Which do you prefer when you travel about, hotel or motel rooms, or vacation rentals?

I generally tend to stay with relatives or check into a motel that accepts pets, but a guy I used to work with swears by staying at a rented condo on the beach. He would pack up his wife and four kids, collect his parents, then meet up with his brother and his family every summer for a trip to Myrtle Beach. He was always full of interesting stories about all the fun they had, and it’s set me to thinking about it.

Part of me says the idea behind going on vacation is to get away from a fully functional kitchen, opting instead for eating out and trying as much of the local cuisine as possible. But then, I guess you could still do that while saving a bunch of money by keeping snacks and light meals at “home.”

Also, it would be nice to have some more room to move around in. Aside from a trip to the ice machine or the pool, what is there to do while inside most motels, after all? Having a whole bunch of rooms would allow for that gathering space as well as some privacy if and when I needed it.

Maybe Kevin is right, and I should consider renting a vacation property the next time I go away. Food for thought, at least!