Every winter and spring, I see swarms of tourists in my neck of the woods - Phoenix, AZ. If you live in a popular travel destination, you may see the same thing. These people are always looking for reliable places to stay when they travel.

Most travelers prefer to stay in a furnished house rather than a stuffy hotel. That means you can make some big bucks renting your property to them.

Some places can fetch hundreds of dollars a night. If you plan it right, you could even rent out your home while you vacation and not spend a dime!

Airbnb is a good place to start. Just set up a free profile page and start connecting with potential renters.

You can offer your whole house, one bedroom or just a couch. Although the listing is free, Airbnb does take a 3 percent cut from every rental.

If you really want your listing to stand out, Airbnb will send a professional photographer to your house at no charge.

Unlike Airbnb, HomeAway is a subscription-based site with refundable rates starting at $329 yearly per listing. That is quite a bit, but for those with larger houses in prime locations, it might be just the thing.