Do you want to have a a rental that people swoon over? Don't worry I got you!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I almost ALWAYS book some sort of VRBO or BNB, I've stayed in many- good bad, shared, or the entire place to myself. During this time I've learned what is essential and what doesn't matter when creating the perfect host home for other's to rent from you. So grab some slippers and follow me on a walk through the perfect home away from home and learn how to get from reviews saying how people want to change things to reviews about how great your place is and how it had everything they could possibly need! I will tackle, room by room, all the essentials and some great add ons to take people from "Wow!" to "HOLY SHIZNATCH THIS IS GREAT!"

Let's start in the entry. Want to keep your place cleaner? You can do that with 2 easy additions:

• Get a rug! Something that they can actually wipe their feet on when they get there. It doesn't hurt to have one on the inside and the outside, the outside one you want them to be able to get extra dirt and what not off of their shoes before they go inside, the indoor one you want to absorb anything left especially any water they may have tracked in if it's raining.

• Make sure you have some place for your guests to put their shoes. If it's there, 9 times out of 10 it'll be used. You don't need something big, something small with a bench is always perfect, if you can find one that you can also hang their jackets or purses on then you're really talking.

Ok, your guests are inside, now what? When I get some place the first thing I do is take a gander at the entire place, I look for the wow factor. What's a great way to wow them? Cute and simple home decor. This doesn't have to be nicknacks all over, but try and throw some artwork on the walls, if it's a smaller space, grab a mirror, this will open up the space as well as give someone an extra mirror to do their makeup if the bathroom is taken (trust me, I speak from experience here. I think I've done this at most of the places I've stayed ha). Think of it this way. The goal is to create a home. Do you want to live in a place that's barren? My guess is probably not. So if you don't want to, it's pretty safe to say that most others don't either. Make it homey, pick a neutral and clean decor style. The more comfortable they are the better the review, and the more stays you can book with less work.

If you want something super unique instead of the same ole cityscape anyone can get at ikea, check out society6. You can get awesome works of art and unique finds including everything from canvas or framed prints, to curtains, blankets, tables, shower curtains, wood wall art, the list goes on and on.

Now let's start where the magic happens ;)

COMFY BEDS.

Yes, I know I'm yelling. But please, please spring for a comfy mattress, do you need to spend all your money on it? No. But trust me, a trip can be ruined for some people if the bed is uncomfortable. If you don't want to spring for a More expensive mattress, just get a memory foam mattress topper, they are easily replaced if something shady happens and you can wash the covers that come with them. It really does change everything, and you can get them anywhere.

Now that you have that comfy start, let's talk bedding. As much as I adore down comforters, some people are allergic and they are hard to wash. But please, don't just do a sheet or just a duvet and the lightest weight blanket you can find. Both of these things have happened to me and neither were kosher. Everyone sleeps with different things, cover your bases, 1 lightweight blanket, one regular comforter (kept in a duvet so it's cleaner) and one extra blanket or quilt in the closet or a dresser drawer in case they need it. Try to avoid fleece and fuzzy blankets as they get weird after they are washed and dried a few times and attract hair, no one wants to cozy up to a blanket and find some strangers hair in their blanket even if it was washed.

For pillows there is no need to go crazy with the throw pillows. Get two softer and two firmer pillows and call it good.

Make sure to have more then 4 hangers in the closet for people, It's super frustrating, just get low priced hangers and if they go missing remember it's a write off anyways.

Want to go the extra mile? Get some blackout curtains and a fan, some people sleep better with total darkness (plus you can find ADORABLE ones in every style, color, and design on Society6 AND they have a lot of sales!), and others need some sort of air flowing around them. These little touches really make a huge difference to people.

I mean really, tigers?! ADORABLE.

What about the bathroom? Make sure to get soft towels and wash cloths, you can get small hand towels that can also double for outside of the shower/tub to step on or an actual mat, just depends on how homey you want to make it. I personally am not a fan of white towels. EXCEPT in this case, they are easy to bleach if they get dingy or stained, and nothing screams that a place is clean then a vibrant white towel. Always provide more towels than you actually think people need, if you have a house full of 4 women that's usually 2 towels (one for hair and one for body) each shower and some people get weird about using the same towel twice, so as crazy as it sounds 10-12 towels are ideal for a group that size. Don't worry about keeping them in the bathroom though, I always say put the extra in a closet as they may not need all of them.

Inside the shower make sure to have some place for people to hang their loofah, or keep their toiletries, you always want to have toiletries for them however a lot of people bring their own, and having to set them on the floor is super frustrating.

Try and have some sort of place for people to keep their toiletries, a drawer or small cabinet.

Want to go the extra mile? You can have a bathroom care kit! I had this at one of my favorite BNBs and it was great, they had everything, from cotton swabs and face rounds, individually wrapped head to toe body wipes, bath poofs, the works. It really shows that you care by just doing this for people. And again, I'm reminding you, it's all a write off (that being said always check with a trained tax professional 😉)!

Living Rooms!

Depending on the size of the room try and have a couch that's big enough for multiple people, and if they can lay down on it all the better! My boyfriend and I love curling up with a movie after a long day of exploring when we are on vacation. It's definitely a bummer when the couch is more love seat sized. That being said, don't throw a giant couch in an area that it doesn't fit. Make sure that blankets and pillows are at the ready. But use throw pillows that can be washed OR that the covers come off and be washed. But please make sure that whoever is cleaning your places actually wash it!

This is a great example of an awesome couch for a bnb, the slightly darker material will hide stains and almost every review is speaking to how comfortable it is!

