# Similar 13 month tip for II or RCI



## WMOregon (Jun 13, 2017)

We have a 20,000 point Worldmark (travelshare) account.  I understand that reservations at exactly 13 months prior give the best results for popular destinations.

Is there a similar strategy for using my WM points to trade into a popular destination (Europe) with RCI or II?  If not, what is your best longer term strategy for using WM points to trade into RCI or II?

I have access to RCI due to my TS account and am willing to purchase access to II if necessary.

Thank you


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## geist1223 (Jun 13, 2017)

We have used RCI for Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I recommend putting in the request at least 12 - 15 months before you travel. Also use a time span like 30 days not an exact week. It also helps if you do not strictly limit the size ie 1 bedroom or larger or 2 bedroom or larger. Also when traveling to these countries there are many options such as self-catering cottages Online that are very reasonable. We like to go for 2 weeks and stay in 2 different parts. Such as the Ring of Kerry and Dublin; Inverness and Fife; or Northern Wales and then Little Haven in the South. Sometimes we are able to get consecutive weeks through RCI but when that doesn't work we will do RCI for 1 week and a self-catering cottage for the consecutive week. It also helps if you travel the Shoulder Seasons. We have had good luck with April, September, and October.


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## PClapham (Jun 13, 2017)

geist1223 said:


> We have used RCI for Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I recommend putting in the request at least 12 - 15 months before you travel. Also use a time span like 30 days not an exact week. It also helps if you do not strictly limit the size ie 1 bedroom or larger or 2 bedroom or larger. Also when traveling to these countries there are many options such as self-catering cottages Online that are very reasonable. We like to go for 2 weeks and stay in 2 different parts. Such as the Ring of Kerry and Dublin; Inverness and Fife; or Northern Wales and then Little Haven in the South. Sometimes we are able to get consecutive weeks through RCI but when that doesn't work we will do RCI for 1 week and a self-catering cottage for the consecutive week. It also helps if you travel the Shoulder Seasons. We have had good luck with April, September, and October.


How do you find self-catering cottages?
Thanks


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## geist1223 (Jun 13, 2017)

We just go Online and type in "Self-catering Cottages (put in name of country)." There are some Tourist offices sponsored by the Country of choice. When we were having problems finding 1 on the Ring of Kerry for only 2 people (most were for groups of 6 or 8) we emailed the Main Office and described what we were looking for and within 24 hours they emailed us a list to look at. On that trip we ended up in a lovely place in Portagee and had a great week exploring the Ring of Kerry. Portmagee is so small many people in Dublin had never heard of it. The local grocery store was about the size of a 7/11 and had the Post Office. The Owner of the main Restaurant welcomed us when we went there for Dinner, knew we were the Yanks staying with Katherine, and invited us to a local Ceili. It also has the Skellig Museum and there are boat tours to Skellig Island. It is a long drive but doable to drive to Cork and visit the main Jameson Distillery in one day. We have also stayed in a 2 person Cottage on a working farm a couple miles north of Inverness Scotland. This farm had 3 cottages - 2 person, 4 person, and 6/8 person.


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## rhonda (Jun 15, 2017)

WMOregon said:


> We have a 20,000 point Worldmark (travelshare) account.  I understand that reservations at exactly 13 months prior give the best results for popular destinations.
> 
> Is there a similar strategy for using my WM points to trade into a popular destination (Europe) with RCI or II?  If not, what is your best longer term strategy for using WM points to trade into RCI or II?
> 
> ...


Welcome to TUG!

We've been WM owners for 17 years with many exchanges through both RCI and II.  Things we *love* about WM's exchange characteristics:

*Fixed exchange grid for RCI Weeks and II weeks.*  The number of WM Credits required for each exchange is a simple grid based on unit size (studio, 1br, 2br, 3br) and season (high, mid, low).
*"Blue Studio" exchanges in the last minute windows* (59-days from travel for RCI; 45-days from travel for II).  This means any exchange booked in the last-minute-window will require only 4k WM credits plus the exchange fee and other resort-specific incidentals.
*'Search First'* and *'Deposit First'*:  Worldmark uses both methods!  'Search First' allows you to locate and lock-in an exchange before handing your WM credits over to the exchange partner (RCI/II).  'Deposit First' allows you to commit a chunk of WM Credits to the exchange partner and then seek trades against that specific number of credits.  The Deposit First is often used to "extend" credits to avoid expiration if they are nearing their 2-year anniversary inside the WM network.   It can also be used to "fish" for upgrades; for example, deposit 6k credits from WM and hope for a red season exchange (value of 9k or more credits) or larger unit.
As for strategies, I employ two:

*Open Search*:  This is, essentially, a waitlist tool to be used when you know what you want and are willing to commit, in advance, to booking it.  Generally an Open Search will require that you prepay the exchange fee and provide a list of destinations and dates to be used for the search.  If the exchange partner (RCI/II) finds a match to your search it will be booked for you.
_Fishing_.  This is my description for simply browsing inventory with no particular goal in mind ... a periodic walk through dreamland to see if anything jumps out at you.  If so, book it!
Other tips:

Learn about *24-hour holds / refunds*.  What are the cancellation policies for each exchange partner?  Do they offer a brief "hold" while you line up airfare, check for family interest in the destination, or line up vacation approval from work?
Check, periodically, for *multi-year renewals *for the exchange partner (RCI/II).  [NOTE: This isn't relevant to your RCI membership which is covered through TravelShare.  It would apply to II, should you add a subscription.]  You cannot book beyond your paid subscription period.  Often deals are offered for multi-year renewals to help lower your overhead costs.
Use the exchange partners for "bonus" vacations through their *rental inventories* ('extra vacations,' 'getaways,' 'last minute vacations,' etc).  These sometimes start at low as $199/week.
Have fun exploring the world!


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