FARM VACATIONS:

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HOW TO START A FARM VACATION BUSINESS

[1] Location. Your first requirement, obviously, is a piece of ground away from the urban scene ... the farther away the better. Don't worry that location in an isolated area will be a drawback. Matter of fact, it'll probably be an advantage. (Vacation businesses are now thriving in Alaska, Canada and all the Western States.)

Although most people travel by auto, those who don't can be called for at bus and train stations. And if your home isn't accessible by car, that's still no problem. Arrange to meet your guests and pick them up in whatever way is necessary ... jeep, horseback, covered wagon or boat. Chances are they'll be delighted with the adventure.

[2] Accommodations: lodging and meals. The accommodations you offer will depend, of course, on what you have. Some people take in guests and provide them with little more than camping space. A number of ranches put visitors up in bunkhouses with old-fashioned privies. At the Merten home (and this is probably one of the more common arrangements), the guests are assigned to upstairs bedrooms and share the living room and bathroom with the family downstairs.

As you can see, there are no rules about the kind of amenities a farm vacation host must supply. What's important is to be completely honest with your prospective customers about what you are offering them, so that they can decide for themselves if this is what they want and come prepared.

You can either provide facilities for guests to cook their own meals, or do the cooking and let them eat with you. The second arrangement is probably more appealing to the visiting wife or mother because it gives her a break from the daily routine of meal preparation and dishwashing.

Ma Merten does the cooking herself and serves her company in the dining room or large kitchen. The guests have breakfast whenever they want it, a noon meal at 12:00 and supper at 6:00 with plenty of cookies, snacks and coffee available at any time. The atmosphere is not pretentious but is very comfortable, and Ma says she's never had trouble pleasing anyone's palate.

[3] Attitude. The third requirement for a successful farm vacation business is personal: You must really enjoy meeting new people and having them near you in pretty close contact ... especially children, since families with youngsters are the most frequent candidates for this kind of vacation. Small fry of your own are a definite advantage because no one can introduce a child to the secret delights of the country as well as another child. And while the small fry are building tree houses or pursuing tomato worms, the parents can relax instead of trying to think of ways to entertain them. No wonder they like farm holidays!

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