10 Best Vacation Rental Websites for Travelers in 2024

So you’re trying to book a trip. You’ve combed through all the best sites to book a cheap hotel room. You’ve considered all of the best all-inclusive resorts. And you’re coming up empty. You just can’t find the right fit for your travel needs. 

Enter vacation rentals. The vacation rental market has exploded over the last decade or so. More and more travelers are discovering all the benefits of booking a vacation rental. 

You get more privacy than you might at a hotel. You get more space. Plus, you can get cool amenities. You can even find accommodations that you might not find anywhere else, from treehouses to hobbit holes to castles. 

The vacation rental market has grown to include many more players beyond just the staples of Airbnb and VRBO, though. You have a ton of options to consider when booking your stay. If you decide that a vacation rental is a good fit for your upcoming travel, how do you decide who to book with? 

We’re breaking down the pros and cons of the 10 best vacation rental websites. Next time, you’ll be able to make the right decision for your next trip. 

1. Vrbo

Let’s start with one of the staples: Vrbo. You’ve likely seen plenty of ads for this booking platform pop up on your favorite streaming service, social networks, etc. So, what makes it stand out from the competition?

For starters, with Vrbo, you can only rent private, entire properties, so there’s no sharing. Certain unique search functions make finding the right property for your needs easier, too. For example, you can search for only properties that have received high ratings for cleanliness or location. You can also search for properties with certain nearby activities, properties that offer virtual tours, or even properties that offer stay discounts. 

Otherwise, the search function is pretty standard, with list and map views and filters, so you can see only the properties that provide the amenities you want. 

Newly, Vrbo offers users the option to join a loyalty program. Called One Key, it allows you to earn rewards on Vrbo, Expedia, and Hotels.com. 

Cancel Policy: Property owners set their own cancellation policies, choosing from a list approved by Vrbo, so pay attention to what a specific property’s policy is, before you book. 

Some Policies include:

• No refunds whatsoever
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 60 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 30 days before your stay
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 30 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 14 days before your stay
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 14 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 7 days before your stay

(Beyond these standard refund policies, property owners can provide custom refunds sometimes as well.) 

Pros:

• Robust search functionality
• Private properties listed only 
• Loyalty program offered in conjunction with sister travel-booking sites 

Cons:

• Private properties are listed only (this isn’t a “pro” for every traveler) 
• Cancellation policies vary widely and property owners determine which policy they want to use

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Vrbo

2. Booking.com

You may think of Booking.com as being just a site for booking hotels. However, did you know that Booking.com also offers home and vacation rentals, too? The great thing about this is, since this platform offers both, you can easily compare hotel options to rental options, all in one place. 

Despite this, the search function is a little cluttered and defaults to list mode. However, unique search features do stand out. For example, there’s the option to sort rental listings by sustainability, accessibility, or distance from a downtown or city center. 

Unfortunately, when you click on a property within your search, you’ll find that each property’s listing page is equally cluttered. There’s lots and lots of info crammed onto the page. Frankly, it can all seem a little overwhelming. 

Booking.com offers its own loyalty program, the Genius program, which provides you with rewards, but also discounts. As such, you’ll notice that some rentals will be tagged as “Genius discount available.” 

Cancel Policy: The cancellation policy for each property will differ according to the owner’s preferences. Some bookings are entirely non-refundable (many are, in fact). In contrast, others are refundable up to a certain point and percentage. 

Pros:

• Compare both hotels and home rentals on one site, with one booking platform
• Their loyalty program provides vacation rental discounts

Cons:

• Very cluttered user interface that can seem overwhelming 

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Booking.com

3. Expedia

Like Booking.com, Expedia is most well-known as a spot to book traditional travel, like flights and hotel stays. However, it also now offers vacation rentals.

Also like Booking.com, Expedia allows you to search for hotel stays and vacation rentals simultaneously. You can easily get a feel for all your options, with one search. Unfortunately, also like Booking.com, the search feature is cluttered. The search page is nearly identical to what you’ll see over on Booking.com, as are the individual listing pages.

As a VRBO sister site, Expedia offers the One Key loyalty program. This allows you to earn rewards as you book across three sites — VRBO, Expedia, and Hotels.com. (Along these lines, do note that, since VRBO and Expedia are both owned by the same company, you’ll see an overlap between the two in terms of rental listings. You may even find that, if you book with Expedia, you’ll get a confirmation from VRBO instead.) 

