Summer is coming up fast and most of us are starting to plan for vacations. If your idea of a vacation is a cruise, a B&B, or a resort/hotel with room service, this week's article is not for you. But if you're like me and travel a lot for both business and pleasure, you may want to investigate renting a house instead of staying in various hotels and motels.

Over the years, we have rented houses rather than staying in a 400 square foot (or less) hotel room and listening to doors slam down the hall at all hours, plumbing noises, loud TV's, windows that don't open for fresh air, no refrigerator, and having to eat every meal in a restaurant.

We've never done a home exchange but know people who have had great vacations exchanging their homes with someone in the US or overseas. Check out http://www.homeexchange.com/ if you have any interest in exchanges.

I just got done making arrangements for a two week trip to Washington and British Columbia. It took hours online to find the perfect places to stay and to coordinate frequent flyer miles, ferry reservations, and rental car reservations, but we think we'll have a great trip.

Vacation houses are quieter, roomier, and more affordable than hotels. I know people who have rented large houses for family reunions or destination weddings. For those on a budget or those with families, renting houses can cut down on vacation costs since meals can be prepared at the house rather than eating out.

The vacation rental web site I like best is www.VRBO.com, but on this trip I also found some potential rentals at www.HomeAway.com. Other sites have seemed less useful. Google vacation rentals +your-destination to find local property managers who have great sites to display their rentals, especially in resort areas. Outside the US, Google self-catering for vacation rentals.

Here are a few tips for renting a vacation house online:

    * Make sure you see pictures of the outside of the rental house and ask for address so you can locate it on Mapquest or Google Maps. The aerial or street view can tell you a lot about the neighborhood.
    * Availability calendars aren't always up to date on the web sites. Before you get too locked into your choices, call or e-mail to find out availability.
    * Check out the actual bedroom and bed configuration. "Sleeps 8" might mean a slumber party with bunk beds and a sleeper sofa. If you want a king or queen bed, double check on it; kings are scarce. Some resort area houses tend to have double beds. Make sure linens are included; this seems to be a regional thing.
    * Don't assume that kitchens are completely equipped. If you're driving, you may want to take your favorite spices and frying pan.
    * Ask about cleaning fees. They seem to be the local "going rate", in some areas very affordable at $50, in other areas $125. The cleaning fee is only worth it for a stay of several days or more.
    * If you need broadband and cable TV, check on it with the owner. Don't assume it will be available.
    * Ask about payment schedule and cancellation fees.

Transportation has to be planned as well unless you are driving. Frequent flyer miles are great but make sure you plan far ahead. If it's within 21 days on United, there are fees of up to $100 per ticket for last minute planning. I was surprised by this.

Online ferry reservations to British Columbia required our passport numbers. Don't forget that passports are now required to go into Canada and Mexico. Ferries also present unique scheduling challenges since they often don't run as frequently in the "off" or "shoulder" seasons.

Rental car fees will give you sticker shock. With car rentals in Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle over the past year, we saw that weekly rates have gotten very high and the taxes are almost as much as the rental fee (airport concession fee recovery, customer facility charge, vehicle licensing cost recovery, energy surcharge). AAA has prices significantly less, so if you're a member, go to their web site at www.aaa.com. It was worth it. Rental car companies will allow us to take a car into Canada, but there is additional paperwork required to be with the car. After the reservations are made online, call the company and request the paperwork.

Use the Internet to scope out local events, festivals, points of interest, grocery stores, nearest emergency medical care, and other things you may need while you're on vacation. We'll take a laptop so we can check things out online and download our photos each day for viewing.

If you are interested in technology, you should check out the RTC to find like-minded folks.

Tina Nerat is a member of the Redwood Technology Consortium (www.redwoodtech.org). She and her husband, Mike Nerat, own NERATECH (www.neratech.net), a technology consulting business.

Copyright 2009, Eureke Times Standard Newspapers. The print version of this article first appeared in the 5/7/09 edition of the Times Standard.