Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of renting a private residence for their vacation, although with a little help they could and should be. Here are a few tips on how to over come some concerns about how and why renting private homes in tropical vacation areas is the best way to insure a "perfect" vacation.

There are literally thousands of homes available for vacation rentals. Trying to find the one that fits your needs can be threatening, but really doesn't have to be. Obviously you have to start by knowing where you hope to vacation. With this destination in mind searching the internet to find sites that advertise these accommodations is easy. Once you have surfed a while and made yourself familiar with a few rental sites you can start to notice a few things.

First, pictures are king! Home owners who have a place they are proud of will have as many photos as they are allowed to have, and will have photos of as much as they can. If you have a home to be proud of you show pictures. So always be suspicious of sites that do not have a LOT of pictures.

Secondly, pay close attention to the description of the property. Again, proud home owners are not being boastful when they describe their home in colorful, expressive ways. They talk about their vacation home the way anybody talks about anything they are very proud of and want to share with others. So ads that are short, curt and devoid of description should be avoided.

Thirdly notice who you will be dealing with. If it's a management company or another 3rd party source, that just takes you one step further away from the REAL decision maker. The real decision maker is the homeowner, the one that has cared for, maintained and created a slice of paradise that they are making available to you. When you deal with the actual home owner, there can be a bond created that becomes your MAIN source of confidence that you are getting the best vacation home rental you can. I liken it to the difference between buying a car from a used car lot verses the previous owner. Why do people get rid of their cars via dealers? They KNOW selling it themselves will be a tough sell. But if you have a quality car you are looking to replace, selling it yourself presents no problem. Quality sells itself.

If the sterile, impersonal environment found in most hotels and resorts is what you want, then vacation home rentals may not be right for you. On the other hand, now that you know what to look for, you may find that once you experience vacation home rentals for your family, you will never take any other type of vacation again.