Long-Term Vacations: The New Advent for Short-Term Rentals

We’ve been swimming in the short-term rental ocean for a while now, but the water’s still getting deeper! Today, we’re going to take a look at long-term vacations and why you might want to target a niche market that other short-term rental owners cannot get into.

What’s the Difference?

The things we’ve discussed so far often relate to guests who would book for a minimum of a day to probably two weeks maximum. Sure, to others, a two-week vacation may sound like a lifetime already, but others might still want to double that! Long-term vacations (as far as this article goes) means staying over for about a month!

If you’re struggling to see why people might want that, think of it this way. Do you want a go on a week-long trip to New York or a month in Thailand? It’s a stark contrast, but other people might want the latter! Not only would they get a refreshing breath of fresh air with the different scenery, but they could even get that 30-day stay for the same price or even less than a few days in New York!

The Target: Travelers

With long-term vacations, you’re aiming to hit those travelers or backpackers who spend their life savings on seeing the entire globe! Some want a change of scenery every so often. We’ll expand on these ideas down below:

• Value for money – Because guests stay longer, they usually get lower rates than those offering shorter stays. This is generally how it goes, even if the location could impact the price significantly.
• Local-living – One of the huge reasons travelers go around the world is to gather experience rather than material gain or wealth. Offering long-term vacations allows your guests to live a life in the area as if they were a local, which wouldn’t be possible if they were only in the area for a week. That means getting to know the people, what they’re like, where to eat (even the secret diners with specialties), the shortcuts to get home, and the like, all while working comfortably as if they were born and raised there!
• A change of scenery – There are times when people just want to hit the reset button in their lives. But obviously, a total reset is close to impossible when you’ve got a family, a career, and many other responsibilities. What’s the next best thing? A break! And as we’ve said earlier, sometimes, a few days to a couple of weeks just won’t cut it. Some would even suggest taking a sabbatical leave of 12 months! But not everyone’s that fortunate to get that. (But that might be something to look into in the future!) A good middle ground would be these long-term vacations around a month-long in a quiet place away from the toxicity of daily life.

Is This For Me?

The question might be having in your head is, “how can I get into this when I don’t even live in Thailand?” That’s definitely a valid question. Don’t worry – not only Southeast Asian countries can reap the benefits of long-term vacations! Places like Australia and Italy are great places for long-term holidays.

And before you think this article isn’t for you because the United States isn’t here, don’t go away! The U.S. is a prime area for it too, depending on where you are and what you can offer. So because you’re likely from the U.S., and so are we, let’s talk more about what “depending on where you are and what you can offer” means.

Depending on Where You Are and What You Can Offer

Previously, we’ve tackled that many people opt for long-term vacations for value, the experience, and a breath of fresh air. Places like Bali, Malta, and many others (including those we mentioned earlier) offer these three things. But you can too!

Sure, it may be cheaper to go on a vacation overseas (as weird as that sounds), but not everyone wants to hop on a plane and go miles away from home. A long-term break can still exist in the same country you live in. If we’re talking about living like locals, simply visiting another state would show the vast mix of cultures in America.

We touched on this point a bit earlier, but millennials and younger generations have a tendency not to care about buying houses and living “the American dream.” Instead of getting married and getting kids as early as possible, young people are redefining independence in their own way. This makes long-term vacations much more viable since taking an entire family for a month-long vacation doesn’t seem to fit the three factors we’ve glossed over.

And if a breath of fresh air is all you wanted, then you’ve got the whole world in here already? Forests, deserts, mountains, valleys, snow, farmlands, grand cityscapes, stinky alleyways – we’ve got everything!

And beaches, too! You can’t forget about the beach.