subject: Timeshare Vacations - A savvy way to save and see the world [print this page] Timeshare Vacations - A savvy way to save and see the world
After a bumpy start in the 1960s and 1970s, timeshare vacations are now one of the fastest growing segments of the global leisure travel industry and for good reason. Investment in the purchase of a timeshare vacation no longer restricts, as it once did, your vacation to one location, but to choosing from up to 5,000 timeshare resorts in 140 countries around the world.
Timeshare now means flexibility. You can choose to use your timeshare vacation every other year for two weeks, annually for an entire moth and any situation in between. Popular locations include Canada, the Caribbean, Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, Mexico, California and Europe. More than 4.5 million people now own timeshare vacations.
The whole concept of timeshare began in Europe about 50 years ago when a group of families, often city neighbors, would buy a country house where they could spend vacations at less cost that if they rented hotel rooms; they shared in the cost to buy the property and shared in the maintenance, hands-on and costs. The idea moved to North America about a decade later, mostly comprising furnished condominiums, and now that growing pains are behind the idea, it has grabbed a pivotal position in vacation travel, largely because of the reduced costs involved.
It's easy and cost-effective to buy a timeshare. Many of the better resorts will allow you to stay a night or two, gratis, and get to know the property and learn about its aligned properties in other places. Ownership saves on sometimes-costly hotel room rates, and pre-paying, as is done with timeshare properties, means avoiding future rate hikes. And when you decide your vacationing days are over, you can sell your timeshare investment.
High-end hotel management companies such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt now operate the majority of quality timeshares, and some are all-inclusive, right down to food, drinks and even entertainment. Choose from basic studio suites to spacious, upscale three-bedroom units, to penthouse lofts; timeshare units are not the basic condominium spots they once were!