You can get a TV pretty cheap, try not to buy the smallest one, it doesn't have to be gigantic but it can come across pretty cheap when it's a tv the size of my laptop's screen. Something like this is awesome!

Try and have some sort of side table I love a coffee table but honestly those are more likely to get ruined from people resting their feet on them, or even dancing on them in a drunken stuper. So skip that and just have some side tables for people.

Wanna go the extra mile? Make sure to have some cards, games, etc for people.

Oh kitchens. This is where I'm going to get on my soapbox. I book a home instead of a hotel so I can keep my costs down as well as stay a little healthier and make my own food. I get VERY annoyed with crappy kitchens. It doesn't matter how nice they look if they don't have anything to actually cook with, in fact my boyfriend and I's favorite VRBO isn't even at a beach I particularly love. But the kitchen is so incredible that I don't even care.

There are a few places to save and a few places to splurge.

Where to save?

Dish sets and glasses, silverware, wine/bottle openers, colanders, and cleaning supplies like sponges, cleaners, and scrubby pads for pans, oven mitts, things like that.

Are you wondering why that list is so short? Well I'll tell you. Those are the easiest things to break and somehow lose (I'm talking silverware here, I always lose spoons somehow). But when it comes to pans, cooking utensils, and even knives, spend a little bit more. Let me explain why you want to do this. I'm sure you're thinking that spending money on pots and pans is pointless cause they just get wrecked, and you're not wrong. But the cheaper they are the easier they are to destroy, cheap pans will warp and don't even get me started on nonstick, nonstick pans always end up peeling. Even if you only have plastic cooking utensils, inevitably some monster will come along and use a fork or something to scramble some eggs IN the pan and there it goes. Don't spend hundreds of dollars, but a middle of the road low maintenance set of pants is smart. Stainless steel will last the longest, not get scratched up, easiest to clean if they burn something on, and won't be destroyed if put in a dishwasher. You don't need a giant set, a small and large frying pan, and a medium and large pot are just fine. If you want to be real fancy get three sizes of frying pans.

Cooking utensils also shouldn't be from the dollar store, you'll end up replacing them more than you want to, they will melt, or break. If you get the metal pots and pans as stated before you can get metal utensils (whisks, spatulas, spoons etc) and they won't get destroyed. But if you get the cheap ones, I don't care what they say, they will rust. I've seen it happen, and who knows what other kind of metals are hiding in there.

Oven dishes like baking sheets, get restaurant ones, they're cheap, can take a beating, and don't warp. try and get at least one large casserole dish as well, avoid glass as it can break and can't go into the oven at certain temperatures and not everyone knows that.

What about knives? It seems that every place I stay has dull knives, there's a whole science behind why but I won't bore you with that.. I even have a set that I picked up to take with me on trips because I got sick of it. But if you get a restaurant quality knife it's going to stay sharp longer, can be professionally sharpened, and are made to be used roughly by people, these guys can take a beating. Throw a sharpener in there and you're good to go.I like sharpener's like these because it's next to impossible to use them wrong:

For cutting boards spring for bamboo, they aren't overpriced like people once thought, and they don't warp and last much longer then plastic ones. Why do they last longer? They resist scarring so they look newer longer without all those cut marks from others using them, repel stains,and are non porous so there's nowhere for bacteria to set up shop and they won't be harboring anything nasty. Check out these guys as they even have a lifetime replacement!

Other kitchen essentials that can get over looked but really show you care are things like can openers, cheese graters, vegetable peelers, and measuring cups and spoons (liquid and dry).

Wanna go the extra mile? Toasters, Coffee makers, a hand mixer, kettles, blenders, or cooling wrack (if they make something like cookies) are all incredible.

Try and keep some storage containers, baggies, plastic wrap, foil, etc. on hand as well.

Obviously you're not going to stock the kitchen, but these things are LIFE changing when traveling, I hate having to pick up a whole bottle of oil to cook with knowing I'll use hardly any of it:

• salt & pepper (grinders)

• olive oil

• a basic spice set

• balsamic vinegar

• sugar

• pasta

• spaghetti sauce

• cereal & oatmeal (grab some multipacks and call it good)

• milk & an alternative milk option (almond, oat, etc.)

• coffee & tea

Want to REALLLLY go the extra mile? Make a little welcome snack tray, some chips, cookies, crackers, fruit, nothing crazy but something to munch on. Throw some water or even sparkling water in the fridge.

Remember, variety packs are your friend, as there is always something for everyone and you don't have to figure out what to pick and inevitably pick the wrong thing.. And if you store extras in the BNB that aren't locked up they are free reign for your guests to eat.

Of course there are a whole list of other things you could/should get (and really this is a the more the merrier case) so I'll just throw it all here:

• international plug converter for electronics

• USB ports in power outlets

• blow dryer

• iron & ironing board

• laundry detergent (try and get some sort of allergy friendly type)

• some sort of streaming account (make sure to provide the login info next to the wifi info that way should it be needed it's easily available)

• facial tissue

Still not sure what to do? Think about what you like, what you want and just figure if you want it other's do as well. Above all! Remember that sometimes you have to spend a little more upfront to save money in the long run, and you have to spend money to make money!

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks! I'm constantly keeping an eye out for more adventures to have and ways to save money when possible! And trust me, as I find them I'll keep you updated. Want to be the first in the know when this happens? Sign up as a Dirty Tourist, my VIP email list! You can sign up here!

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Rest assured, I only recommend stuff I genuinely think is worth your time, money, and maybe even a chuckle or two. But hey, if you're not vibing with it, that's totally cool too! You do you, and I'll keep the fun travel tips coming your way.

Happy travels ❤️

-Sarah