Jaunted

Have a head honcho: If 20 seasons of Real World have taught us one thing, it's that somebody has to be in charge of the house. Maybe it's the most travel savvy of your friends, maybe it's the most anal: We don't really care. But somebody needs to be in charge, or you'll never get that security deposit back.

Plan ahead: There's no room service and no restaurants at these places, so prep a grocery list ahead of time. (Some fancier homes will stock the fridge for you.) If you have a list ready to go, shopping doesn't have to be a bitch: Just give each one of your buddies a part of the list, and you'll be done in just a few minutes.

Ride the plastic: We picked one person to put all the group expenses on his credit card. That way, money doesn't get all mixed up. After the trip, we easily calculated each person's share with the receipts, and everybody knew who to pay. Simple.

BYO technology: Our house was wired with internet, but there was no WiFi. Why didn't we bring our own wireless router so that we could sit on the deck sunning while working? Because we were unprepared!

Communicate with your hosts: Speaking of internet, ours was out when we first arrived. Instead of waiting around for the problem to fix itself, we just got in touch with the property manager. If something's not working at your place, don't be afraid to be a squeaky wheel. Our hosts were more than happy to fix the problem--and even offer a discount because the internet wasn't working as promised.

Related Stories:
· Tips for Villa Rental [Peter Greenberg]
· Worldwide Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations [CNT]
· HOWTO coverage [Jaunted]

[Not a photo of our villa: ezioman]