How to Make Your Rental a Home Away from Home

Planning ahead is probably one of the most daunting parts of planning a vacation, but it doesn't have to be! Check out posts like the ABC's of Topsail Island and How to Get the Most from Your Rental Kitchen for some tips on getting the most relaxing trip possible for the least amount of effort! It may seem a little tedious now, but trust us, you will thank yourself for putting in the hours of consideration before your trip rather than during. Make a group message or email to make sure that everyone is on the same page for who's cooking or cleaning up when, who's bringing what, and other details that are bound to pop up as you plan your beachside getaway. Though it may seem a little overwhelming now, it will make for a much more relaxing trip in the long run.

The best part of vacationing at a rental is that it offers you the freedom and privacy of being at home while also being somewhere a little more exotic than home. To make sure that you have everything to make it as relaxing as possible, don't be afraid to pack some of your favorite things for your trip!

Pack your favorite spices for meals, pillows and blankets, movies for late nights, games for rainy days, books for spare time, and towels for the beach. Though rentals come with linens and towels and there are spices, movies and games left by the owners and previous renters, it's better to pack a few of your favorite things to make sure that you can make your meals the way you like and have the things you're used to relaxing with around you.

Just like weather isn't always predictable, neither are our plans - no matter how carefully they are laid out. To avoid the stress you should be escaping from on your vacation, don't get too attached to your schedule. There might be a day that you've planned to visit a museum on, but when you wake up you find a day that is just to perfect to spend inside. Conversely, there might be an unanticipated storm that comes through (they do happen occasionally), but instead of getting frustrated, grab those pillows and blankets you brought, make what my sisters and I call a nest and hunker down with your favorite snacks, board games, and James Marsden marathon (or whatever your go-to relaxing movie marathon is).

The end goal of course is that the best is brought out of everyone. Just like nothing would actually happen smoothly without the more structured members in a group or family, what kind of fun would it be without the more spontaneous members? Just like a good meal has lots of different flavors that balance each other out, every group has a diverse range of personalities that all come together to make a vacation worth not only remembering, but repeating year after year.