What we also found is that not all locations offer high chairs, cribs or changing tables which are all necessities for an infant. We found that out the hard way. My wife and I made some adjustments to our vacations and now look towards renting homes as opposed to hotels, motels or inns.

Here is a location that my wife and I absolutely love to visit and it may make perfect sense for you as well.

Martha's vineyard

Located not too far from Boston lies Martha's Vineyard. Home to many of the elites such as Bill Murray and of course the Kennedy's to name a few, Martha's Vineyard boasts wonderful breath taking views, clean beaches and friendly people.

Since staying there I can say I absolutely say that I love the place. It is easy to navigate the island and it has something for everyone. If you like fishing there are marinas galore to take out a charter boat and get your fix in. If swimming is more your thing than anywhere you see the beach, there you are. There are plenty of nice restaurants to choose from also if you like to dine out.

Besides all of the amenities Martha's Vineyard has to offer, it is a great place to rent a home. There are many to choose from and depending on where you stay the cost ranges dramatically. We stayed in Vineyard Haven about 3 miles outside of Oaks Bluff. The house was a three bedroom ranch with two full baths and an outside deck that we took full advantage of. Each morning we would sit out on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and a nice warm breakfast before we began our day.

The house came accommodated with everything we needed and the best part is that it was close enough to the grocery store that we could just walk on over and pick up our supplies. It was a bit pricier than normal, but we expected that since we were on an island.

The house came with a charcoal grill which was great and one that we used for a lot of our meals. It had a washer and dryer for our laundry which was needed for our son with all the dirty bibs and close as well as doing our own laundry so that we didn't have to do it when we got home.

The cost to rent this particular home ran about $1500 for a week during peak summer time which is the end of June through the end of August and about $700 for off peak. We rented the house the week after Labor Day. We paid the $700 price, the water was still warm, everything was still open which this trip a real bargain.

If you have small children and are looking for a nice getaway, consider Martha's Vineyard, and more specifically look into renting a house. The flexibility it gives you is second to none.

When going to a beach site, personally, I found it is nice to live in a rental home both for a family and for a single traveler. Jason, my classmate in high school, said that he would to live in a home for his vacation on a beach. I am totally on his side. It is less expensive and more enjoyable. Especially when you live there for a longer time, you will find that it would be like living at home while enjoy the time there. Nice places usually attract thousands of people, and sometimes, it is over crowded. No wonder the price jumps too high in the hotels at that time. Jason likes sunbath, surfing, fishing, hunting beauties on the beach very much. What's more, he is to the person who likes to burn a one-hundred buck bill to light his cigarette. I like the rental home mainly out of the reason that I like the feeling of a family, for I usually take my children with me on vacations.

Sometimes, I worry about the safety of living in a rental home, because it has no security supervision system that a hotel has: monitoring system, alarm system etc. However, I think it is easy to solve this kind of problem by simply choosing one that you think it is safe enough to live in.

Some traveling friends, who I jokingly call them lazybones, like to live in a hotel on vacation trips. William Lee is a model among them. He usually travels alone, and he likes to stay at many different places on his vacation. Since it is not easy for him to find rental homes, and he doesn't want to do some housework, he leaves all the errands to the hotels. Further, it is much easier to check in and check out with hotels, for he travels so fast, and would not like to stay for a place for a long time of his vacation. I have to say that the lazybones have good excuses to live in hotels on their vacation trips.

Therefore, if you want to save money, and enjoy one or two places, you are wise to choose to rent a home; if you travel around, and want to make things easy for you, it is suggested that you should live in hotels. Though I like to live in rental homes instead of hotels, I don't think it is a big deal to choose the place where you live on vacation when traveling. Without considering the budget, you just follow your way, for it is no need to cause a headache by considering too much about it for your vacation trips. Who would like to have a headache before enjoying the vacation travels? Follow your own decision is always the best.

The first thing I tell people is don't pay the asking price. That means, don't just walk up to a car rental counter and ask for the price. You will always get ding'd if you do that. Instead, find a computer that is connected to the internet and book it online.

If you are looking for a cheap rental, check out Dollar, Thrifty, Budget and Enterprise. Each of these companies provide pretty new vehicles at their locations for a low rate.

