# Starting Our 4th Year - Continuing Fulltime timesharing



## ronandjoan (Jul 24, 2011)

July 23 Moving Day
    We are moving to another unit today, leaving the lake unit (Telemark Pointe Red Apple Club) to the villas on the hill above Telemark Lodge.  The lodge reopened with year and is in the process of remodeling, and we are very happy about it as it was closed last year.  Therefore this year, we have a swimming pool available, the indoor one and the large outdoor one is filled, heated and ready to go, but no lifeguards available.  It is scheduled to open August 1st, so, hopefully, we can enjoy it a few days, as we will leave here Aug. 6th.
     We’ve had two weeks in this unit and then 2 weeks in the next one, both 2 BDs with one day overlap which we like very much in order to move more easily.  When we first decided to timeshare full time, A TUGGER commented that he would not like to lose a day of his vacation every week (in our case, a day of our life?) to pack up and move on.  I mentioned before that simply moving from one timeshare to another is not too bad: pick up the stuff, put food in ice chest and go, especially if it is only a one day’s drive between stops (even though that means packing up the van carefully, yes!) and we look forward to the next stopping place.   And it does keep us more neat and organized (?)
    Of course, it is hardest when we are getting on an airplane because it can be tricky planning where we will be next and packing accordingly.  For example, from here we go to Seattle, so we’ll have to pack for that trip.  When we return to this vehicle in September (which will be parked in Bloomington, IL) we’ll be visiting our son there, then driving to Xenia, OH and maybe Knoxville, then back to IL again to catch the plane back to Seattle on Aug 31st, and we will not come back again until October 5th, when we will return to Telemark for 2 weeks in October, and then begin our drive south for the winter. 
    So the next timeshare we will be unpacking the whole van will be back here October 10th.  Hmmmm…we need to make sure that nothing we need for the shorter stays in 4 different places and several differnet times....is buried in a plastic tub!  But my DH just reminded me that we will be unloading the van in Springfield IL, where we have a storage unit, so we can  drive with a lighter load to Ohio, except I am going to take a lot of my teaching files to a teacher friend there who is starting to teach science who has never done so before,  So the van may be loaded after all to Ohio, but then, not on to Knoxville.
   Oh, Oh, it just turned dark, cold, windy… a thunderstorm just started.  But we can load the van in a GARAGE here!   Telemark Pointe units have large garages!


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## Margariet (Jul 24, 2011)

I love to read your blog! Hope you have many good timeshares.


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## Dori (Jul 24, 2011)

Enjoy every moment of your excellent adventures!

Dori


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## ronandjoan (Jul 24, 2011)

Margariet said:


> I love to read your blog! Hope you have many good timeshares.



We have had so many good experiences...most timeshares are wonderful! we can;t decided where to settle down and [really] retire!


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## Carol C (Jul 24, 2011)

ronandjoan said:


> We have had so many good experiences...most timeshares are wonderful! we can;t decided where to settle down and [really] retire!



Joan and Ron...why settle down? You have developed a nice system and now you're going to add some spice to your adventure and not book so far in advance for part of the year. That will be fun for you! So why even think of "really" retiring when you're having a blast? Looking forward to hearing about your more spontaneous trip planning...hope our paths cross soon!


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## jlwquilter (Jul 24, 2011)

I take my hat off to you! I spent most of this summer (and not quite done yet) traveling and it's alot more tiring than I thought!

DD got out of school on June 3rd. We left June 4th for a week on the FL Gulf (a 4 hour drive from home). Got back and left 4 days later for 10 days in Orlando (3 hour drive). Got back and left a week later for 2 weeks out west (Glacier NP and Banff). Been back a week today and leave in 4 days to go to Seattle for just over a week. All but the Seattle week were in timeshares.

It's been a great summer so far (really looking forward to Seattle!), but man, I am beat at the same time. We do take very active vacations and go, go, go while on them. We are not as active, so to speak, when home.

Do you do alot of activites in various locations or are you more 'living at home', just in a timeshare?


