Thinking About Vacation
I don’t tend to take very long vacations. There is so much going on that missing a bunch of days just does not work. Each year my wife’s family plans a one week vacation, usually to the beach. I tend to be there for half the week and am back home for the other half. I do however like the idea of taking more weekend getaways and such especially during the summer. For this reason I have become somewhat of a travel connoisseur. I can find great rates on travel for just about anywhere, especially given enough time. I have talked about travel a few times before and will be doing the same for the next couple of days as we approach the vacation season.
As I stated previously I do not take long vacations but for those who do I would start out by looking at Tug2.net. This is a timeshare site where you can purchase timeshares second hand (instead of from the developer). By doing this you can save a bundle if you like the idea of a timeshare, but the costs involved seem too high. The other options available here are to rent a time share or to swap weeks with people. By renting a timeshare you can try out a specific resort without taking the burden of a contract. The big advantage here is that most people who are renting their time share are trying to get rid of it. So if you fall in love with a particular area you can many times purchase the timeshare, at a very discounted rate, from a person who is desperately trying to drop it.
Swapping weeks is for people who already own a timeshare and are tired of the location. By doing this you can check out other places without having to sell your timeshare and purchase another one. Many people purchase timeshares just to be able to swap with other owners. This way they get to travel to many different resorts and enjoy varied destinations.
You should never buy a timeshare from a developer. Always get it from someone who is tired of the timeshare and trying to dump the liability. Tug2.net and Ebay are by far the best two places I have seen to purchase timeshares second hand.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
This year I found another trick to saving money on vacation. We figured out where we wanted to go. We priced hotels (not cost effective for a week) and then we priced condos. After doing all my homework I started looking at Craig’s List and found several listed cheaper than the website prices and than the rates mailed to me by the CVB from Panama City. So I emailed them to get quotes for my dates. We were able to book a 2 bedroom for the price of a one bedroom after I got several quotes and asked the owners to match the other’s pricing. (When you look at their bookings and they are only 1/8 - 1/4 full they are getting nervous and will book it at a lower price to get the booking).
We saved about $500 by using Craig’s List. Our original price for six nights was $1700 and we got a 2 bedroom ocean front with the amentities we wanted for $1200 with taxes and all fees (we were looking at 7 nights for $1100 in a one bedroom but once we added taxes it was more than we wanted to spend).