My husband and I are starting to plan a trip to Italy for March of 2010. The thing is, the average hotel has never really been my thing, so I’m looking into all kinds of alternative lodging options.

I’ve had some great experiences at small bed and breakfast types of establishments. I really feel you are able to get a true taste of the local culture by skipping out on hotels, especially in a foreign country.

However, beyond B&Bs and inns, we are also looking at borrowing an apartment for a week. We did this on our most recent overseas trip to Australia. Through a little internet research, some rather amusing emails, and a deposit sent via PayPal, we booked a beach side apartment in Sydney for nine days. It was far cheaper than staying in a hotel.

I mean, the base rate was cheaper, but then you have all these other wonderful perks, like having a kitchen and being able to prepare some of your own meals, and having a living room, where you can enjoy a cocktail before you head out for a night on the town. You get to basically live like a local – total immersion!

Anyway, I’ve been checking out my tried and true websites for apartment deals such as these while traveling abroad. In case you are considering doing the same, these are some good places to start:

- TripAdvisor.com – B&Bs, Inns, and Apart-hotels. Some owner-rented apartments may be listed as well, so check it out!

- Homeexchange.com – Where you swap your place with someone else’s in the location you want to travel to. Obviously, this only works if you have a place where someone would like to stay as well!

- Vrbo.com – Vacation rentals by owner. A huge database – you can spend hours in here checking places out!

- Homeaway.com – Like vrbo.

Before long, you’ll be in Rome… and doing as the Romans do!

Thanks to rhymehatcher for the picture.