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## PeelBoy (Jul 24, 2011)

Thanks Joan and Ron for sharing.  I have added your blog to my favorite for future reading.

Is it possible you can provide a ball park figure how much per month on MFs, membership fees and exchange fees?

Did you have any difficulties finding a TS unit during peak seasons, e.g. summer, Christmas and holidays?


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## stevelb (Jul 24, 2011)

You are amazing people.  I really enjoy your blog.  Thanks for sharing.


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## twinglez (Jul 24, 2011)

This is my dh's dream to do what you are doing.  How many timeshares do you need to do something like this? Have you written somewhere guidelines for others interested? I would love to read them.

Can't wait to read your blog


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## ronandjoan (Jul 24, 2011)

jlwquilter said:


> Do you do alot of activites in various locations or are you more 'living at home', just in a timeshare?



I'm afraid I label us as "stick in the muds".  We are usually just "living at home", especially when we return to our favorite places -- since then, we have usually gone to the tourist activities during the first visit.  

Often, we say, Let's do that again, it's been a while, unless there are things we like to do every visit, like the monthly art gallery tours in St Augustine, FL, and now they are having monthly concerts there too!


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## ronandjoan (Jul 24, 2011)

PeelBoy said:


> Did you have any difficulties finding a TS unit during peak seasons, e.g. summer, Christmas and holidays?



So far, no.  Planning ahead is the key....so we will see how our last minute plans work for next year.

We are able to stay at our son's condo in Seattle if it is not rented out on vrbo.  Of course, that requires our planning ahead because of the airline tickets and sometimes we have to go to a hotel.  We'll see how that goes.


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## glypnirsgirl (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi Joan - I enjoy reading your blog.

Is it still fun? Does it beat you down moving and transporting?

Do you think that you will be ready to find a place to really retire?

elaine


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## dumbydee (Jul 24, 2011)

Been reading your blog and loving it.  I too would like to know how many times shares it takes to do this.  

Way in the future me and my husband would be interested in doing something like this.


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## slip (Jul 24, 2011)

I know my wife and I would love it. I'm not ruling out giving it a try. I love
reading your blogs also. Seeing the different places, even if some are just used
to relax, just like home. That's one of the nicest things about timeshares,
considering them home.


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## ronandjoan (Jul 25, 2011)

dumbydee said:


> I too would like to know how many times shares it takes to do this.
> 
> Way in the future me and my husband would be interested in doing something like this.



How many timeshares?
It depends on the system you prefer and how much risk you can stand in trying to book last minute weeks which are so much cheaper.

1.  RCI
 a.  Alan Cole seems to go a lot and he only owns 3 timeshares now but uses RCI Last Calls. Granted, those used to be a lot cheaper, as were Extra Vacation, i.e. when Ray Harper did it.  But that would be cheaper than some MF's,

b.  RCi TPU's - if you happen to have wonderful units, like some people here who have 300 TPU's per year at low MF's with several units.  People are now trying to buy those high TPU resorts.  Since Wyndham bombed out now with RCI exchanges, I am not using RCI much any more - except for the bonus weeks I can get with Telemark.

2.  Which brings me to the next way to maximize timesharing:  resorts which offer bonus weeks to you, like the Telemark example above.  1300+ sq ft lakefront 2 BD unit  with cathedral ceilings for $150 week and able to book ahead? A Wow for me.  Maybe other TUGGERs can share their resorts which do this for people to buy into.

3. Buy into a points system which allows you to “stretch” points with last minute point discounts.  We almost never use full Wyndham points for a unit and that makes as huge difference and adds and adds weeks.  I just saw the Bluegreen system from a friend and it offered similar discounts, as I am sure all the points systems do.

4.  Join the other timeshare exchange companies, besides RCI and II and watch their specials carefully and deposit so as to get bonus weeks and reduced exchanges.  For example I have gotten several DAE exchanges for just $1 and Platinum Interchange is always offering little gimmicks to reduce their already low exchange fees as well as offering 2 for one bonus weeks as SFX also does. Keep watching and get great deals (e.g. see the PI example above with Kona Hawaiian Resort even in the summer) .

