# Europe hope



## travelbuff (Oct 2, 2011)

We belong to II and are hoping to exchange to the european continent....any advice, information or recent trips that will help us make an itinerary?  Thanks


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## joycapecod (Oct 2, 2011)

travelbuff said:


> We belong to II and are hoping to exchange to the european continent....any advice, information or recent trips that will help us make an itinerary?  Thanks



Without knowing where you wish to go, what you have for exchange and when you want to go makes it difficult to even venture where to suggest. How much time you have is also a huge factor. 

I have been to Greece several times and would go back in a heartbeat. I also love Italy and have an exchange to a resort in Tuscany for June 2012. Another of my favorite places is Normandy, France and France in general. I have an exchange to Normandy (Connelles) for July 2013.

Some of the easier exchanges will be to Spain. Spain is lovely and in my opinion is overbuilt with timeshare. The Med coast is lovely almost anytime of year.

I own in Ireland and love that country too. It is a different experience that on the Continent, as is England and Scotland.

So many places, so little time!

Joy


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## DeniseM (Oct 2, 2011)

I suggest that you scroll back through the posts and see what interests you and ask questions about it.

Do you have a lot of experience with II trades?

Are you just looking at the online inventory, or do you have on-going requests in place? 

Do you have a strong trader? 

When you look at the online inventory, you are only seeing the LEFTOVERS.  On-going requests are filled FIRST - before anything goes into the online inventory. 

The most successful strategy for a II exchange includes:

1)  Put in an on-going request as early as possible (12 or more mos. out) so it's in place BEFORE the deposits are made, and ahead of other exchangers.

2)  Request a wide-range of weeks.

3)  Request as many resorts as possible

4)  Even though the online inventory is the leftovers, sometimes gems pop up, so it's worthwhile to keep checking it, even when you have an on-going request in place.  If you see something you want, you can still grab it online, which will automatically cancel your on-going request.

5)  If you need a specific check-in day, you must call II after putting in your request online and specify the day of the week.  Otherwise, your on-going request automatically defaults to Thursday, so your check-in day could be Thurs., Fri., Sat., or Sun.

Strategies that will decrease your chances of getting a trade:

1)  Only requesting school holidays
2)  Only requesting one specific week
3)  Only requesting the very top resort in an area (which you may not have the trading power for)


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## Passepartout (Oct 2, 2011)

+1 on what Joy said. Describe your likes/dislikes. Cities, beaches, Art & history, theme parks, Just hanging out at an all exclusive resort eating familiar food? Any favorite Rick Steves' episodes? 

The European continent extends from Ireland to Russia and Norway to Greece and Italy. That's climates from tropical and desert to arctic and full-on alpine. Take your pick.

It's a wonderful place and can use up every minute of your free vacation time for as long as you want to go, and never bore you. There's a surprise every day.

Tell us what you like and we'll have suggestions.

Jim Ricks


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## x3 skier (Oct 3, 2011)

Noted the OP is from Kensington (MD). Kensington London UK is a good match.  

Actually I am going to The Allen House in Kensington next week for my annual stay. 

As others have said, you can go anywhere and do almost anything in Europe.

My suggestion is to decide between big cities where TS are almost non existent to the country side where there are many choices.

Cheers


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## DeniseM (Oct 3, 2011)

For a first trip, the UK is a good place to start because they speak English there.  (Note - they speak English, but not American.    )


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## WinniWoman (Oct 3, 2011)

We are going to Scotland in June - our very first trip overseas. We are renting a timeshare cottage in Fife (gold crown resort)from an owner who lives in the US. We are a little bit nervous about the driving (we are renting a car) and getting used to the currency, but we figured the UK was a good first trip because they do speak English (sort of!) and the culture is not that extreme from ours.


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## scotlass (Oct 3, 2011)

You will love Scotland!  We go every year but it's never enough time.


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## Carolinian (Oct 12, 2011)

DeniseM said:


> For a first trip, the UK is a good place to start because they speak English there.  (Note - they speak English, but not American.    )



Ireland also speaks English and would have the same benefit for a first time traveller.  Since they are using II, they might look at Seasons at Knocktopher Abbey.  It is in a 13th century abbey that was converted to a nobleman's manor house at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, and served in that capacity until it was turned into a timeshare.  It is close to Kilkenny, which has a lot of old medieval buildings and a castle, and is close enough to Dublin, Blarney Castle, Cork, Waterford, etc. for day trips. Also, it is just off the new Dublin to Waterford expressway, so it is easy to drive to.  We traded in through DAE, which often gets weeks there, but the Seasons chain has been affiliated with II since it jumped ship from RCI in protest over both RCI Points and RCI rentals to the general public.

Also in England, with II, I would suggest looking at the DRI European Collection resorts.  They have some good ones in the UK like Wychnor Park, which is no longer availible through RCI.


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