The 10 Most Common Vacation Planning Tips and Mistakes when Renting a
Vacation Place in Orlando, Florida
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1. OVERVIEW
Planning for vacation can be a stressful experience especially if you are planning to go somewhere that you and your family have never been to before. The barrage of all the key decisions that you have to make is a major reason for this stress. Renting a place for vacation sight unseen makes it doubly stressful. The goal of this pamphlet is to eliminate some of that stress or at least reduce it in 10 key decision areas. Let’s plan.
2. COMMON MISTAKES
What follows are the 10 most common planning mistakes vacation planners tend to make when renting a vacation place. See the Planning Summary Tips and Mistakes Chart A at the end of this pamphlet. The bulk of these mistakes are based on the assumptions:
• All vacation places are designed for sleeping only.
• Vacation places are all alike.
• Standard shopping rules of price-feature comparison shopping are not necessary when shopping for a vacation place. See the Planning Summary Comparison Chart B at the end of this pamphlet.
• The supply of vacation places to stay in Orlando does not provide for affordable upscale vacation homes to rent.
• Only the rich can afford an upscale vacation home.
• The location of the vacation place is not a consideration factor in the Orlando area.
Mistake #1
Not understanding the geographic size of the area. Most visitors to the city of Orlando really don’t understand how large the Orlando area really is. Since the typical distance in miles of a vacation place to the Disney Property is 10 to 20 miles, most visitors spend much more of their time unexpectedly traveling in a car. This translates to an average of 30 minutes traveling one way to the Disney property. If you multiply that out by six two-way journeys, that equates to six hours of your precious vacation time sitting in traffic – almost a full day’s worth.
RECOMMENDATION: Lease a vacation home within 5 miles of the Disney property.
Mistake #2
Not locking in on the actual room location that one will stay in. During the vacation planning process, many planners are fooled by representative pictures of hotels and rental properties versus actually seeing a picture of the actual property they will be staying in. The end result is that you and your family
experience a big let down at check-in. Needless to say, a secondary result is that you might not have packed the right essentials either.
RECOMMENDATION: Ensure your lease guarantees you a vacation home with an actual address assignment and phone number versus being given a generic space when you arrive.
Mistake #3
Not staying at a vacation place with a standard of living equivalent to how one lives year round. Your vacation should be a time of rest and relaxation and not be a time when you are trying to make due with less. Instead of learning how to make coffee without the right utensils, attempting to relax in a room occupied with too many people, or arguing about which TV show to watch, you should be spending your energy on enjoying the environment of the vacation place.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t settle for vacation place which has less amenities than you have at home during the year. Ensure your vacation home has the standard conveniences such as Weber Gas Grilles, coffee makers, sheets, towels, DVDs/VCRs, big screen TVs, microwaves, cable TV.
Mistake #4
Not realizing a reasonably priced upscale vacation home is available. Vacations should be a step up from your day to day living. You and your family
deserve something special. This is one of the things that will make your vacation memorable. Orlando has a large supply of rental inventory and as with any competitive market; it has great quality vacation homes with cost effective prices available.
RECOMMENDATION: Shop effectively, cost feature compare, and find a vacation home which offers such amenities as a large screen TV, a Weber Gas Grill, a heated swimming pool and upgraded furniture based on your needs.
Mistake #5
Not leasing from reputable company. Reputation is something that is earned which means it is assessed through actions or lack of actions. Most visitors do not realize the value of a reputable company until they can’t get a broken item fixed at their vacation place such as a broken toilet.
RECOMMENDATION: Check that the company that you are going to lease from has a good standing with the Better Business Bureau.
Mistake #6
Not calculating drive times correctly. Many visitors fail to realize the impact of the traffic patterns and the time it takes to park and shuttle to the amusement parks. Sitting in a morning rush hour traffic jam or riding in parking lot shuttle can easily add 15 to 30 minutes to your drive time. You, of course, need to compound these times with the actual miles your vacation place is from your destination.
RECOMMENDATION: Before committing, take the time to review a map and learn what the total distance and drive time (including parking) is to the parks, golf courses, and convention centers from your vacation place. Request this information from the company that you are leasing your vacation home from.
Mistake #7
Not planning for non-Disney Park, down-time. As much as visitors anticipate and want to do everything Disney, the crowds, the stimulation, the touring catches up with you. Be sure to plan time on your vacation to escape the crowds to rest, relax, and find some quiet time.
RECOMMENDATION: Find a vacation home which provides you access to other activities besides the standard tourist attraction such as the Disney Park. Ensure your vacation home offers local facility use of tennis, volleyball, basketball, free movie theater, video games, pool tables, exercise room, snack shop.
Mistake #8
Not having other necessary amenities conveniently located. Comprehensive vacation planners know that going out to eat, grocery shopping and souvenir shopping are all a must on vacation. Knowing the closest, best place to eat and that reservations are required can make a restaurant experience less stressful and more enjoyable.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t forget to ask for detailed information about local restaurants, grocery stores, and shopping centers. A good leasing company can provide these items to you because they want your stay to be one of less stress and not more.
Mistake #9
Not planning for in-house children activities in the vacation place. In lieu of all that has to be planned, sometimes vacation planners forget some of
minor details related to caring for and entertaining children. They forget that they need to plan for their children’s time while making meals, eating meals - even better when the planners are sleeping in and in the worse case if it rains.
RECOMMENDATION: Ensure your vacation home has in-house amenities for children such as high chairs, play pens, club house activities, multiple TVs, and VCRs.
Mistake #10
Not pre-determining the actual bedding arrangements. Vacation planners need to determine the actual bed and bedroom configurations to ensure everyone can sleep comfortable. For example, sleeps six could mean either:
• In one bedroom one double bed, in a second bedroom another double bed, and in a third bedroom two twin beds or
• In one bedroom two twin beds, in a second bedroom two twin beds, and in the sitting area a roll-away double cot.
RECOMMENDATION: Lock into a vacation home which guarantees the sleeping arrangements.
3. RESOURCE SITES
http://www.orlandovacationhomes.com
http://www.bbb.com
http://www.orlando.bbb.org
http://www.orlandochamberofcommerce.com
4. CONCLUSION
Having serviced vacation planners for 9 years, we are pleased to share with you our hard earned experience at creating vacations that our clients positively remember. We think that every vacation should be based on a stay in a vacation home versus an over night sleep at a hotel/motel. After all, you can’t afford not to.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey and Terry Pyle
Planning
Summary Mistakes Part A | Planning
Summary Mistakes Part B | Vacation
Testimonials
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