As you get your vacation rental set up for your first few sets of guests, you want every furnishing to be part of the marketing plan. Each item in the space helps you tell a story, the story that this is a great place to make memories, relax and spend time with the people your renters love.

The easiest way to do this is to get to know a few different vacation rentals on your chosen vacation rental websites and use those to help you get the space just right; you also might get the insight of your real estate agent who helped you buy this vacation rental. However, you should also use your own experience traveling as a family and think about what made your experience particularly good.

Consider Your Demographics

While certain areas appeal to, for instance, mostly retired couples and other places where most of the vacation rentals are for families with young children, you can make your decorations cast the widest possible net. If you opt for glass art, for instance, you can place it so high that no children can access it, reducing the chances of a broken glass item ruining a family’s day. In general, durability is going to be a virtue no matter who is going to come to your property, but you have more leeway to choose and more inspiration if you know some facts about the people who shop vacation rentals in your area.

Opt for Simple and Easy to Clean Furnishings Whenever Possible

For your own sake, picking items that are easy to clean and quite durable will make your space much easier to turn over for the next guests. Expensive rugs, bright white upholstery, and other hard-to-maintain furnishings will add stress without adding excessive amounts of value.

Instead, look up what textiles and brands people tend to enjoy using in their rental properties, both because of their durability and because they look good to the guests.

Timeless and Neutral Furnishings Tend to Appeal Wider Than Eclectic Ones

Upfront, we’ll say that you should absolutely decorate based on your own desires. If you’ve always wanted to display your beloved art collections, your rental will be one-of-a-kind and will often find a perfect audience. However, not every vacation rental owner is born with a decorator’s eye, and if you want to make a comfortable, beautiful space, it doesn’t have to have a totally unique theme to work well.

You can opt for regional decor (mountain scenes or seashell prints work for a reason!), or you can opt for a variety of calm neutral, or earth-tone items, making it easy to bring in something new if you ever have to replace an item. Opting for one-of-a-kind furniture or decorations can be heartbreaking if something is ruined and then cannot be returned, so ideally, a vacation rental should be focused on decor that allows each guest to feel at home and comfortable. But, again, it doesn’t have to be a unique space they’ve ever seen to work well.

That being said, many people will remember unique functionality forever, sharing with people in reviews that you had a great travel crib for families to use or you were happy to provide additional beds for a family reunion, allowing all the young cousins to share a room and stay up chatting. A great way to make a good impression is to make the decor so harmonious that it blends into the background, giving off a clean, polished look without having to draw a lot of attention to itself. That being said, you can disregard this and make your rental your own artistic canvas instead – this may actually be what makes it that much more fun to share with guests.

If you are dreaming of gorgeous beaches, stunning tropical scenery, and warm, sunny weather for your next vacation, then Puerto Rico should be high on your list. One of the Caribbean’s most charming and delightful islands, it boasts a fascinating history and culture, great cuisine, and all the best parts of a tropical paradise island…plus you don’t even need your passport to get there!

For families, Puerto Rico is one of the finest Caribbean destinations, full of family-friendly activities and excellent attractions that are perfect for kids of any age. So if you are looking for somewhere to take the kids this year that is as enjoyable for them as it is for you, take a cruise to Puerto Rico and uncover this wonderful and accessible gem for yourself.

Carabalí Rainforest Adventure Park

Just outside the lush extravagance of El Yunque Rainforest, Hacienda Carabali is a tourist complex with something for every member of the family, from young to old. From go-karts and ATVs to horses and ponies to ride, it’s essentially a natural amusement park that delves into the rich atmosphere of El Yunque to provide thrills and excitement. One of the best elements of the park is the Rio Mameyes, a truly delightful spot for a dip in the cool, fresh water of the river. Alongside the attractions there are souvenir shops and restaurants, allowing families to spend the whole day here. 

Coqui Water Park

As a Caribbean island, it isn’t surprising that many of Puerto Rico’s best attractions are based around the water. Coqui Water Park is a riot of water slides, pools, and wave machines, and makes a fantastic option for families who want to cool off from the tropical heat. 

Olimpia Water Park

The Olimpia Water Park is actually a self-contained section of the Albergue Olimpico sports center, and it is one of the best spots in Puerto Rico for family-friendly fun. It offers a variety of slides and wave pools, as well as the only kid-friendly water racers on the island. The atmosphere at the park is charming, designed to mimic the nearby beaches, and it is a great place to relax for most of the day. Best of all, your entry pass gives access to the entire sports center, so older members of the family can enjoy the olympic pool, the tennis courts, and the gym.