5.  The other and smaller timeshare companies also have great bonus programs, and much cheaper than the RCI Last calls.  Their problem is, of course, that their inventory is more limited, but since the RCI change in November, I have seen better inventories in them, so there is hope for the future.

6.  Own where you want to go.  This is the best advice that TUGGERs give and finally I understood how important that is.  The timeshare salesmen try to stress exchanging, but if you own where you like to go, there are no exchange fees, no playing games.   We own 3 weeks at Telemark, all floating, and 6 weeks at the Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club, 3 fixed and 3 floating, and 2 fixed weeks at Villa del Palmar in PV, all places we LOVE to go to (and all bought on eBay or less.).  We usually add bonus weeks to extend those stays, thus capitalizing on the transportation costs and essentially lowering the MF costs.  

So, how many timeshares do you need to do this?  It depends  …upon your preferences:
a.   the places you want to go…are there a lot of timeshares there so it is easy to get into, (e.g. Orlando, Branson)? or maybe in the Midwest where not so many people want to go to, 

b.    the kind of units you like.  Do you demand only the top quality glitzy resorts which are harder to get into during certain seasons?

c.  How much risk are you willing to take? Can you take chances on last minute postings or using short term bonus weeks/  Do you have a place to go, in case you couldn’t get a week somewhere?

d.  Are you willing to monitor a point system so as to use points at best advantage?


Hope this helps?


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## paxsarah (Jul 25, 2011)

Every one of your points makes sense, yet taken all together it seems so overwhelming - I'm so impressed that you've been able to make this work for you!


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## MLR (Jul 25, 2011)

*re: Full Time Timesharing..........*

 OK - forgive me - I am trying to understand. Is this person and her husband 'living full time' in timeshares - no longer owning a home? OH MY! My houseplants alone would fill a van!   What intrepid travelers! Loved reading about her adventure though.


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## bobh (Jul 25, 2011)

*Question on #Timeshares & maintenance dues*

could I ask the other poster's question again? How many timeshares do you own? What does it cost you in maintenance dues to accomplish 3 years lving in timeshares? Please forgive me but I found your answer too complicated to understand. I would just like to get a rough idea of how many timeshares ownerships it would take to do what you are doing.Thanks.


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## ronandjoan (Jul 25, 2011)

MLR said:


> OK - forgive me - I am trying to understand. Is this person and her husband 'living full time' in timeshares - no longer owning a home? OH MY! My houseplants alone would fill a van!   .



Hi MLR

YEP!  we downsized!  We had pets, houseplants and a most gorgeous garden which I loved sitting out in - in the spring, summer and fall!   We had 2200 sq feet of STUFF, lots of books and over 30 files drawers of teaching files!  ....yes, after seeing our parents needing to move out of their houses due to health issues, we did not want to burden our children with our JUNK (to them!) and we'd had it with SNOW.  wanting to travel, loving timeshares....we did it!  It took us 2 years (well, partial years because we were gone from the house 6-8 months per year by then) to get the house ready to sell.  It sold in 3 days.


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## ronandjoan (Jul 25, 2011)

bobh said:


> could I ask the other poster's question again? How many timeshares do you own? What does it cost you in maintenance dues to accomplish 3 years lving in timeshares? Please forgive me but I found your answer too complicated to understand. I would just like to get a rough idea of how many timeshares ownerships it would take to do what you are doing.Thanks.



Sorry, Bob, I had tried to make it simple.

I guess we own a total of 15 weeks of real timeshares, (many other TUGGERS own that many) but with stretching points and bonus weeks, as described, we can extend that to 52 weeks. .

and you do not need that many weeks!  A friend once traveled 3 months with owning just 3 weeks of timeshares, by using RCI Last Calls and Extra Vacations.  So they thought we owned way too many weeks. 