Cancel Policy: When viewing a vacation rental property on Expedia, it is unfortunately difficult to locate that property’s cancellation policy. Expedia simply recommends “contacting the host” if you want to cancel. 

However, further digging shows that Expedia allows hosts to offer the same cancellation policies as VRBO. The options are…

• No refunds whatsoever
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 60 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 30 days before your stay
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 30 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 14 days before your stay
• Full refunds if you cancel at least 14 days before your stay
• 50% refunds if you cancel at least 7 days before your stay

Pros:

• Compare hotels and vacation rentals side by side
• Loyalty program allows you to earn rewards across three booking platforms

Cons:

• Search and listing pages are cluttered and can be confusing
• Cancel policies are set by hosts and can be challenging to find before booking

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Expedia

4. Hotels.com

Last, in the Expedia-VRBO-Hotels.com family lineup, Hotels.com provides much of the same functionality as its two sister sites. You can search for hotels and vacation rentals using the same platform and enjoy loyalty program perks via One Key. The search page is cluttered and unwieldy, just like the Expedia search page, but there are some appreciated extra features. 

For example, at the top of the search page, Hotels.com clarifies that it sorts your search results partially based on how much commission the brand earns from bookings (which could skew your results, so that’s good to know). Additionally, on the search page, you’ll notice that listings are automatically marked if they’re fully refundable, or if they allow you to earn loyalty program rewards. 

Cancel Policy: Cancel policies are determined by the individual property you booked. However, you’ll find that many properties are fully refundable, and those properties are immediately marked in the platform’s search function (whether or not you’ve indicated it as a desired search criteria). 

Pros: 

• Compare hotels and vacation rentals side-by-side
• Earn points through a loyalty program
• Lots of fully refundable stay options
• Search function automatically marks properties as fully refundable 

Cons:

• Search and property pages are cluttered and difficult to navigate 
• Search results are sorted based on commissions earned 

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Hotels.com

5. TripAdvisor

You may know TripAdvisor as a hub for traveler-generated reviews. However, this site is yet another travel brand to recently break into the vacation rental market. Here, you’ll find many international options, flexible cancellation policies, and more of those traveler reviews that TripAdvisor is known for. 

Search for properties and view results in a list or on a map. One nice feature on the search page is a “More info” tab that gives you more details about a property (such as a brief description and most recent reviews) without clicking away from the search page. 

While, at first glance, it does seem like TripAdvisor’s vacation rentals are limited to private properties only, there is a “private room” option among the search categories. 

TripAdvisor notes that its search results are based on commission, as is the case on Hotels.com.

Cancel Policy: Cancel policies are determined by the property owner. Owners can choose their policy from a list provided by TripAdvisor. They can also offer additional refunds to travelers, as needed, if they so choose. Cancel policies are easily found on each listing page. Most are pretty flexible and offer refunds even if a cancellation occurs as late as three days before a stay. 

Pros:

• Flexible cancel policies with generous returns
• Large international presence

Cons:

• Search features could be more robust

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at TripAdvisor

6. Plum Guide

Plum Guide may not be one you’ve heard of before, but it should definitely be on your radar the next time you book a trip. 

Plum Guide’s whole ethos is providing only the best in vacation rentals. Because of this, you’ll find fewer rentals available overall, but if you want quality, this is where you go. The platform also provides 24/7 human customer service. 

The cancellation policy is one of the best we’ve seen, so long as property owners enforce a “relaxed” cancel policy. However, property owners have a lot of options. That said, there’s no 100%, no-refunds-at-all policy.

Cancel Policy: Property owners set their cancellation policies and choose from the following options:

• Relaxed: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 24 hours before check-in. 
• Reasonable: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 5 days before check-in.
• Moderate: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in and a 50% refund if they cancel at least 7 days in advance.
• Firm: Guests receive a 50% refund if they cancel at least 7 days in advance.
• Super Firm: Guests receive a 50% refund if they cancel at least 14 days in advance.
• Super Firm 30: Guests receive a 50% refund if they cancel at least 30 days in advance.
• Super Firm 60: Guests receive a 50% refund if they cancel at least 60 days in advance.

