Long term holiday rentals: the new way to travel
The way people travel has changed over the last decade and more so in the previous year since COVID arrived. Employees have realised that their teams are just as productive working remotely as they are in the office. Research shows that it is vital for companies now to offer remote working as an option if you want to attract the best talent. This shift has paved the way for digital nomads and increased long-term holiday rentals.
What are long-term holiday rentals?
They are furnished houses, apartments, or villas that you can rent for a month or more at reduced rates. You get to enjoy living in a beautiful holiday location for an extended period. It is the best way to immerse yourself in a new culture.
A villa is a perfect choice as a long-term holiday rental. It is often beautifully furnished with all of the gadgets you need to live a comfortable life. Utilities are usually connected, so you can arrive and start living your best life!
What advantages do villas have over hotels as long-term rentals?
Space to live a fulfilled life
When you are staying somewhere for an extended period, you need space. A hotel room or small apartment will drive you mad after a few weeks! A villa has terraces, gardens, pools, living rooms, dining room, and bedrooms. All of these spaces are for you and only you. You also have a kitchen to make a cup of tea or a snack whenever you want! No waiting for the restaurant to open.
Enjoy your privacy
Do you want to sit in a lounge area with a stranger staring at you or annoying you while they chat on their phone? That is what you get in a hotel. In a villa, you can let the kids run around the garden and not worry about annoying anyone. When you are looking for peaceful silence, it is there for you.
Feel at home
Surround yourself with a beautiful, curated, and cosy environment. If you select a villa for your monthly stay, you could enjoy wonderful design pieces, furniture, and spaces. Why not spoil yourself for those few months and find a luxury villa to make your home?
Live like a local
Let’s face it, you are treated like a tourist when you stay in a hotel because that is what you are! If you stay in a villa you will experience life as a local and maybe even get to meet some of the neighbours!
The best for families and friends
Living in a villa for a few months means that you can have guests come and stay with you. Your family and friends would love to share the experience with you.
Other reasons to get a long term holiday rental
Relocation for a better quality of life
Experience a new way of life. Do you live in a big city? Perhaps you could see what it is like to live close to the coast or in the countryside in Spain? Or are you looking for a new life somewhere other than where you live today? A long-term rental lets you try out an area to see whether it could be your new forever home.
Relocation stopgap
Montly villa rentals are perfect for families that are moving but haven’t found their long-term rental. They don’t know which area they want to live in. They also want to get a feel for the place before committing to a long-term rental or house purchase.
The location of your long term holiday rental
You will find opportunities in countries where there are villas or homes to rent on a short-term basis, you can find your ideal property. You should identify a country that is a short distance from your home, especially if you think you may need to travel to your home country during your stay. As these opportunities are generally in the cooler months (off-season), most people choose to enjoy the Italian or Spanish sunshine!
Choosing a property
Don’t go with properties that are advertised on a website. We recommend that you talk with owners or smaller villa rental companies. You will get a much better price than through Airbnb or other websites. Often there are properties available that you won’t find on the website. If you are staying a couple of months, you want to make sure you have made the right choice. Here are some things to consider when choosing your property:
- Location: Do you want to be close to the sea and the beach or to the mountains? Do you enjoy being close to the city or more remote? Is a view important to you?
- Size, do you want it for yourself, or are you bringing your family and planning to have many guests?
- Interiors: what is important to you about design? High-end design or are you looking for a more rustic space?
- The outdoor space: do you want a pool or Jacuzzi? Do you need a large garden?
- Special requests: Do you need extra services like cleaning, private chef and transport? A villa company with a guest relations service should be your choice.
It is ideal to visit before you move in if you can. You may have a choice between a couple of rentals that meet your requirements.
Join the thousands of people who are taking advantage of the new way of travelling. The memories of your long term holiday in a magical place will be with you forever.
Miriam Burke is Co-Founder and Director of Utopia Villas. Utopia Villas has a large selection of villas in the Sitges and Barcelona areas for holidays, weddings and corporate events.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Miriam Burke
Miriam Burke is an owner and director of Utopia Villas in Sitges, Barcelona. Utopia Villas has a collection of approximately 40 luxury villas in the Sitges area which is only 30 minutes from Barcelona. These range from large 10 bedroomed colonial mansions on the seafront of Sitges to smaller villas up in the mountains above Sitges. Utopia Villas and their guest relations team will help you plan every step of your holiday from transport, day trips, restaurants to private chefs and boat rental. Personalised, high-quality service ensures guests feel right at home and enjoy their time in our villas from the day they arrive.
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Barcelona would be a dream location for a long holiday. Especially during the football season for my husband, he’d love to go along to watch Barcelona play as much as possible.
Now that the children have left home, we need change but they’re not so independent that we could suddenly up sticks and be on the other side of the world for a few months. Barcelona would be an ideal compromise.
Barcelona is also really close to the rest of Europe and so a long holiday here also means you can pop to Paris or Rome for the weekend but still have a home base. Highly recommended!
My estimate is that over 50% of people are asked to go back to their old job within a year of retiring. The point is that the company values their skills and experience but the one-time employee has retired, often early, because they are burnt-out and stale.
Working away from home for a few months could be an invigorating experience. Realistically, the work is unlikely to become any more interesting but a different landscape and culture could be a real shot in the arm.
Hi Roger,
You are right. We have a lot of Expats that arrive in Sitges after being burnt out in corporate jobs. Lots of them come for a few months and end up staying. Then they re-train into a new career (usually online businesses). Burnout is a real thing in modern society and Sitges has provided the perfect place to recover for many.
Don’t write off Airbnb. Use them to get some revenue for your own home whilst you’re renting elsewhere.
Some people say that the pandemic accelerated digitalisation by about a decade. I would guess it forwarded our attitudes to work by even more. As far as I’m concerned that’s progress.
Yes, Agreed! I don’t think life will ever return to the days of 9-5 in the office!
Really interesting to think that people could actually base themselves in a different country while
Continuing to work virtually. Are there any tax implications that folk should be aware of with a set up like this? I’d love to live in sitges for a few months – I’d have to come and go to London but it’s feasible. Definitely food for thought
JF
Hi Jayne,
Yes, lots of people do it including me and my husband! If you stay less than 6 months you remain a tax resident of your own country. We overstayed that time period so we had to become tax residents of Spain. As there are double taxation agreements between most countries you don’t end up paying tax in more than one country.
There are plenty of Digital Nomads here as they are called!
A friend of mine got sent to New York for 6 weeks work at the end of 1986. Then he tacked on 2 weeks holiday and told his company that he wanted to stay in The Big Apple. He’s still there. The interesting thing about all this is when does short term become permanent?
“Don’t go with properties that are advertised on a website. We recommend that you talk with owners or smaller villa rental companies.” It’s so REFRESHING to see someone say that. Thank you for suggesting this rather than just going off a fancy webpage.