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Vacation home

Holiday/second homes in England, 2006
Region Number %
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly  13,458 5.6%
Cumbria 7,906 3.4%
Dorset 10,540 3.2%
Norfolk 11,857 3.1%
Devon 14,813 3.0%
East Sussex 7,583 2.1%
Northumberland 2,805 2.0%
North Yorkshire 7,074 1.9%
West Sussex 6,266 1.8%
Suffolk 5,414 1.8%
Holiday/second homes
in Scotland, 2006
Region %
Argyll and Bute 11.1%
Eilean Siar 7.2%
Scottish Highlands 6.2%
Orkney Islands 5.3%
Shetland Islands 3.6%
Perth and Kinross 3.1%
North Ayrshire 2.4%
Dumfries and Galloway 2.3%
Scottish borders 2.3%
Moray 2.2%
Aberdeenshire 1.8%
South Ayrshire 1.5%
Stirling 1.4%
East Lothian 1.2%
Angus 1.1%
Fife 0.9%
Edinburgh 0.7%
Aberdeen 0.6%
Clackmannanshire 0.2%
Dundee 0.2%
East Ayrshire 0.2%
Falkirk 0.2%
Glasgow 0.2%
Inverclyde 0.2%
South Lanarkshire 0.2%
West Dunbartonshire 0.2%
East Dunbartonshire 0.1%
East Renfrewshire 0.1%
North Lanarkshire 0.1%
Renfrewshire 0.1%
West Lothian 0.1%
Holiday/second homes
in north east U.S.A., 2000
State Number %
Maine 103,569 15.89%
Vermont 44,006 14.95%
New Hampshire 57,251 10.47%
Delaware 26,600 7.75%
Massachusetts 97,434 3.72%
New Jersey 115,439 3.49%
New York 250,199 3.26%
Rhode Island 13,624 3.10%
Pennsylvania 154,495 2.94%
Maryland 42,541 1.98%
Connecticut 25,565 1.84%
District of Columbia 2,811 1.02%
West Virginia 38,326 0.54%

A holiday cottage, holiday home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottages, that vacationers can rent and run as if it were their own home for the duration of their stay. The properties may be owned by those using them for a vacation, in which case the term second home applies; or may be rented out to holidaymakers through an agency.

Terminology varies among countries. In the United Kingdom this type of property is usually termed a holiday home or holiday cottage; in Australia, a holiday house/home, or weekender; in New Zealand, a bach or crib.

A second home or vacation home can be a home owner's asset as renting it could provide additional income. Many vacationers are opting for a single family residence that they can rent on a nightly or weekly basis. In many cases the savings for them are significant compared to hotels or vacation packages. For owners it can be as rewarding as paying the mortgage. As people begin to realize this trend vacation type properties are becoming popular not only for existing homes but also for building one.

Renting a holiday cottage gives vacationers the freedom to eat in, eat out, stay in bed all day and generally come and go as they please. In contrast to this, accommodation in a bed and breakfast or hotel usually involves some sort of restriction on the time of day guests need to vacate their rooms for cleaning and so on.

Young children and babies can be more easily accommodated for in a holiday cottage where the parents do not feel pressure from other families (e.g. in a hotel resort) who may not have young children. The fact that guests are on holiday in a home together, often with three generations in larger houses, brings a much different atmosphere to the holiday.

Holiday cottages are nowadays found across the length and breadth of the UK, with many destinations from town houses to forests. New Forest Holiday Cottages have become more popular in recent years, gaining a higher profile from such news as the New Forest becoming a National Park. Many other areas in the UK have seen a growth in the Holiday Cottage industry such as the Lake District and Cornwall. There are typically two routes to renting a holiday cottage. Either direct with an owner, or through the auspices of a holiday cottage agency. Several holiday home portals list cottages available direct from the owner, and charge an fee for listing the property.


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