How to Get the Most Exchange for your Timeshare Vacation Dollars

Do you know how to avoid a Timeshare Vacation Trap? Timeshares have become a very popular alternative for families wishing to spend quality time together during the various school holiday seasons, yet everyone has heard the horror stories of people getting trapped in a Timeshare dilemma.

You spend a lot of money to have fun with your family. No one wants to get stuck with a place they can not sell, and no longer wish to visit. To avoid this trap you first need to consider the reasons you want to buy a Timeshare.

Do you like to go to the same place every year? If you do then buying the exact week, in the exact apartment or lodge in your chosen resort is a fantastic idea. If going to the same place year after year sounds kind of boring, then perhaps you want to make use of an exchange company to visit different resorts and countries each and every year! There are over 5,000 resorts world wide to choose from. To most the concept of being able to explore different places around the world represents an ideal vacation alternative. Yet it’s not always possible to exchange the week that you own for the one that you want! Is there some way to better your odds?

The answer to this question is in fact yes, it is possible to better your odds. The key is in understanding how Timeshare exchanges work. The concept of the timeshare exchange is simple. You are swapping a weeks vacation in one place for a weeks vacation in another place. A like for like exchange. So how then do they measure to compare the value of one week to that of another week in a different place?

The answer is simple. It really comes down to supply versus demand. The most popular Timeshare units are the larger ones in the highest quality resorts. The most popular times to travel are during the busiest holiday seasons when schools are closed and universities are on break. To have the maximum trading power you would need to purchase the largest and highest quality Timeshare unit, for a week that falls in the busiest season that you can afford. You may not always get an equal trade on your unit, but you will most likely get a good quality unit during your requested time period.

Never consider a Timeshare as a "financial" investment. Do not be misled by salesmen's figures and projections. The timeshare is an investment in lifestyle. It’s a way of having a five star vacation without having to own your own five-star-resort.

The Vacation Market

In this day and age there are actually a wide range of vacation possibilities. Cruises, adventure vacations, specialty vacations, are all just a few of the many options that are available. The difficulty arises when you want to take a vacation with your whole family. One person going on a trip can often get a special deal. Even two people can travel and receive substantial discounts on packaged vacations. Families on the other hand have no such luck. It is assumed that families have children and that children are noisy.

Resorts often use children as an excuse to charge premium prices on the grounds that they need to have special services available to cater to the specific requirements of the children. Some resorts actually do go to great lengths and substantial costs to accommodate these young guests. They may have daycare facilities, children’s programs, perhaps even special menus to better serve those kids that are picky eaters (like me when I was 5).

These last few years have seen massive changes in the vacation market. There are new options available for families that wish to vacation together that do not require huge infusions of cash. It’s a new market and it represents a complete shift in the way we think about our vacation time.

The timeshares, all inclusive resorts, and villa rentals now have to compete with destination clubs, exchange programs, points programs, a wholesale vacation market, and what is now a hugely competitive cottage rental real-estate market. Did you know you can actually rent a cottage and get it as an “all inclusive” package? This was not possible 10 years ago but it is now.

The important thing about planning and having a family vacation is to be prepared and always keep in mind the following:

• What happens if you are hurt while on vacation? Is there liability coverage in the unlikely event that it is needed?
• Is your booking or rental guaranteed to be available?
• What happens if you are not happy with the place? Refunds?
• What are the hidden costs (groceries, boats, or things that are not covered in the basic rental agreement?

So long as you keep these simple questions in mind you should have a fun and happy vacation. Enjoy your vacation and spend the time with your family and your friends and make sure that you get your well deserved break from work. Enjoy!

Free Vacations: Fact or Fiction

Is there such thing as a free vacation? Of course not! However, did you know that there is such a thing as free accommodation?

You receive a call from a “travel agency” and they are currently offering a free vacation package or they say you won free plane tickets to an exotic location. You hear about this all the time and usually you also find out after the fact that it was all some sort of travel or vacation scam.

The economy is bad and you are already hesitant to go away on vacation, yet you know the hazards of not taking that much needed time off. So you book your trip, you pay your deposit, you hop on a flight, and your nightmare begins! Do not let this happen to you!

