Have you finally decided to leave? Discover our good plans to find accommodation without delay and in complete safety.
Search on peer-to-peer rental sites
Start by launching a search on the websites dedicated to rentals between individuals. On Airbnb.fr, Papvacances.fr, Abritel.fr, Leboncoin.fr, Vacances.seloger.com, owners offer their main or secondary residence during the holidays. Don’t hesitate to compare prices: some people lower them if their property is not rented and the available dates are approaching… by other “members” who certify your seriousness. It offers ads, often family homes “in their own juice”, at all prices and throughout France. What to find good deals!
Contact real estate agencies
You can contact local real estate agencies by finding their contact details with just a few clicks on the Internet. It is common that owners entrust them with their properties to rent during the holidays. The advantage? Real estate agents have a large network, can make word of mouth work and are a guarantee of seriousness.
Post on your destination’s Facebook page
If you are looking for accommodation in a specific destination, take a look at the Facebook page devoted to it: these are often run by the locals, looking for tips and mutual aid. You can submit a request, specifying your dates and the number of beds you want. This can motivate people to rent their property in their absence!
Try hotel booking sites
To compete with the sites of rental between individuals, hotel reservation platforms have started listing holiday homes, country houses, apartments, youth hostels, etc. On Hotels.com or Booking.com, for example, after having entered the place of stay , your dates and the number of occupants, you can find multiple proposals, then rent them directly or book them without paying, in a few clicks. Practice !
Exchange your home
To limit expenses, why not offer your accommodation on sites where other individuals seek to exchange theirs, in France or around the world? The best known, and which often charge a fee to register, are homeexchange.fr, which brings together 450,000 homes in 187 countries, and lovehomeswap.fr. Two options are possible: simultaneous exchange, but better to do it in advance, or with a points system, usable for another period, and in another accommodation. A booming economic solution!
Find a house to keep
Home-sitting, you know? On the same principle as “baby-sitting”, it is a question of taking care of a house in the absence of its owners. To allow them to go on vacation without fear of being robbed, they offer volunteers, often retired people in good health, to come and settle there. In exchange, some services are requested, such as watering the garden or caring for pets. To find a house to “keep”, go to Départtranquille.com or Nomador.com. You have to fill in your profile and sometimes pay to register. But it’s an opportunity to stay for free in nice residences, everywhere in France, for almost zero price.
Try camping
If all the houses that meet your criteria are already taken, could you try camping? Forget the uncomfortable nights under canvas tents: more and more establishments of this type have set up mobile homes, chalets or bungalows on their site. What benefit from all the necessary comfort, with kitchen, bathroom, and comfortable bedding. The ideal solution to make the most of your “home” while taking advantage of the campsite facilities: swimming pool, restaurant, sports ground…
Find an exceptional cottage
For find a vacation home, you can also search on sites listing gites such as gites.fr, clevacances.com, which lists 15,000 accommodations, or gites-de-france.com. The latter, belonging to the Gîtes de France network, brings together 40,000 owners who offer more than 51,000 accommodations throughout the territory: gîtes, guest rooms, group gîtes, stopover gîtes… The advantage ? These accommodations are visited and checked to benefit from the label. This ensures you a quality welcome, in complete transparency.
Don’t forget the tourist office
These organizations are a wealth of information for getting around, finding activities, reserving places or a restaurant… but also for renting accommodation! Feel free to visit their websites or contact them directly by phone explaining your research. The reception teams being reinforced during the summer, the advisers will not fail to use their network and give you contacts.
Be careful not to rush
Even if you are in a hurry, take the time before you commit. Beware of prices that are too attractive, talk to the owner in advance to ask him for additional photos or details, and read the comments carefully if there are any. Do not forget to require a contract drawn up in two signed copies, unless the structure acts as an intermediary. What to avoid unpleasant surprises!
We would like to say thanks to the writer of this write-up for this amazing material
10 tips for finding a last-minute vacation rental