There's something different about vacationing in a rental home instead of a hotel. You know you are a tourist, but when you return to your house at the end of the day, wave "hello" to the neighbors taking out the trash, and grab a drink from the refrigerator that you bought at the corner store, you somehow feel like more of a temporary resident than an interloper.
Until recently, I had no idea how easy it was to find rental vacation homes. I thought that you had to be part of one of those clubs that gives you a free condo stay and then sucks you into an expensive lifetime membership. It turns out that you can find properties all over the world by using
HomeAway (the link there is to the British site, there is also a
U.S. site that you can use). These properties vary in size and price, but I've found that they are comparably priced to (if not cheaper than) a hotel stay.
Full disclosure: HomeAway subsidized my vacation rental in exchange for a review. Thanks to everyone at HomeAway for introducing me (and subsequently all of you) to a fun way to travel!
While vacations are typically about eating out, one of my favorite parts of my recent vacation to Charleston, South Carolina was developing a Charleston-themed cupcake in the kitchen of the
HomeAway property shown above. This challenge forced me to study dessert menus all around town, seeking out Charleston's specialties. Gathering ideas and supplies provided a handy excuse to interact with locals in different ways than I otherwise would have and to get a "taste" of the city that I might have otherwise missed.
Tips for Baking in Someone Else's Kitchen
