# Where to go Internationally with 2 Blue Weeks, any suggestions?



## itgrafix (Jan 29, 2010)

I'd like to see Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Spain, Italy, London, Paris - Austraila and New Zealand. 

I don't know the areas well at all and probably won't have a car rental but when I call in to make reservations I found there are two blue weeks to work with, any suggestions would be appreciated.


----------



## Passepartout (Jan 29, 2010)

I don't know exactly what you mean by 'blue weeks'. In the context I'm most familiar with, that means 'off season'. If that's the case, and I were not tied to the school year or holidays, and I wanted to see Europe, I'd narrow my search to Spain, Portugal, Greece or Turkey. 

The seasons are moderate, the people friendly, good food, interesting historical sites and relatively low prices. 

We've traveled to all of these places and seldom used anything other than public transport and would be happy to revisit any of them at any time of year.

Jim Ricks


----------



## itgrafix (Jan 29, 2010)

*I believe Blue is off season*

I will try to see if anything is open in those areas, what if it is in remote area though? Will they still have public transit?

As for Turkey, is it really a great spot to go for females? Might go solo and want to be safe and have fun.

It's so much easier now to pick a place to go than book through the exchange company because seems I can't stay anywhere unless I know how to use weeks I have left.

Thanks for suggestions!


----------



## DeniseM (Jan 29, 2010)

If you have never been to Europe, you might want to visit an English speaking country first, although it's a harder exchange.  

Spain always has tons of availability.


----------



## Passepartout (Jan 29, 2010)

tgrafix said:


> Remote areas...Will they still have public transit?
> 
> How remote are you talking about? Anyplace that has timeshares will have buses/taxis etc.
> 
> ...



That's a question I'm not qualified to answer. It depends on you and your comfort level I suppose. Turkey is a modern country with a large Islamic population and an officially secular government. You would see women in hajib and in very bright, airy, western dress together at the same time. If you visit a mosque, you will be required to cover your head and scarves are at the door for use. Compared to Morocco, Egypt, and certainly Libya or S.A., Turkey is very western and you would expect no more problems traveling alone than in any other western country. Some caution should be exercised wherever you travel, especially alone.

Jim Ricks


----------



## Jimster (Jan 29, 2010)

*spain*

Your first trip should be to spain/portugal.  Why?  The answer is because they are overbuilt and they have good availability.  You can get a good resort easily.  Paris and London-forget it!  They are difficult trades even with the best traders.  Of course, if you can go on the off season or shoulder seasons you will find better availability if you are diligent.


----------



## lily28 (Jan 31, 2010)

I wouldn't travel solo in Turkey.  First, it is a relatively big country compared to some european countries. Transportation is not the best.  It is an islamic country and I have to wear a scarf and have my knees and shoulders covered when go into any mosque.  I joined a 14 day escorted tour to Turkey few years ago and visited many cities.  It was a fun and interested trip; I only wish the weather was better during that trip.


----------



## Laurie (Jan 31, 2010)

Jimster said:


> Your first trip should be to spain/portugal.  Why?  The answer is because they are overbuilt and they have good availability.  You can get a good resort easily.


I second Jimster's suggestion. 

Think about combining a week in southern Spain with a week in Mallorca. That's what we did on our very first RCI trading attempt, we got really beautiful, spacious and well-located resorts in shoulder season, using 2 year's deposits of our first TS purchase which was a so-so trader. This experience was so excellent, it got us hooked on timesharing.


----------



## sml2181 (Feb 1, 2010)

Spain, including the Canary Islands and maybe Portugal would be easiest to get. 

About Turkey - I have been to Turkey many many times. I still travel to Istanbul a few times a year. Sometimes alone, sometimes with (female-) friends and sometimes with our family. 

Yes, you would have to cover shoulders/knees to enter any mosque - but wouldn't you be expected doing the same when you would enter any church, especially in the southern European countries? 

Generally speaking, Turkish people are very friendly and I would say that the atmosphere is a lot different than in Morocco, Tunisia or other northern African countries. Turkish people will have more of an Asian feel. (Not saying one is better or nicer than the other - just totally different.) And of course, there are scumbags everywhere - even in the US.  

Having said all that - I wouldn't consider trading into most Turkish resorts in RCI / II - AT ALL. Except for maybe 2 resorts or so in RCI. There are too many nice(r) places to stay in Turkey.

Of course, the above is only MY opinion.


----------



## Jimster (Feb 2, 2010)

*Canary Islands*

Yes, I think the Canary islands are great and their are lots of timeshares there to.  HOWEVER, when I go there I go on airline award tickets because the price to get there seems unreasonable given the distance.  You will most certainly have to go into Madrid and then back.  My advice is just to check out the airfare before booking the TS.


----------



## itgrafix (Feb 2, 2010)

*thanks*

Thanks so far, I have lots to think about. Too bad it's not as easy as I'd hoped to just go anywhere in Europe using these weeks. I have only this year to use them. 

Out of the blue, how about any other in Canada worth seeing?


----------



## Passepartout (Feb 4, 2010)

tgrafix, you aren't making it easy to offer suggestions. We have no clue what your interests are, what kind of trader you have, what your travel budget is, whether you have a passport already, what size unit you need. Only that you have two off season weeks to exchange.

If it was me, and I wanted to go to Europe for the least cost/hassle for a female possibly traveling alone off season, I'd narrow my search to S. Spain. There's lots to see/do. Lots of TS availability, Many English-speakers. Fairly reasonable airfares. But that's just me. Your objectives may differ.

Another possibility is Mexico, but again, I'll go to Mexico at the drop of a sombrero.

Out of the blue, Canada has much worth seeing, but there aren't a huge number of TS. The Winter Olympics is in Vancouver, and many people are taking this opportunity to explore that beautiful area of Western Canada. That's contributing to full TSs and difficulty in getting exchanges there. Also, 'blue season' in Canada could be very cold, or shoulder season with just rain and mud. 

If you are a member check the TUG reviews, if not look at the RCI reviews or Tripadvisor to help you narrow it down.

Jim Ricks


----------



## itgrafix (Feb 4, 2010)

*This is public forum*

I'll check the member section thanks


----------



## richontug (Feb 14, 2010)

We have also had great exchanges into southern Spain and Portugal.
Another suggestion - Crete is quite easy to exchange but it is a few more time zones away.

Rich


----------

