How to Find a Pet Friendly Vacation Home for Your 2024 Travels
You don’t have to leave your best friend at home when you travel! Vacation rental sites and even hotels increasingly allow pets to tag along. Dogs and cats are also welcome at many vacation homes. Whether you just don’t want them to miss out on the fun, or you’re a pet parent to an aging animal with special needs, there’s plenty of options for your next trip. We’ve searched out the best pet friendly vacation rental sites, with options ranging from rustic cabins to luxury homes.
1VRBO
VRBO is a go-to for many pet parents, and it’s no surprise why. They list thousands of cat and dog friendly vacation rentals, have fair pet policies, and an easy to use website. Our search of popular destinations in the US found hundred of rentals that allow pets in every city we browsed. VRBO also has a huge variety of property types; everything from beach homes to boats.
VRBO’s pet friendly rental search is quite possibly the easiest of any vacation rental site! Whether you’re starting at their main site, or their pet friendly page, you only need click on the “Guests” box and then select “Yes” next to “Pets.”
Additional Pet Fees on VRBO:
Varies, property owners may choose to charge additional fees for pets, but these should be shown on the listing and built into your booking price. However, it doesn’t hurt to double check with the host before booking.
VRBO charges everyone who books on the platform a small Damage Protection insurance fee. This fee covers you for accidental damage to the rental property, as well as pet damage (as long as pets are allowed at the property, of course).
2Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is the Airbnb of camper and RV rentals, with decidedly more hip offerings than RVshare. With everything from cute vintage Airstreams, hip campers, and large modern RVs, there’s something for everyone. And a huge percentage of those offerings allow pets.
To find Outdoorsy rentals that are pet friendly, start your search with your travel dates and destination. Then, scroll down the “Search Filters” left hand sidebar until you reach “Rules.” Check “Pet Friendly,” and browse to your hearts content.
Another cool feature of Outdoorsy is the delivery option. You can arrange to have the host meet you at the airport with the RV, or even deliver it to a camping site and get everything set up for you. This is fantastic for renters who would prefer a larger camper, but aren’t comfortable driving it.
They also have detailed national park guides (linked in their website footer) that cover everything you need to know about RV camping in the parks, from water hookups to whether pets are permitted.
Additional Pet Fees on Outdoorsy:
None! Outdoorsy does offer optional damage protection insurance that will cover pet damage.
Scroll down in each listing page, and you’ll see that they’re also great about clearly breaking down other fees like mileage and cleaning.
3Booking.com
Booking.com is one of our overall favorite booking sites. They allow comparison of vacation rentals and hotels side by side, and offer a ton of search filters. Naturally, one of those filters is “Pet Friendly.”
To find listings on Booking.com that permit dogs and cats, first enter your destination and dates. Then scroll down through the filters on the left hand side until you get to “Facilities.” You may need to click the blue “show more” text underneath to see the “Pet Friendly” box. Check the box– along with any other filters you’d like to apply– and that’s it!
When you’re browsing on Booking.com, their search will show you pet friendly hotels as well, unless you filter for vacation homes. Don’t be too quick to write off hotels! They’re increasingly embracing pets, and many hotels are surprisingly thoughtful about catering to furry friends. (For a fantastic example of this, see our post on the Doghouse beer hotel, which even has a dog park!)
Additional Pet Fees on Booking.com:
Varies. Booking.com indicates that property owners may choose to charge extra fees, so we recommend contacting the host prior to booking.
4RVshare
RVshare is another RV rental site, focusing more on larger, modern RVs. They have a huge number of pet friendly RV and campers available. As with Outdoorsy, you can search for owners who are willing to deliver the RV to your camping site, so you avoid the hassle of driving a behemoth vehicle.
To find RVshare rentals that allow pets, start your search with your travel dates and destination. Then, click on “More Filters” on the top filter bar. Check “Pet Friendly” under “Rental Options”:
Additional Pet Fees on RVShare:
None!
5Hipcamp
Yeah, we get it, a tent isn’t everyone’s idea of a vacation rental. But Hipcamp has more than just camping sites available. Hipcamp offers everything from rustic camping, RVs, glamping, treehouses, and luxury yurts, to traditional cabin vacation rentals.
Browsing Ohio’s gorgeous Hocking Hills area, we found quite a few pet friendly cabins, treehouses, and even a Viking-style Longhall where Fido is welcome!
To find pet friendly rentals, start your search with your dates and destination. Then click on “More Filters” on the top bar. In the large drop-down box, you’ll see a box for “Pets Allowed” under “Amenities.” Select it, and you’re good to go.
Additional Pet Fees on Hipcamp:
None!
6Flipkey
Flipkey is another great vacation rental website that offers pet-friendly vacation homes. In our searches, we found slightly fewer dog friendly rentals compared to VRBO, but the options still numbered in the dozens in each of the destinations we searched. It’s very worth taking a look at their offerings if you’re not finding what you want elsewhere.
To find rentals that allow pets, start your search with your dates and destination. Then click on “More Filters” underneath the search bar. Under “Suitability” you’ll see “Pets Allowed.” Check that box and explore all your options!
Additional Pet Fees on Flipkey:
Varies. The listings we browsed did not include pet fees, but hosts have the option to include pet fees if they wish. We’d recommend contacting the property owner before booking to inquire about potential fees.
Quickly Compare Pet Friendly Vacation Rental Sites
| Vacation Rental Site | Type of Accomodation | Price Range | Charge Additional Pet Fees? |
|---|---|---|---|
| VRBO | Vacation Homes, Apartments, Cabins, B&Bs, Boats | Budget to Luxury | Varies |
| Outdoorsy | RVs, Campers | Budget to Mid-Range | No |
| Booking.com | Vacation Homes, Apartments, Cabins, Hotels, Glamping, B&Bs, Boats, Tiny Homes | Budget to Luxury | Varies |
| RVshare | RVs, Campers | Budget to Mid-Range | No |
| Hipcamp | Campsites, Glamping, Yurts, Treehouses, Cabins | Budget | No |
| Flipkey | Vacation Homes, Apartments, Cabins, B&Bs, Boats, Glamping | Budget to Luxury | Varies |
FAQs
In some cases, yes, you will be charged additional fees. This can vary from site to site, and the inconsistency of how the fees are disclosed can be frustrating for sure!
Sometimes the fees are built into the booking, other times property owners will charge it as a separate fee billed later. If a property owner asks you to pay the fees directly to them, outside of the platform, contact the booking website first. This may be against the policies of the website, and it’s always better to have documentation of any fees paid.
If you don’t see any information about pet fees on the vacation rental listing, always contact the property owner for more information prior to booking.
While many large vacation rental websites offer pet friendly listings, none forbid hosts to charge pet fees.
Generally, sites like Hipcamp, Outdoorsy and RVshare do not charge pet fees because it’s much more common for guests to bring pets. However, it’s still possible that hosts may request pet fees or have dog size limits.
Most of the vacation home rental sites we’ve featured include a filter to sort for properties with a pool. VRBO and Booking.com are great places to start in your search.
Sometimes searching for a rental with a pool brings up apartments with a shared pool. If you’re looking specifically for a private pool, simply narrow the filter to include homes, villas, etc, but exclude apartments and condos (where the pool is likely to be shared).
Unfortunately none of the vacation rental sites currently have a filter to search for fenced in yards. Your best bet is to examine photos of the listing, then message the property owner to confirm the yard is fenced.
