Taking the Slow Road

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Slow Travel is also gaining traction in other countries. "The global affliction of the hurry virus has afflicted every corner of the planet," says Carl Honoré, the London-based author of In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed. The Germans, he says, recently coined the term Freizeitstress, or free-time stress, to describe the tendency to race around with packed agendas, and are now even taking evening courses to learn how to relax when they go on vacation. The worldwide popularity of spa and yoga retreats and slow-poke barge cruises is also part of the trend, Honoré says. But the ultimate method of breaking away is to live in another country for a few weeks or months.

Besides encouraging a leisurely approach to activities, vacation rentals provide more space and privacy than hotel rooms--a big advantage for multigenerational family holidays. For their travels in Europe, Wendy and Richard Ashworth of Surrey, England, often book properties with a spare bedroom and bath for drop-in visits from their two adult sons. "That way they have some privacy, and we can go our separate ways during the day but eat dinner together at night," says Wendy, 55, an education counselor. And, she notes, rented accommodations allow her and Richard to take along their aged Welsh terrier, Ferdie.

Short-term rentals also make a handy base for those contemplating retirement overseas. Art Skinner, 60, and his wife Barbara, 54, rented four different places during two years of house hunting in Tuscany and Umbria. "Playing house instead of playing tourist made us realize that we could really live in Italy and feel at home," says Skinner, a former postal worker in Louisville, Ky. He and Barbara moved to San Venanzo, a small town in Umbria, in September 2003.

With more than a million European properties available to short-term renters, there are places to suit almost every need and budget, according to Markus Deutsch, president of RCI Global Vacation Network's Europe and Middle East region. "You can find a small cottage on a Norwegian fjord or a castle in Ireland that sleeps 20, at weekly prices ranging from $500 to $15,000," says Deutsch. They're easier to locate too. Interim leases were once a brochure, fax and word-of-mouth business, but the Internet has changed everything. Websites offer virtual tours, online booking and glowing descriptions of amenities and furnishings.

Still, slowtrav.com's Kenny urges potential renters to be cautious. She says some agency sites may be run by large companies with huge databases and an office staff unfamiliar with the properties. "I look for an agency with a small number of quality listings that suit my needs and where I can get answers from someone who really knows the property." It pays to be careful, because renters have little recourse if they are dissatisfied: the full fee is usually due before or on arrival, and refunds are rare, even if the trip must be canceled. A good agency will try to find another place if something serious, like a plumbing disaster, occurs--but not because the kitchen is too small or the bedroom too dark.