Pros:

• Properties are highly vetted, and quality comes first
• Cancel policies are mostly agreeable 
• Platform provides 24/7 human customer support

Cons:

• Overall, few properties available on the platform

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Plum Guide

7. Airbnb

If you’ve stayed at any vacation rental, you likely booked it with the big one: Airbnb. Love it or hate it, Airbnb is the king of the vacation rental market, and for good reason.

The number of properties listed is vast. You can find properties pretty much anywhere in the world. The search functionality is superior to what you’ll find on most other sites. You can find a wide variety of properties, too, if you specifically want a unique option like that castle or treehouse. Airbnb also allows you to book experiences and offers long-term stays. 

Cancel Policy: Property owners choose their cancel policy from the below options:

• Flexible: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 24 hours before check-in
• Moderate: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 5 days before check-in
• Firm: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in and a 50% refund if they cancel at least 7 days before check-in
• Strict: Guests receive a full refund if they cancel within 48 hours of booking and at least 14 days before check-in, and a 50% refund if they cancel at least 7 days before check-in
• Non-refundable  

There are additional cancellation policies for long-term stays and stricter policies that Airbnb says are “for certain hosts under special circumstances.” 

Pros:

• A considerable number of options everywhere in the world
• Lots of variety and unique accommodations
• Long-term stays available 
• Platform also allows you to book experiences like tours or classes

Cons: 

• Quality varies from listing to listing 
• Scams are rare, but not non-existent 

8. Home to Go

Home to Go is like the platform for other vacation rental platforms. You don’t use Home to Go to book a stay (though you can, but there’s a limited number of properties listed exclusively on Home to Go). Instead, you use it to find the vacation rental platform that you’d like to use to book a stay. Home to Go aggregates all your options from platforms all over the web, and shows you your options all in one spot. 

While the search feature isn’t terribly robust, it is streamlined and easy to navigate. You can easily see the platform where a property was originally listed, on the search page. 

That said, Home to Go does add an extra layer of work to the booking process. You could, instead, simply determine which platform you prefer for vacation rental booking, and go straight to the source.

Cancel Policy: Home to Go’s cancel policies depend on the booking platform you book with. Because Home to Go works with so many platforms, which in turn allow their own users to set their own cancel policies, that means there are nearly endless cancel policy possibilities. Additionally, if you do want to cancel, Home to Go makes it a little tricky; you have to submit a request in writing. 

Pros: 

• See vacation rentals from a range of platforms, all in one place
• Streamlined and easy-to-use search functions

Cons:

• Canceling a reservation is difficult

9. Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy

If you like the perks and benefits of staying in a hotel but want a home rental’s privacy, space, and amenities, consider Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy. 

The Marriott brand carefully vets the platform’s properties to ensure they meet high standards. Travelers can earn Marriott Bonvoy points through bookings, and get Marriott’s 24/7 customer support. Each property is professionally managed, too, so you’re not staying in just some random person’s private home.

That said, because quality standards are so high, you won’t find as many options on this platform as you might elsewhere.

Cancel Policy: Property owners set their own cancellation policies, but depending on their chosen policy, properties offer full refunds for cancellations made 14, 30, 60, or 90 days in advance.

Pros:

• The quality assurance of an international hospitality brand
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

 

• Limited options
• Stricter cancellation policies than what you’ll find with some other platforms

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy

10. Agoda

Lastly, Agoda is a Booking.com sister site focusing specifically on travel throughout Asia. However, while that’s the focus, it doesn’t mean you can’t find rentals in other parts of the world on Agoda. There are thousands of accommodation options in popular U.S. destinations like Los Angeles and Orlando.

Like Booking.com, Agoda allows you to book hotels and home rentals. It also offers flights, activities, and extended rentals. Agoda additionally provides price matching in case you find a better deal elsewhere. 

Cancel Policy: Cancellation policies differ according to the property. However, you can easily find cancellation details on each listing, with some providing full refunds for cancellations made as late as 24 hours before check-in. 

Pros:

• Compare both hotel stays and vacation rentals side by side
• Tons of inventory, particularly international inventory
• Price matching
• Platform also offers flights and activities
• Lenient cancellation policies 

Cons:

• Search functionality isn’t as streamlined and straightforward as it could be

Click Here to See Vacation Rental Deals at Agoda

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.