Arroyo’s Surfing Park

As its name suggests, the main attraction at Arroyo’s Surfing Park is the thrilling WaveOZ FlowRider surf simulator. This innovative ride (the only example in Puerto Rico) lets you hit up waves and breaks in the comfort of the water park itself, and is a fantastic option for smaller surf tykes just getting to grips with their board. There are plenty of other attractions in the park too for those who aren’t keen on surfing, as well as an excellent cantina for parents to unwind in when the excitement gets too much!

Arecibo Lighthouse & Historical Park

Not your traditional theme park, Arecibo Lighthouse and Historical Park is dedicated to exploring the history of Puerto Rico in a fun yet educational way. It includes a replica Taino village, three Spanish conquistador ships (and a bonus pirate ship!), a playground, and the Pirate’s Lair, a cave where your children can explore the myths, legends, and realities of the Golden Age of Piracy in the West Indies. It is a fascinating alternative to the more adrenaline-packed thrills of a traditional amusement park, and will entertain your kids just as effectively!

Riding motorcycles is a hobby and even a passion for people of all ages and backgrounds. According to research, there is a growing number of people who own motorcycles, including female riders. 

Since many families own a motorcycle, it also means that it’s more common to see kids on the back. 

However, you do have to decide if it’s safe for a child to be a passenger on a motorcycle and, if so, what you need to do as a parent to make sure you’re following the rules.

What Are the Laws?

In many states, there aren’t any minimum age requirements to ride a motorcycle as a passenger. To legally operate a motorcycle, most states say that young people have to be at least 16, just like driving a car. 

Interestingly, in many states, there are laws that require children under a certain age are in the right safety restrain system when they’re in a car, yet this doesn’t apply to motorcycles. 

While there aren’t necessarily many laws dictating when a child can ride on a motorcycle, there are other requirements that should be met. The Motorcycle Handbook lists the requirements as proper precautions, which is what any motorcycle passenger should follow, especially kids. 

The precautions for a child passenger include a motorcycle that has a passenger seat and footrests. The passenger should be able to comfortably reach the footrests, and passengers should always wear a snug-fitting, federally approved helmet. Children should also wear durable but comfortable clothing, including long pants, a thick jacket, and closed-toe shoes. 

Getting the Right Helmet

If you’re going to have your child as a passenger on a motorcycle, the proper helmet is one of the most important things to make sure you have. 

The helmet needs to fit properly. A child should not be wearing a helmet for adults. If the helmet is too large, it’s very likely that if you are in a crash, it will come off. 

The helmet needs to fit snugly, even though this means your child will outgrow it faster. The helmet should have full coverage as well as a chin-bar. If the helmet doesn’t have a face shield, your child should wear goggles. 

What About a Leather Jacket?

Wearing a leather jacket on a motorcycle isn’t to look the part. Leather jackets are important for protection. 

There are kids riding jackets available, and while they can be expensive, the protection they provide is likely worth it. Kids need at a minimum a tough jacket made of rugged material. 

Retention Solutions

Your child can’t be put in front of you to ride—that’s incredibly dangerous. If you are going to ride with a child as a passenger, they can fall off when they’re sitting behind you. A child can fall asleep on a longer ride, which increases the chances of falling off. A child can also be flung off following a maneuver for quick avoidance. 

If a child has small hands and their arms are short, it’s going to be tough for them to hold onto the rider. 

There are a lot of stories about motorcycles that didn’t crash, but children were still ejected from them. 

There are some aftermarket solutions that can help with this issue. 

For example, there are belts for riders that have passenger handholds. 

If you have a kid on the younger side, they might not be able to remember to hold on, so in this case, there are harnesses that go over a child’s waist and shoulders and between their legs so they can’t wiggle out. 

There are quick-release buckles on these harnesses that a child can’t release. Then, the harness attaches to a foam pad with grips like a handlebar. There’s a belt that attaches to the front of the pad and then goes around the waist of the rider, securing the child to them. 

Following the Rules of the Road

Whether you have a young passenger or not, following the rules of the road is critical for safety on a motorcycle. You need to make sure you comply not only with local laws but also with best practices for riding a motorcycle safely. 

Your child should have an understanding of basic safety skills before riding with you as well. 

Having a child as a passenger on a motorcycle inherently has more risks than putting a child in a car. If you do decide to do it, you need to take every available precaution to make it as safe as you can.