Have you been looking for summer vacation rentals?
For those of us that live in the city it is no secret that we love to get away in the summer time and rent a cottage miles away from home.
However, is this really such a great idea? After traveling the world, going to all inclusive resorts down south for the past four winters and hitting up Europe, I have now considered trying this option during the summer time. It seems like over time, renting a cottage or traveling to a near by lake has become the ideal vacation option during the summer for most young people.
Today I want to take a look at the cost of summer cottage rentals and determine if they are worth the price:
A summer vacation rental for a week.
During the spring time I did some research to see what it would cost to go away during a long weekend this summer. I called some of the cottage rentals (since nobody I know owns a cottage) in a popular summer location about a 1.5 hr drive from where I live to collect some prices. I must admit I was fairly shocked by the price of just renting a cottage for a week.
Total: $1000 for a week for the group.
Gas required to get to cottage and drive around.
Once again prices vary depending how many cars you travel in and what type of engine your car has.
Total: Anywhere from $100-200 depending on distance traveled
Food for the cottage rental.
Your daily food will obviously be different but I typically try to eat anywhere from 4-5 meals a day when I get away. Breakfast (usually eggs & toast), lunch (sandwich), afternoon snack (something light), and dinner (some chicken/steak on the barbecue).
Total: Roughly $25 a day/person
Drinks for the rental resort.
This all depends on how much and what you guys will consume as a whole. Water, Cola, Beer, you name it, everything is fair game when going away with a group of friends.
Total: About $20 a day/person
Extra costs.
From mosquito repellent to having to pay for any damages you or one of your drunk friends may cause to the cottage rental you stay in. It’s easy to get into debt when you make foolish mistakes.
Total: Who knows? Depends on the group.
Is a summer vacation rental worth the price?
It’s unfair to try to come up with a final average number for the cost of renting a summer cottage or to try to answer whether it is worth it or not.
The take home point is to consider the value you obtain from a couple of days spent at a summer cottage and whether it is worth the cost involved in your opinion.
After running these calculations it is clear to me that a week at a cabin rental would be more expensive than paying for an all inclusive vacation down south during the summer months. Sure a beach rental can be more convenient because all you have to do is get into a car and drive there, but could this money also be put toward an amazing travelling experience?
What are your thoughts on the money involved in getting away from the city? What are some other alternatives to consider? Have you already found a summer vacation rental?