Allison Walker, Your Home

More and more people this year are choosing to rent someone else's vacation home instead of staying in a hotel.

Rental companies that serve the Orlando area say the economy is helping this practice grow.

"You can lie in your bed, you can lie by the pool, you can skinnydip at night," said Moira Lawson, who owns a Clermont vacation rental home.

It is all about privacy and space for Moira and Ron Lawson, who are from Scotland.

Through Imagine Rental Homes, they have been renting the home out to other families since September, and said booking it has been easy.

"In fact, sometimes we have to ask for a spot for ourselves to get into it," Moira Lawson said.

Discover Vacation Homes says occupancy of places like the Lawson home has increased by about 20 percent since this time last year.

So how can families afford a big place to rent especially, as AARP found out, 59 percent of older adults say the current economy is making it more difficult for them to pay for essentials like food, gas, and medicine?

"Obviously with the economy where it's at now, it's a very much of a value-type of accomodation," said Steve Trover, president of Discover Vacation Homes, a non-profit group.

Trover said having this kind of space, compared to a hotel room can save families money.

"Having your own kitchen, it allows you to cook as well, so you might save money by doing that as opposed to going out on your entire vacation. You also might spend a day or two at the home, as opposed to going out to the theme parks," Trover said.

Vacation rental homes can go from $120 to $400 a night. Trover said there are about 20,000 in Central Florida.

You can also book a place with your own amenities -- everything from game rooms to home theatres.

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