pet friendly vacation rental, ensure that their premises allow comfortable stay for your pets. At times, vacation homeowners allow pets in their dilapidated vacation homes, as a way to get more business. Make sure that you do not end up booking such vacation homes.

Often, vacation rentals allow only specific kinds of pets. Hence, confirm before booking that your chosen pet friendly vacation rental allows your type of pet, be it a cat, rabbit or a bird.

Usually, pet friendly vacation rentals ask for security money for the damages that your pet might cause. Be ready to pay this nominal and refundable fee

Instead of going directly to the owners of pet friendly vacation rentals, search for these online, through a reliable vacation rental company. Visit http://www.thevacationbug.com/ to find the perfect pet friendly vacation rentals for your needs.

If the thought of exorbitant hotel bills prevents you from going on a holiday, consider cheap vacation rentals. They are a great option, whether going on vacation with your family and friends or for business purposes. A little imagination and research can take you a long way in finding an exciting, yet affordable holiday option.

Cheap Vacation Rentals: Choices

There is no dearth of choice, when it comes to cheap vacation rentals. Certain options include:

• Renting a condo can be as affordable as renting a hotel room. Since condos generally come with an attached kitchen, you can cook your own meal, thereby reducing your food expenses considerably.
• Villas are available in a wide range of prices, from the extremely expensive to the most affordable. The affordable villas provide the advantage of spacious living, with the privacy of a home.
• Studio apartments are yet another cheap vacation rentals that are best suited for small groups or single travelers. These are self-contained apartments that combine the bedroom, living room and kitchenette in a single unit. These apartments are also known as bachelor/bachelorette style apartment.

Cheap Vacation Rentals: Getting the Best Deal

Before you book a cheap vacation rental, always keep the following points in mind:

• Make sure that the condo or villa you rent has enough space to accommodate your whole family, without exceeding your budget limits.
• Find out the total cost of a cheap vacation rental before actually booking one. You do not want to end up paying any hidden costs.
• Book your cheap vacation rentals at a place with plenty of free options, such as beaches, waterfalls and lakes. This ensures that you have more activities to do, without paying extra money.
• Before booking any cheap vacation rental, converse and decide with your travel companions about the choice of location and the home that is to be rented.
• Conduct a little survey of your own on the internet. Every reputable vacation rental company will have a website, with great telephonic accessibility. Explore your options wisely before settling for any of them.

Read customer reviews of vacation rental companies that you plan to book from. Visit http://www.thevacationbug.com/ to get the best deals in cheap vacation rentals.

On a recent trip to the coast I was amazed to see that vacation property managers still advertise by taping pictures of rentals to their front window. Coming from an online perspective I had to wonder if those at the top of the window were paying more for the space than the ones toward the bottom. I guess it is possible that each company has their own window algorithm that dictates where you land on that ever important window that drives little to no traffic through the front door.

In the past year there has been a significant increase in the number of 2nd homes that are being used as vacation rentals. It has also been shown that people are still traveling but they are staying closer to home in order to save money and they are shopping for bargains online. In order to accommodate this shift most of the property management companies I visited have done absolutely nothing to accommodate renters and property owners when it comes to advertising on the number one place people are searching, the internet.

If you look at the industry average property managers charge between 20% - 40% of the per night booking with most places requiring a 3 night minimum. So if the nightly rate is $200 you will pay the property manager $180 for a 3 night booking. In return they will handle the rental agreement and make sure it gets cleaned and handle the communication with the renter. This arrangement makes perfect sense if your property is constantly booked and there is no headache dealing with renters. If renters are not finding your property and you are not booking it on a regular basis property owners are deciding that they can just do it themselves and start using different online services.

There are three groups that I encountered when I visited 20 different vacation rental management companies and I think it was a good representation of the market in general. The first group is the baby boomers that are on their way out and have been doing very well over the past 10-15 years and see no reason to change. The second group is the baby boomers that are adapting to the changes associated with the Internet and learning to use it to their advantage. The third group represents a changing of the guard so to speak as the children of these people take over the business or young savvy managers see an opportunity to generate lots of bookings.