 The problem is......if you get on eBay, you can't help but become addicted -- well, I am not now, but as TUGGERs say, it is easy to buy and harder to sell.

And remember, every year, you get another year of weeks....so every year you can get more exchanges and bonuses.

 Sometimes, though, as in the next 1 1/2 months, we are being "forced" to stay in motels and in our son's condo in order to visit family, friends, and attend a military reunion. (Hey! we 'd rather be in a timeshare unit than in a motel!) 

as for $$, I can assure you that the MF's alone are less than a mortgage (and associated home expenses!)  However, exchange fees can add up (esp from RCI  ) and we spent extra $$ at first with SFX bonus weeks which are more $ than the other exchange companies.

Right now, we have 14 weeks deposited in various companies and 8 of those are bonus weeks, several of which will expire next year, so we want to use them - or we would lose them.  And at $120/week cost, they would  be great deals to use.  Some are only 45 days out though (TP) but PI allows 90 days!

We are booked until March 10th anyway, so will have to figure out how to use those other weeks up, plus we'll have our Telemark weeks to use again next year....and we are hoping to spend more time in Seattle due to my aging parents....

I tried to say that so much depends upon your personal choices...send me a PM if you want to discuss more


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## dumbydee (Jul 25, 2011)

Joan you should right a book about your journey.  It would be interesting to read how you have accomplished to live 3 years in timeshares.

Thanks for the information.


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## ronandjoan (Jul 26, 2011)

dumbydee said:


> Joan you should right a book about your journey.  It would be interesting to read how you have accomplished to live 3 years in timeshares.
> 
> Thanks for the information.



Thanks, my DH just said it should be called "At Home Away from Home.":whoopie:


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## Happytravels (Jul 26, 2011)

*Hello again*

We had the pleasure of meeting Ron and Joan..They happen to be in Texas and we had the time to meet up with them  (we still both work full time and still have more then 20 yrs before retireing)  When I grow up I want to be like RON AND JOAN is what I told my husband...of course he thinks I am crazy!! ...Very remarkable people...It is truely amazing how you work all these weeks out........Why settle down when you are haveing so much fun traveling the country....our hats off to you and Ron.........I always enjoy reading your blogs and posts.......have fun...:whoopie:


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## lprstn (Jul 26, 2011)

They are living my dream retirement life, but I'd just love to add Cruising in for 6 weeks of the year - spread out of course, and about 6 weeks in Hawaii, hummm....


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## bellesgirl (Jul 26, 2011)

Joan,

It was great meeting you and Ron last winter in PV.  We have told your story to many of our friends.  You are becoming a legend. :whoopie:   We hope to see you back in PV next winter.


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## ronandjoan (Jul 26, 2011)

bellesgirl said:


> Joan,
> 
> It was great meeting you and Ron last winter in PV.  We have told your story to many of our friends.  You are becoming a legend. :whoopie:   We hope to see you back in PV next winter.



Thanks everyone for the nice words, we have loved meeting TUGGERs and have learned so much from everyonel. 

Yes, we'll be in PV next Feb for a month, our 2 fixed weeks at Villa del Palmar plus 2 more.


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## jlwquilter (Jul 26, 2011)

Relaxing at home (which happens to be a timeshare) can be a very good thing!

It's something my DH and I have to learn as we are 'vacation warriors". Maybe by retirement we'll have been so many places that repeats and relaxing will naturally happen.

Right now my mantra is "I'll sleep when I am dead. I have no time now!".


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## jennstall (Jul 27, 2011)

I love that you two are doing this. It is a big inspiration to me. I'm curious about how many rentals you average every year as opposed to bonus weeks, etc. Do you do most of your rentals through RCI Last Call?

I currently usually do about 8 weeks of rentals through Last Call per year so I can spend most of winter in Florida, but I would love to increase the amount of time I spend traveling and also decrease the amount of money I spend per week


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## ronandjoan (Jul 27, 2011)

jennstall said:


> I love that you two are doing this. It is a big inspiration to me. I'm curious about how many rentals you average every year as opposed to bonus weeks, etc. Do you do most of your rentals through RCI Last Call?



