Ways of using your Timeshare

There are quite a few ways of making your timeshare work for you.

First of all, you can use it. In actual fact, you can use that week in the unit you own however you want to (following the rules of the resort, of course!).

Also you can lend it to someone else or, better still, rent it out. I occasionally see specific weeks for rent on ebay at little more than the cost of the maintenance. Just make sure you notify the resort with the names of those who will
be using it.

Moving on from that, you can swap it for another place each year. There are several timeshare exchange companies and your resort will be affiliated to either RCI or Interval International (II) or both. There is another exchange company called Dial an Exchange (DAE) which is cheaper than the other and gets very good reports. You put your week into a 'Spacebank' and choose another to take out and use instead.

And last of all, you can cede your week into a points system. There are several different ones and some are linked to specific resorts. My weeks are ceded into RCI Points which works very well for me. Each of my weeks is given a Points value which sits in my Points Account. I book other weeks by spending my Points. Sometimes, the resorts I book are worth more than the weeks I put in and other times, they are worth fewer Points. But I get good value. I have put in 3 weeks and I generally get to book 5 weeks against these and frequently have Points over.

Last year, I actually booked a mini cruise to the Bahamas using my Points. It was great.

timetraveller

The Resort Directory

The first thing most people do when they receive their RCI Resort Directory is to go through it and choose which resort they want to stay at - just like you would with a normal holiday brochure.
I would say this is completely the wrong way to go about things as you will be quickly disappointed and, hence, disillusioned as you can virtually guarantee what you choose will not be available.
Availability of weeks depends very much on people depositing their weeks i.e. they put them up for exchange. Weeks can be put into the Spacebank up to 2 years before the start date.
The best way to go about things is to check availability by either going online to the website or phoning up. You will need to know potential travel dates and unit size.
Once you know what is available, then use your Resort Directory to compare the available resorts. I always type the resort names into a search engine to see what other information I can find out. I can even locate some of the resorts on Google Maps and see the view from above.
Just remember, that you can't usually book into a unit that is bigger than the one you own. If you bought a studio, then that is the only size you will get. Having said that, stranger things do happen, and I once received a 3 bed apartment in exchange for my 2 bedroom one.

timetraveller

How to get the most out of your Timeshare

I bought my first timeshare week at a presentation in Thurrock about 15 years ago. This first step on the timeshare ladder has given me the thrill of 'Independent travel'.

Since then, I have visited over 40 different timeshare resorts throughout Europe, the Canary Islands, Florida and even one in Egypt.

During my travels, I often talk to people who also own timeshare but really have no idea about how the system works or what they actually own.

The aim of my blog, therefore, is to explain, in a clear and straightforward way, how you can make your timeshare work for you.

Everyone is different and wants different things from their holidays. Let's see if we can make your timeshare work for you.

timetraveller