You hear about them, you some times even unknowingly provide them with the information that they need to contact you. You fill out a form, enter a draw, buy some sort of lottery ticket, or just fill out a questionnaire and suddenly there they are on the other end of the line trying to relieve you of your hard earned money. Don’t be fooled nothing is free, but there are ways of saving a significant amount of money on your family vacations.

Did you know that many countries offer free lodging to travelers? Some cultures do that because of religious and charitable ideals while others do it because they believe that they can benefit from knowing you and your culture. One of the most common places to get free accommodation is through Monasteries in countries like Italy, France and Spain.

Several monastic orders define hospitality/charity as one of their vows and they are only too happy to accommodate us for a night or two. Remember, these monasteries are usually in the rural areas and you may still need to give them a token gift but it’s a wonderful lesson for our family to see how people can live with so little “stuff” and still be contented in life. This stay may save your family millions later in life because of the lessons learned in frugality.

Always remember to use their resources sparingly and leave the rooms as clean as they were before your family used it and remember to give them an offering, whether it’s a few dollars or an item of clothing, or perhaps a blanket or afghan.

The Lost Art of Vacationing

The stock markets are rocky, and the economy is in rough shape. Work is even more stressful then normal, and a pay raise seems like an idea of days gone by!

With today’s high stress work environment and challenging economy it is more important then ever to be able to get away from it all and relax. Yet with today’s economic uncertainty you hesitate to spend the money on a family vacation for fear that the money may be required later.

Any doctor or therapist will tell you that taking time away from the stress of work is a necessary way to recharge body and soul. It can improve health and restore the body’s ability to fight infection and withstand stress. The need for vacations and down time away from work is more essential than ever. Yet, with a declining economy and an uncertain job market fewer and fewer people can afford to vacation with their families.

This does not need to be the case. These last few years have seen massive changes in the vacation market. There are new options available for families that wish to vacation together that do not require huge infusions of cash. It’s a new market and it represents a complete shift in the way we think about our vacation time.

The timeshares, all inclusive resorts, and villa rentals now have to compete with destination clubs, exchange programs, points programs, a wholesale vacation market, and what is now a hugely competitive cottage rental real-estate market. Did you know you can actually rent a cottage and get it as an “all inclusive” package? This was not possible 10 years ago but it is now.

Do not let work, or a bad economy stop you from taking advantage of all these new and great family vacation alternatives. The risks are far too great, and the rewards are even greater. Quality family time improves health, and creates a solid, stable and healthy environment. It is one of the best and most effective methods for reducing stress, and in the end, it actually increases productivity.

Enjoy your time off. Enjoy spending it with your family and your friends and make sure that you get your well deserved break from work. Enjoy!

The Secret to Avoiding Vacation Scams Revealed

The economy is bad and you are already hesitant to go away on vacation, yet you know the hazards of not taking that much needed time off. You book your trip, pay your deposit, hop on a flight, and your nightmare begins!
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, consumers are defrauded out of millions of dollars every month by travel and vacation scams. These scams are usually characterized by unrealistic low prices or free or exclusive offers.
Scam-artists have many methods and techniques for depriving you of your hard earned money, but by becoming informed about how these scam-artists operate you can learn to identify when you may be getting set up and protect yourself. Here are three tips to help get you started.
Tip #1 – Be aware of the buzzwords associated with travel and vacation scams. Offers filled with buzzwords such as free, guaranteed, you're eligible to win, vacation offer, you've just won, something for nothing, last chance, today only, and so on. Don't be seduced by the words, any offer that is good, valid and mutually beneficial doesn't need to seduce the consumer. A good offer only requires an explanation of how it works and why it is mutually beneficial.
Tip #2 – Arrange your vacation trips through local, established businesses. As I said earlier, legitimate companies do provide discount vacation packages (as a result of a competitive market) and may very well offer a free vacation after so many bookings. The best way to avoid travel and vacation scams altogether is to seek out these companies rather than dealing with companies that seek out you (and your wallet).
Tip #3 – Get it in writing. The best way to verify the offer and your subsequent arrangements is to have the details in writing with the cancellation and refund policies of the company.
So long as you keep these three simple tips in mind you should have a fun and happy vacation. Enjoy your vacation and spend the time with your family and your friends and make sure that you get your well deserved break from work. Enjoy!

