About Us

About Us

Hello and Welcome to TripDonkey.com.

As a Vacation Rental Owner for over two decades, I have seen lots of changes with the online reservation platforms like Homeaway.com, VRBO.com and AirBnB sites.  Fees have grown exorbitantly and the sites have ended direct interaction between homeowners and prospective tenants.  Lack of communication can lead to frustration and confusion, and increased fees can make vacation rentals out of reach for many families.    

Prohibiting direct communication on the rental sites is intended to benefit only the reservation platform as it prevents potential tenants and homeowners from making a reservation outside the platform, undercutting the reservation site.  

Open communication between renters and  homeowners eases the tenant’s anxiety of making a large financial commitment.  Potential renters can arrange to visit the home prior to renting and they can speak with a home owner and assess how responsive the homeowner may be to any issues that may arise during the stay.  

As a homeowner, I always appreciated the various options of payment available when renting directly while using my own lease agreement.  Before the sites took away our ability to speak to one another and collect forms of payment we preferred and were comfortable with, without charging exorbitant fees to the vacationer and a percentage of the rental (another fee) amount to the landlords.

Isn’t it time to provide a simple service where homeowners can list their home for rent and vacationers can search homes for rent directly?

No booking Fees.  Book direct all the time. Open communication ALLOWED.

Always open to suggestions on how to make the site better.

Sincerely, 

Todd Michael