THE SCOOP ON RENTALS

Vacation Rentals by Owner can be found online at www.vrbo.com. When renting an owner-rented property, it's important to do your homework. If it's not possible to have someone you know check out the places that most interest you, feel free to request more photos or ask for references from previous renters. Once you have the address, you can also check out the location through Google Earth, the satellite mapping service (www.earth.google.com), to verify that it's as close to the beach or mountains as the owners claim.