Guest Article: Looking For Bargains

By Lisa Ann Schreier
Late last month, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a live webinar entitled “Making The Most Out Of Your Timeshare.” It was great fun and I enjoyed the many insightful questions that I received at the end of the presentation.

Soon afterwards, I was playing around at the RCI website and was delighted to see that there were some new additions. Both Last Call and Extra Vacations had a discount attached to them, and many resort exchanges were on sale for as much as 50% off regular point values. Up to 50% off!
Just another example of how it pays to not only keep your exchange company membership valid, but also to check back to the website every now and then, even if you are not planning a vacation in the foreseeable future.

There will always be people who complain about timeshare. Some of those complaints are indeed valid—buying more than you can use, not being able to exchange for prime destinations in prime times, increasing annual dues, etc.

And then there are the success stories. As some of you know, I was a timeshare salesperson for more than 6 years in the Orlando area. I have sold weeks, points, RCI, and Interval International. Back in 2001, two couples from Minnesota purchased an RCI Points-based timeshare. Combined, they own a total of 132,000 points. I recently spoke to them because they were planning another vacation to Orlando. In addition to the timeshare they owned in Orlando, they each bought a week in Hawaii.

This year, each couple was coming down to Orlando for one week and then jetting off to Hawaii for four—yes, four—weeks, each using a combination of their points and their weeks. And while these people are fairly bright, intelligent, motivated owners, they are not magicians.

What they do is carefully plan, check RCI every now and then to see what is available, then take advantage of good deals. Do they pay a lot in annual fees? I’m sure the fees in Hawaii are hefty. But the interesting thing about these two couples is how much they enjoy timesharing and how much they recommend it to their friends and family.

If you enjoy vacationing, want more “bang for your buck,” and purchase the right timeshare for you, I promise you’ll never regret buying a timeshare. Happy vacations to all of you!
Lisa Ann Schreier, aka “The Timeshare Crusader,” is the author of Timeshare Vacations For Dummies, and Surviving a Timeshare Presentation: Confessions From the Sales Table. She is also the founder of Timeshare Insights, an independent consulting firm.

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