A tour or a rental? What will you choose? Safety is
important and there is safety in numbers. It is reassuring to know the group
will be shepherded at all times. Being surrounded by fellow travelers with the
same background, speaking the same language, visiting the same places is
comforting. It’s easy to make friends similar to ourselves and relaxing to have
all decisions made for us in advance.
Less pleasant are the constraints. You don’t choose your co-travelers;
you may soon get tired of them. Willy-nilly, rain or shine, time to get up, to join
the group. Your opinion as to what to see, eat, linger on does not count. You
have only so much free time away from the group: the bus is waiting. When you
rent your own place, you are free.
It goes with a certain amount of risk. By choosing a rental
you have opted for adventure. The trip is unpredictable and fun. You create
your own memories. You are not sure what the French person at the train station
is trying to say. If driving, you don’t know at what exact time you will reach
your destination. You wonder what metro line to this tourist sight is the
quickest. There is no right and wrong. Each of us is different. When planning a
vacation, follow your instinct. You picked the country you want to see according
to your personality, experience, desires.
Do the same to choose between a rental and a tour.
Supposing some serious, unexpected event worried you -illness
at home or in your party, lost luggage, stolen passport- France: Homestyle
will be there for you. We’ll know what to do. We know about emergencies: canceled
flights, medical conditions, locked out renters, erupting volcanoes, broken
boilers and water leaks.
By renting with France: Homestyle, you combine two ways of traveling,
at their best. You, our guests, are independent, allowed to be yourselves, in
the driver’s seat. Yet you are safe. Our teams of good people in France and in
Seattle are a phone call away. An added benefit is making friends with people who
on the surface are not like you. Meeting locals is a pleasure mentioned repeatedly
by returning guests.
Choosing to rent is a good decision. You will be on your
own but you will always manage and this achievement brings great pleasure. Try
renting once. Like so many of our returning guests you will do it again and
again. Good luck choosing!