When deciding who to let manage your vacation property it is paramount to have a property management company that is visible online. If they do not see the importance of the Internet I wouldn’t waste time interviewing them. There are plenty of companies that will make sure your property can be found online. No matter how nice a management company’s site may look it is just a billboard in the basement if they are not showing up in the search results. Always ask for statistics. Any good company will know how many visitors are coming to the site on a monthly basis and ask to see the analytical data to prove what they are saying. The more tech savvy a property manager is the better chance of getting your property seen and booked.

Today online advertising company TheVacationBug.com announces the very latest advance in the online vacation rental advertising industry “Make an Offer”. Renters will now be able to search thousands of properties and make offers to property owners that understand that renters are looking for great deals in this economy.
“TheVacationBug.com is unveiling unprecedented advertising solutions with great success. We have taken a step back an truly evaluated what the renter is looking for in a vacation rental property. Our property owners and managers have made a commitment to work with renters to help them accommodate their wishes” said Mike Shosted, director of Operations at TheVacationBug.com. “This new “Make an Offer” feature, coupled with a risk free advertising solution for property owners and managers is reshaping online advertising for vacation rentals. We are looking to put the pressure on all advertisers to perform for their advertisers, and it is working extremely well.”
This is certainly a great middle ground between renters who would like a great deal and owners who are tired of seeing their properties sit empty.

TheVacationBug.com was designed to fill a need in the vacation rental industry. Started in 2007 by vacation rental owners, TheVacationBug.com founders noticed a disconnect between brick and mortar property management firms, individual owners, and the on-line renter community. This website and company were designed as a way to give the local property management company and individual property owner a web presence that would help them grow their bottom line by offering a pay-per-booking model.  This ensures a positive return on every marketing dollar spent.  Essentially, TheVacationBug.com has taken the risk out of a sometimes very difficult marketing decision.

TheVacationBug.com will assist property managers and individual owners in reaching more qualified renters via the web. TheVacationBug.com team hopes you enjoy this site and think of www.TheVacationBug.com for all of your vacation rental needs.

There are many vacation rental websites that focus on property owners who wish to list their individual properties for a fee. The problem with these sites is the lack of communication and no system to insure that a transaction and a vacation rental property are held to an industry standard. TheVacationBug.com only works with property managers to ensure that the renters concerns and expectations are met.

When trying to find a vacation rental the last thing a potential renter wants to deal with are bothersome ads popping up and a confusing maze of content that is leading them in circles. The goal for the user/renter is to find what they are looking for and book the property or inquire.TheVacationbug.com is a free service for renters looking for beachfront condos, romantic cottages, luxury villas, upscale townhomes, or a mountain cabin getaway. Simple to use listing features allow users to sort by the criteria most important to them. As a user/renter the biggest selling points are the cost, pictures, and description of each property. Once a desirable property is found the renter may have additional questions for the property manager. TheVacationBug.com enables you to quickly and easily get those questions addressed so you can make a decision. TheVacationBug.com is focused on the renter and the vacation rental experience.

The property managers who manage these vacation rentals know that timing is everything when making a decision and they are prompt to reply. If you are dealing with a site that caters to individual owners you are on the owners schedule and in most cases renting their home is not the most important task in their day and not their job. Another key reason that TheVacationBug.com has partnered with property managers is fraud on the internet. Without dealing with a professional property management company you run a risk of working with someone who just posted pictures of a property without it even existing. The renter finds a property and the price is right so they put down a deposit and fill out a fake rental agreement only to show up to a vacant lot hundreds or thousands of miles from home. Granted this is not the norm but it is a scam that TheVacationBug.com does not want to be associated with. When you work with TheVacationBug.com the experience is built with the renter in mind from start to finish.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 7:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.