Staying in timeshare rentals

If you are like me...you are always looking for bargains...but some "bargains" are packaged as come-ons for a timeshare presentation.

I have endured several of these...they are so predictable...the salesperson always shows pictures of their family, to show they are real people...after you say no you have to meet with the sales manager (who has to approve your "gift")...more pressure...when you do leave the presentation...you heave a big sigh of relief.

However, those folks unfortunate enough to actually buy a timeshare directly from the promoter pay a big premium to cover the sales commissions.

This can be a great opportunity for you to save big by renting from the original owners who cannot use their timeshare...read on...

Frugal retirement living doesn't have to mean squashing the travel bug and staying in and around the house. In fact, with all your new found free time it should be quite the opposite.

Finding cheap alternatives to travel accommodations like renting a timeshare week from other owners can make what would be an otherwise unaffordable trip well within your budget.

What Exactly is a Timeshare?

Resorts sell "weeks" of usage to vacationers which guarantees them a specific week's stay at their resort. Owners have the option to purchase either a studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, etc., which all include full kitchens and living rooms as well as full access to the resort's amenities and services.

All the extra space and comforts owners receive are what makes the biggest differences between a timeshare and a hotel.

Since owners purchase these weeks this also gives them the right to sell and rent out their week or weeks if they choose.

Sometimes an owner may not be able to use their week in a particular year, however, the owner is required to pay the year's maintenance fees whether they use the week or not.

To try and cover these mandatory fees, owners will then try and rent out the week which is where you, the frugal traveler, comes into play...

Benefits of Renting a Timeshare Week

Tough choice?? I don't think so...hotel room on left...fully eqipped timeshare on the left...Duh

Let's say that you and your spouse have always wanted to go on a second honeymoon in the Caribbean but the rates the hotels are charging are upwards of almost $300 per night. That's over $2000 before you even start looking for airfare.

Chances are that the same resort or another in the area has timeshares, and that there is an owner who can't use their week this year. With the average maintenance fees being well under $1000, you're already looking at saving well over half what you'd spend at the hotel.

Plus, that hotel room that costs twice as much is probably not going to include a kitchen and living room. Staying in and cooking just one meal a day can easily save you a few hundred dollars over the course of the week.

Maybe instead of a second honeymoon, you really want to take the grandkids to Disney World. Disney has literally thousands of timeshare owners as Orlando is the timeshare capital of the world.

Choosing a 2 bedroom unit will give you two /separate/ bedrooms so you won't all have to cram into one hotel room and share beds. Nothing can make a dream vacation turn into a nightmare quicker than tired cranky children in tight quarters. Trust me, you'll love the extra space...

Where To Look For Timeshare Rentals?

The best place to look for timeshare rentals is online.

When you work through a resale website that provides advertising to owners who need to sell or rent out their timeshares, you're assured that you're not paying any commissions and that the week actually exists.

They also handle the transfer all of the rights to use the week between the owner and resort so you can just check in like you would at a hotel. In addition to the right to stay in the unit itself, you'll also receive access to all the services and amenities that the resort has to offer just as the owner would.

Timeshare Presentations

If you've ever traveled anywhere and stayed in a hotel or resort, it's almost guaranteed that you've been approached by a salesmen trying to offer you a free gift of some sort for "just 90 minutes of your time".

As is with most "free things", you end up paying for it in the end. Buying timeshare through the resort means that you're paying for all the other "free" gifts that they gave out to those who attended their presentation but didn't end up buying.

You're also paying for the commission that the salesmen receives for selling the week.

What these wholesalers don't want you to know is that you can get these /exact/ same weeks from previous owners for less than half what they're going for at the resort. Because you're buying a unit of time, there is absolutely no difference between timeshares bought through a resort and timeshare resales bought online. Other than the price that is...

Living frugally in your retirement doesn't have to mean making sacrifices. It means finding smart alternatives that take you wherever you want to go.

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