Thanks for the kind words.

We have never done an RCI Last Call!

One reason is that we have always planned ahead more than that.
Another reason is, that they are never where we want to go then, very limited inventory!  Although FL is a favored place, we already were there. 

Another reason is that the price has gone up so high on Extra Vacations - our first couple of timeshare stays were Extra Vacations when they were $249 each.  We have rented just one other since then, Silverleaf Fox River for $400+ - which was still cheaper than the MF plus the exchange fee.

we did do an II Getaway one time, $400 to Oceanique, which we loved, in order to attend a wedding.  So much cheaper than the hotel they all were staying at!

But, those prices are higher too, where and when we are able to go.

Most of our actual rentals would be through www.vrbo.com.


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## jennstall (Jul 27, 2011)

Joan,

Thanks for the tip on VRBO. I would never have thought of them. Last Call is great for Orlando, but probably not so great for anywhere else


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## ronandjoan (Aug 1, 2011)

*$$$*

Several of you have asked about the costs we have incurred doing this.  I see that my posting about the bonus weeks we have used was deleted and so I was referring to things that you could not see.  I am posting those on our BLOG if you would like to read one way we save $$.  The posting title is Telemark Bonuses.


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## lprstn (Aug 4, 2011)

We have seriously considered TS 6 months out of the year when we retire. Spend 3 months in Hawaii, although after reading your post on rental car cost I understand that that may be too pricey. The other 3 months would be in Florida or Myrtle Beach.

I read from your blog that you don't actually plan the entire year in advance. That would be a great concern for me personally, but it does save more money. 

Have you all considered adding cruising into the equation? Some cruise ships offer great cheap deals if you can travel last minute. AND it includes food and entertainment. We hoped to TS 6 months and cruise 1 month. The rest of the year spend near family and grand kids.


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## frenchieinme (Aug 4, 2011)

*One man's trash is another's treasure...*



ronandjoan said:


> How many timeshares?
> 6.  Own where you want to go.  This is the best advice that TUGGERs give and finally I understood how important that is.  The timeshare salesmen try to stress exchanging, but if you own where you like to go, there are no exchange fees, no playing games.   We own 3 weeks at Telemark, all floating, and 6 weeks at the Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club, 3 fixed and 3 floating, and 2 fixed weeks at Villa del Palmar in PV, all places we LOVE to go to (and all bought on eBay or less.).  We usually add bonus weeks to extend those stays, thus capitalizing on the transportation costs and essentially lowering the MF costs.



This to my wife and I is the key to timesharing success.  We own fixed weeks and we go there because we love it there especially when the family anf friends come to visit.  Now Ron & Joan enjoy their way of doing the timesharing experience.  I say kuddos to them.  That on the other hand may not be someone else's cup of tea as they say.  As long as a timesharer owns in a location one enjoys, that is the key of a positive experience in my estimation.   

When we winter in FL, we stay 6 weeks at one location (Cape Coral) and 5 or 6 weeks at our 2nd location (Orlando).  That works for us.  We use these 2 locations as bases to explore from.  E.G., from Cape Coral my wife (being a vintage shopper) likes to go south of Ft. Myers to a shopping mecca called Coconut Point which is one of a plutora of shopping malls in that area. Every winter we explore and find more.  We break our days into pool days (on those nice sunny warm days) or exploring shopping days (when the day is overcast and not lending itself to an outside heated pool).   

frenchieinme


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## Cathyb (Aug 4, 2011)

*Have to ask*



ronandjoan said:


