The Process: Lodging with a Large Family

We're approximately one two weeks into our month in Sweden and having a much better time than last month! I can't blame Norway, I think between jet lag for a week then all getting sick (Beadle brought a nasty URI back from fiddle camp, Trojan Horse style), cold + rain, figuring out online school with the big kids, and not being in a super walkable place, we were just in a funk the month of August. Now we've settled into more of a routine with school (big kids) and work (Beadle). Our new location is more walkable/bikeable and accessible to public transit. We aren't renting a car this month, which I honestly love.

Also, although we can't quite put our finger on why, we like our AirBnb this month much better than last month. Overall, it's probably comparable to less square footage, but it's really all about how the space is laid out. The living area is definitely cozier, but the bedrooms are larger. No longer in the shadow of the mountain for most of the day, much more light filters in through the windows. It's lovely and feels more like "us."

Speaking of lodging, though, I thought I might write a bit about my process for finding accommodations for our larger-than-typical family. Let's be real, most family vacations and vacation spots are built for families of 4, maaaaaybe 5, but you get into the range of 6 bodies and suddenly you're looking at a minimum of two hotel rooms unless you are lucky enough to find a place with family suites (still more costly than your traditional room). This is a big reason why we started relying on short term home rentals through AirBnb, Booking, VRBO, and similar. It also makes sense for traveling the way we are. Staying a whole month in a hotel would add up FAST in terms of cost of dining out daily for a family of 6!

I don't have any specific travel hacks, discount codes, or the like. I do not get kickbacks from any of the sites/apps mentioned. While we have used low cost or "free" accommodations, such as Trusted Housesitters or home swap sites, before, we primarily use paid rentals because it can be difficult to find listings that can house all six of us with all the other lodging requirements we also have. This is simply a description of how I go about booking accommodations for my size large family with a variety of needs because I often see larger families in travel groups asking how others do it.

Choosing long term travel lodging:

• 1) Decide on general area. If you are open to a more general geographic location, you are more likely to find something in your budget. Granted, this doesn't work for every situation, like going to a specific town for an event, etc, but in terms of long term travel, you can in a sense let the accommodation help guide your path.
• 2) Choose rental site. I usually go with AirBnb because I find their interface the easiest to work with and I tend to find more houses in our budget range. Booking is a close second and is more popular in some areas. I know a lot of folks have a variety of issues with AirBnb, and I don't think any of them are wrong. We do try to book only owner occupied homes, though, if possible, and avoid places that are ONLY used as AirBnbs. I do feel more strongly about this in certain areas than others. However, if you are looking in a specific region, there may be alternatives, such as Sykes or Shamrock Cottages in the UK and Ireland. The other thing I like about AirBnb's app, though, is the interactive map of the lodging location which will allow you to click on amenities like grocery stores, transit stations, and cultural sites and then give you an estimate of how long it takes to get there from the AirBnb via three modes of transport (foot, private car, and public transport). You can also open Google Maps directly from the app in your phone for more in depth searching. It saves a lot of time.
• 3) Set your dates- You can do this a few ways. You can set strict dates. Or, if you have the flexibility, with AirBnb you can set specific dates with +/- up 14 days or you can use the "flexible" feature and select a weekend/week/month within a certain time frame. Especially when you are booking longer stretches, this is helpful to keep some gems from falling through the cracks!
• 4) Set your filters. Mine are number of people (currently it's 4 "adults" one kid and one baby, which technically adds up to 5 for AirBnb), minimum of 3 bedrooms, Wifi (must have for remote work and online school), kitchen. Sometimes I'll also choose "washer." Looking on sites like Sykes or Shamrock Cottages, you can also set a filter for <1mile from a pub or shop. I WISH there was a feature for distance from public transport, alas...
  • Note: On AirBnb, there IS an option to filter for "dedicated work space" but I have found this to be extremely limiting and noticed there are many that have a desk or similar but it isn't listed- or those that do have it listed but it's actually just the kitchen counter.
• 5) Start exploring that map and start a wish list. I usually make multiple passes. Often I will initially add lodging based on photos, then I dig into the description (scant descriptions more than often get the boot!) and the map (looking at proximity to transit and groceries).
• 6) Be sure to check out that cancellation policy. Sometimes we end up changing our minds on spots because we have new experiences that change our perspective on our needs/desires. A generous cancellation policy is a big perk!

Eventually I add Beadle to the wishlist to get his input on places and then, generally after much nail-biting on my end, we book a spot. It's not an easy process for me because I feel like the decision has so much bearing on everyone's happiness during the stay, but unless a lodging is just all around terrible (location, layout, cleanliness, etc, full package) we have always made the best of minor inconveniences or quirks with some creativity and good attitude.

Happy hunting!