Episode 40: Summer Travel, AirBnB / VRBO Vacation Rentals

We're back with a bit of a stretch for our 'short cut' topic.  Robert and I sat down to have a quick chat about our upcoming summer travel plans, both of which revolve around vacation rentals.

Along the way, as we tend to do, we took a bit of a deep dive into price variances between booking channels, how does the current Chase 1.5 cpp cash out method play into paying for vacation rentals, and the importance of flexible cancellation policies.

0:15 Summer Travel Plans:

• Robert: Newport, RI road trip
• Sam: Lake Tahoe (almost certainly flying)

2:59 Preference for private homes vs hotels with Covid

6:52 Chase 1.5 cashout as an enabler (Ep 79)

8:56 Price fluctuation depending on dates, fees, duration of stay.

• 16:10 Puzzler of staying longer costing less per night, but how long do you really want to stay, and how many really nice properties are available for say month-long rentals in peak season at this point? 

17:17 Comparing prices on same/similar unit across multiple platforms

• Lack of granularity in viable options
• Internet sleuthing for precise location, comparable units in same building/area (often same host), even Zillow estimate as an arbiter of relative value

20: 17Any angles to reduce prices? Portals? BofA Offers?

• British Airways / Delta
• https://www.deltaairbnb.com/
• https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/executive-club/collecting-avios/hotels/airbnb
• Split payments either by guests or over time to double dip on BofA/Chase offers.

23:52 Importance of cancellation terms

28:09 Mental block/puzzler over laying out cash vs funny-money-points

31:30 Is a point and miles lifestyle compatible with owning a vacation home? (Ep 82)

Want more podcast content?

Check out our Patreon Page where we discuss topics more fully:

• Earning From Home
• Failures and Successes in this space
• The Above Mentioned Vacation Home Discussion

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