With the popularity of vacation rentals growing, especially for families visiting the Disney Orlando area, MousePlanet.com’s MouseStation interviewed Fred Zorayq of Advantage Vacation Homes to find out what travelers need to know when they consider renting a vacation home.

According to the site, Fred says, “usually a group of people will rent a home, either a family, a golf outing or (increasingly so) sports teams. Occupancy is governed by the same laws that govern hotels, so it’s generally two people per bedroom, plus sometimes another two for a living room with a sleeper sofa. That gives you a total of generally 4-16 people per unit.

“Vacation homes in the Orlando area are generally located in Kissimmee, Claremont and Davenport, to the south of Walt Disney World. Travel times to Walt Disney World are anywhere from three miles to thirty minutes in heavy traffic.

“You don’t have the amenties of a hotel room such as room service, nightly housekeeping, etc. There are plenty of benefits, though. The smallest units are probably at least 3 times the size of a hotel room. If you’re going to be renting multiple hotel rooms, it can be much cheaper to rent your own place, with a two-bedroom home running in the vicinity of $100/night and a three-bedroom running around $150/night. Having the kitchen gives you the option of making your own breakfasts to save money, heating up late night snacks, etc. You also have communal spaces to socialize together, rather than trying to coordinate visiting among multiple hotel rooms.”

To download the show, visit MouseStation #19.

Posted: July 10th, 2008 under Web 2.0.
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This month, many of us will travel to new places and stay in vacation homes, so we can celebrate with friends and family members.

We’ll watch as many graduate from preschool into kindergarten, eighth grade into high school, high school into trade school or college, and college into the ‘real world.’ We’ll listen to speeches and musical performances, and remind ourselves to keep taking pictures so we can remember this day long after it has passed.

Since we can’t imagine attending such special occasions without a high-quality camera, we’re giving away another new Kodak digital camera in our May PickPackGo Getaway Giveaway contest.

Register to win today!

And congratulations to Raymond of St. Paul, Minnesota, the winner of a new Flip Video Camcorder in our April Getaway Giveaway contest.

Posted: May 2nd, 2008 under Web 2.0.
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Earlier this week, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of Winter. That’s about the same time as most schools begin taking their Spring Break! If you’re already tired of the cold and wet weather, now is the time to book Spring Break lodging in a warmer and drier destination.

Choosing a vacation rental to stay in instead of a hotel is a smart choice whether you’re traveling as a couple, a family or as a group. Couples relish the privacy of a private residence. Families with kids will appreciate having a kitchen, as well as separate sleeping areas. Put the kids to bed and stay up late! It’s hard to do that in a tiny hotel room. And whether your group consists of extended family members or just friends, a vacation rental is simply more convenient than trying to coordinate separate groups of people staying in separate hotel rooms. It can be very cost effective, too.

Whether you have someplace in mind or are still considering your options, there are still affordable and spacious Orlando Disney vacation rental homes and beautiful Gulf Coast / Destin vacation rentals with amazing beach views. If you are looking farther West, PickPackGo showcases Phoenix / Scottsdale vacation rentals, Palm Springs vacation rental homes (all with pools), and South Padre Island vacation homes and condos.

PickPackGo also features vacation homes, condos and villas near the most popular ski resorts in Lake Tahoe, California, as well as Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride and Beaver Creek, Colorado.

So what are you waiting for…think Spring (Break)!

Posted: February 6th, 2008 under Family Vacation, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals, Web 2.0.
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The release of our new Book Now functionality last week was especially exciting to me as a primary contact to our property managers. Since releasing Book Now, we have delivered direct bookings to a number of property managers, including Advantage Vacation Homes in Orlando, Florida, near Walt Disney World.According to Fred Zorayq, director of sales and marketing at Advantage Vacation Homes: “Travelers appreciate the convenience of online booking and we are pleased to be working with PickPackGo to process bookings automatically for renters. PickPackGo is aligned with our goals of getting more highly qualified renters and confirmed bookings. Within 24 hours of activating Book Now through PickPackGo, we generated a confirmed booking for one of our vacation rental properties near Walt Disney World.”Vacation rental property managers, such as Advantage Vacation Homes, are able to seamlessly add their listings for free on PickPackGo because of the solid partnership we established in early September and continue to have with Instant Software.

I’m also pleased to report that our Book Now functionality has excited new partners. Property managers running their businesses on software from Escapia now will be taking advantage of our online booking capabilities.

Property managers are key to making vacation rental homes a mainstream lodging alternative because they provide renters with peace of mind about their stay. Today, we are excited to be working with two vacation rental software leaders to deliver more bookings and revenue to property managers.The possibilities with PickPackGo are unlimited. If you’re a property manager, contact us to learn how we can help you attract more renters and bookings, no matter what system you’re using.

Posted: November 19th, 2007 under Property Management, Vacation Homes, Vacation Rentals, Web 2.0.
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Felix and I enjoyed talking about our site with the hosts of Jumping Monkeys. Megan Morrone (mother of three toddlers) and Leo Laporte (father of two teens) toured PickPackGo as we chatted about our business and why vacation homes are ideal for families. If you haven’t heard it, they have a terrific show about parenting in the digital age, featuring lots of helpful links and advice, plus interviews with other geek parents, web site designers, and bloggers.

You can listen to the podcast at Twit.tv or download the mp3

Posted: October 16th, 2007 under Family Vacation, Technology, Web 2.0.
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