# Booking RCI resorts in Israel



## njmacman (Mar 16, 2014)

Hi. I am new to this. The RCI book I have lists 9 locations in Israel, a few of them Gold Crown. However, when I go to RCI through the HGVC website It doesn't have them listed out to 18 months. How can I access these places and use my HGVC points to book? Thanks.


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## alwysonvac (Mar 16, 2014)

njmacman said:


> Hi. I am new to this. The RCI book I have lists 9 locations in Israel, a few of them Gold Crown. However, when I go to RCI through the HGVC website It doesn't have them listed out to 18 months. How can I access these places and use my HGVC points to book? Thanks.



Here are some reasons why you may not see availabllity:
(1) HGVC has a quality filter in place so we don't see all available inventory in RCI
(2) Availability is based on deposits and all weeks are not deposited. 
(3) What you see online from the RCI Weeks inventory are the leftovers after all ongoing searches have been satisfied.

Here a draft of my HGVC FAQs that I'm currently working on but haven't posted yet. I think you'll find it helpful (see below).
After reading the FAQ below, here's a link to my draft article regarding RCI that covers the basics - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207669


*Q: Trading within RCI*
_In order to get a great trade with any timeshare exchange company you need to understand how it works. Some folks start their request too late and/or have unrealistic expectations that anytime they want to travel a week will be available. Once you understand how exchanging works, you'll be better prepared.

It is important to understand that exchangers only have access to what is deposited and not all weeks are deposited. The number of deposits by each resort varies. You will have no idea how many weeks are actually deposited in RCI (for example it could be 1, 10, 30, 60 or 100s), what time of year they make deposits, which weeks do they deposit (Winter, Spring, Fall or Summer week) and where are you in the exchange queue (there could be several folks already ahead of you requesting the same location with equal trading power).

Some destinations will be harder to exchange into than others. It depends on supply and demand. There will be lots of competition for high demand resorts/location during the peak travel seasons. There will be lots of exchange competition at destinations were most folks want to visit (beach areas in the summer, major city, ski resorts during ski season, national park areas, etc). One should expect high owner occupancy during this time which generally means less exchange deposits (NOTE: Some timeshares owners would rather rent their high demand week than deposit it with an exchange company). 

With exchange requests, it's best to be as flexible as possible on your requested unit size (there is more competition for larger unit sizes) and travel dates (like any time in 2014) and even then you may not snag a week at your requested resort. 

With RCI, it's wise to always research the properties that are listed in the RCI Directory to make sure it meets your vacation needs in terms of location, quality, amenities, etc. Depending on the RCI choices, you may decide to visit this location via some other means (hotel/resort stay, etc).

You can sometimes find reviews on RCI, Tripadvisor, Yelp, various travel related sites and from other fellow TUG members by searching the forums or by accessing the TUG Resort Database.

Keep in mind that RCI trading is not cheap. In addition to your annual maintenance fee, you'll have to pay an RCI exchange fee (currently $209 for a one week stay) and sometimes a resort/housekeeping fee. These fees will continue to rise.
For example, currently a Disney World trade it's an additional $304 dollars ($209 RCI fee + $95 Disney Resort Fee)._


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## alwysonvac (Mar 16, 2014)

Here's what I found on the TUG "Other International" Forum using Israel as the search criteria.

Timesharing in Israel (2011) - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150812
Israel & Holy Land...anyone been? (2010) - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135185

Good Luck


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## njmacman (Mar 16, 2014)

Thanks. You're the best!


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