The Secret to Making a Successful Timeshare Purchase

Everyone has heard the horror stories associated with purchasing a timeshare property. Huge payments, poor accommodations, stolen funds, and resorts that shall we say have “lost their appeal”!

Well once you have decided to go the Timeshare rout for your vacations it is important to take into account a few factors when making your purchase decision. A Timeshare can be owned forever but most are sold after 8-9 years. This makes the price you pay very important if you hope to avoid a major loss when the time comes to sell.

When purchasing a Timeshare make sure the seller has an escrow arrangement with his or her solicitor (or accountant) to administer the sale of the property and handle the transfer of funds and title. Only when you are completely satisfied should you instruct the solicitor to release your money and certify the transfer. If you are offered a banked week, then check that the owner actually owns the week and that the Management Fees are up to date by contacting the Management Company and the exchange company.

Make sure the exchange company is informed of the change in ownership before transfer and always be sure you understand who in the purchase agreement (seller or buyer) will assume the costs of transferring the ownership of the unit. A "Right of Use" ownership transfer may cost from $140 to $1,700 and the transfer costs for a “Deeded" ownership may amount to as much as $3,000.

Only buy from the developer of the resort as a last choice alternative and if you do have to go that route be prepared to pay substantially higher prices for your Timeshare units.

The starting price for "sleep 6", peak season week in good quality resorts in most of Europe should be in or around $4000 and should provide good exchange power and minimum losses on resale. In the UK a larger unit in peak school season at a top class resort should cost you between $6,000 and $10,000, and most of your money should come back when you resell. Once you find what you want, bargain hard! It's a buyers market so take advantage!

Fractional Ownership

What is fractional Cottage Ownership? You hear the term all the time, yet what does it mean? Is it a Timeshare? Do you own real property? Fractional cottage ownership has become quite popular in the last few years. There are companies that specialize in finding properties that are suitable for fractional ownership. These same companies then buy the properties and repackage them for sale in the fractional ownership market. Often these companies will also manage the properties and assist the groups of owners in renting the property. Obviously for this service there is a charge, but many fractional cottage owners feel it is well worth the cost.

So what is fractional ownership? Essentially, a small group of people or families decide to split the cost of purchase and maintenance of a vacation property and share its use. The one point that needs to be emphasized with fractional ownership is that the group of people that own the cottage actually are on title to the land, and the building. Like any other property the value of this land and building will go up and down as the real estate market does. Most fractional cottages are usually larger units owned by fewer people and most usually do not lose their value over time. In fact most appreciate in value just like they would if they where owned individually.

Sometime in the early 1990’s, fractional ownership started to become very popular. Agencies would offer fractional ownership programs that would usually involve buying a percentage ownership of a vacation property with a partnership agreement in place that would stipulate how many weeks each partner could have for their own personal use as well as a schedule of when those weeks could be used.

There are some distinct advantages of participating in a fractional ownership program. The owners can stay for fairly extended periods of time, such as, 4-6 weeks, as opposed to other options where the duration of the stay may be set to a rather short period of time. A huge advantage is that they are usually easier to finance through lenders because the risk is spread among several owners.

Another advantage of fractional ownership is that maintenance is usually provided year round and the costs for this upkeep are divided amongst all the owners. It costs less to keep the place and the property is available all year round and may often be used out of season. Probably one of the best advantages of fractional ownership is that the properties themselves are usually much easier to sell. When it is time to get out, it is easy to do so.

Naturally these advantages can tend to drive up the prices of fractional ownership as opposed to other less expensive alternatives. Luxury fractional ownership can sometimes cost as much as $200,000 per share and does not including maintenance and operating costs, however, there are more affordable fractional properties that can be found in the $29,000 range with as low as a 30% down payment and around a $140 monthly maintenance fee.