1. The first place when you reach the company's website to check is their Specials page. Depending on how long you need your vehicle, check if there are any dollar savings off a weekend, weekly or monthly rate. Most of these specials are in the form of a promo code or discount code. Take note of it before you leave the page.
2. If you work for a large corporation, check with your company and see if they have a preferred car rental agency and what the discount is. Most large corporations have corporate accounts with Hertz or Avis, and not any of the discount ones that I have listed. With the right corporate code, you may be able to get better rates with their companies or you may get special privileges. I would compare the prices with these discount companies just to see which one offers the better deal.
3. If you don't have a corporate code then ask your friends if they know of any. For example, if you belong to Costco, they have codes for Alamo, Budget, Avis and Hertz. And if you golf and belong to the USGA, you can use their special code for Hertz. (I believe the last time I looked, the code was printed on the USGA site under benefits.) Having a code will save you up to 25% off your total rental costs.
4. When you pick up your car, stay firm on your booking. Because their rates are substantially discounted, they will try to encourage you to upgrade the vehicle for an additional cost. Or if they ran out of the size that you had booked for, they will try to charge you for a larger size car. Either way, stay firm and demand that they honor your booking.
5. Check with your car insurance company and credit cards to see if there are any car rental coverages that are included. For instance, most gold credit cards offer comprehensive coverage on car rentals. This will save you up to $10 per day if you decline the coverage from the car rental agencies but remember to use the gold card to pay for the rental. Also, some car insurance policies allow you to take the coverage you have on your home vehicle and transfer it to the rental car. This could potentially save you another $20 per day.

I personally take no coverage when I rent because my AllState insurance allows me to take my coverage and transfer it to the car rental and my gold American Express card covers the liability. I have to stay firm at the counter, and decline their coverages and not flinch when they say I am responsible for the whole car in case something happens to it. I know AllState and American Express are behind me on it.

I avoid hotels like the plague when vacationing with kids. They just don't make good sense. Instead I plan in advance and do a little research to find a great condo or rental home in the area. One great site that I'd recommend for your research is VRBO.com, Vacation Rental By Owner. More on that later.

There are huge advantages to renting a condo or a home

• More space for toys, sleeping and fun. While the little ones are napping, you or your older children can do “awake” things. I try to look for places with yards or condos with balconies or decks so you can still be outside while still being close by.
• A kitchen with a fridge and a microwave. You can pack lunches for the day, have breakfast, and serve healthy snacks. My husband and I love feeding our kids an early dinner of Mac n Cheese then heading out to a nice dinner where we eat and they get to color. We save a ton of money and time bringing or buying groceries. More time to vacation and less time sitting in restaurants (our kids least favorite place to be!)
• Indoor amenities. Rental places usually have DVDs, VCRs, games, magazines, books, suggestions of things to do, a big coffee pot (my husband and I are addicts), beach towels and swim toys. We once stayed at a place with a pool table.
• Outdoor amenities. Anything goes with this one, just search for what you want. Rentals can come with swimming pools, hot tubs, playground equipment, snorkel gear, private decks, and private beaches. Last summer we stayed at a cabin in the Smokey Mountains that was on a river. The owner's s provided fishing tackle. It had a private deck on the water with a fire pit. The secluded private hot tub was a big hit.
• Off the beaten path. You can stay in town or out of town. In the Bahamas we opted for a place on the beach, but within walking distance of the boardwalk and docks.
• You can park close to the door. Coming “home” is always a breeze. Park in you private spot and head right in. You don't have to drag tired kids and a days worth of gear through a lobby and wait for elevators.
• Money saved. Eliminate the middleman by giving your money to a person. Renting a private residence is much cheaper than a hotel. In many cases you don't pay taxes or resort fees. You get way more space, including bedrooms and privacy to relax. My kids love exploring their home for the week!

While there are certainly many websites out there that provide this service. I have always been happy with the selection and owners at VRBO.com. The site provides details about availability, amenities, photos, and nearby attractions. You can search by state, town and general area. The prices and number of bedrooms are clearly posted. Best of all, it seems that wherever we want to go, anywhere in the world, there are a lot of choices!

What's also cool about the site is that most of the time you are emailing and communicating with the owners so they can give you personal service about their favorite place to be, on vacation in their rental unit!

Next time you want to travel consider a rental unit. My family and I have some great vacation memories and saved a lot of money and frustration renting from someone else.