> July 23 Moving Day
> We are moving to another unit today, leaving the lake unit (Telemark Pointe Red Apple Club) to the villas on the hill above Telemark Lodge.  The lodge reopened with year and is in the process of remodeling, and we are very happy about it as it was closed last year.  Therefore this year, we have a swimming pool available, the indoor one and the large outdoor one is filled, heated and ready to go, but no lifeguards available.  It is scheduled to open August 1st, so, hopefully, we can enjoy it a few days, as we will leave here Aug. 6th.
> We’ve had two weeks in this unit and then 2 weeks in the next one, both 2 BDs with one day overlap which we like very much in order to move more easily.  When we first decided to timeshare full time, A TUGGER commented that he would not like to lose a day of his vacation every week (in our case, a day of our life?) to pack up and move on.  I mentioned before that simply moving from one timeshare to another is not too bad: pick up the stuff, put food in ice chest and go, especially if it is only a one day’s drive between stops (even though that means packing up the van carefully, yes!) and we look forward to the next stopping place.   And it does keep us more neat and organized (?)
> Of course, it is hardest when we are getting on an airplane because it can be tricky planning where we will be next and packing accordingly.  For example, from here we go to Seattle, so we’ll have to pack for that trip.  When we return to this vehicle in September (which will be parked in Bloomington, IL) we’ll be visiting our son there, then driving to Xenia, OH and maybe Knoxville, then back to IL again to catch the plane back to Seattle on Aug 31st, and we will not come back again until October 5th, when we will return to Telemark for 2 weeks in October, and then begin our drive south for the winter.
> ...



Joan:  I haven't read all the blog so maybe my question has been covered; but how do you handle the bills finding where you are -- like the timeshare fee bills and tax bills for those???  I know for us, some companies are not set up to have the bills go to our bank's checking account.  (Hope we get to see you 8/2012 in Seattle and we can talk timeshare trading between us.)


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 4, 2011)

lprstn said:


> .. Spend 3 months in Hawaii, although after reading your post on rental car cost I understand that that may be too pricey...



I have Winter Weeks in the Ft Lauderdale/Pompano area. There is good public bus service there that I seldom RENT a car while vacation. It is city enough to have good and reasonable cab coverage, lots of dining nearby, reachable malls, easy airport accesses, and a true downtown area. If I was staying there for 2 or 3 months, I would be more likely to drive a car down; 2-3 weeks without a car in a timeshare, is very do-able.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 5, 2011)

lprstn said:


> I read from your blog that you don't actually plan the entire year in advance. That would be a great concern for me personally, but it does save more money.



Until now, we have booked at least 2 years out.  Now,we have collected so many bonus weeks, that we want to use them to save $$.

That said, howver, we have just booked some May, June, and July weeks next year and are about to book Aug.  So somehow, we'll find places in between for the bonus weeks.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 5, 2011)

Cathyb said:


> how do you handle the bills finding where you are -- like the timeshare fee bills and tax bills for those???  I know for us, some companies are not set up to have the bills go to our bank's checking account.



At the beginning of the BLOG, the 2008 postings, i tried to cover the many logistical problems we had in setting up this lifestyle.

As for bills, ALL bills, the regular ones, like you, are all set up auto pay either from the credit card or from the bank.  We do almost everything on line and watch the bank accounts on line very very often.  I take care of my mother's accounts and so continually monitor that there are enough funds to pay for her home care!  [Like yesterday, the bank's check did NOT get to the care-giver.....had a long session on the phone with the bank, to no avail, so had to drive to a neighboring town today to send an Express Envelope.]

Those bills which come irregularly, like the annual M/F and taxes?  we have four ways to get the amounts :
1.   We have a UPS box in a UPS Store in Ohio and they can forward all mail sent  there to us, wherever we are, upon request.  I can either call or email  them.  They are super nice to work with!  Some companies have that address as the mailing address.  There is a fee for forwarding stuff - that is, it is bundled and you pay the postage to forward so we select which comapnies have that address:  that mail that we will want to have wherever we are.
2.  Our son's address in Seattle is used for all magazines, packages (mail order) and certain other bills, like the Seattle bank, cell phone, and actually Wyndham and RCI and a few others use that address. That mail is not forwarded to us - that family just doesn't do much snail mailing in their lifestyle   so we don;t want to bother them with that.  Because of the UPS fee, we have magazines and other heavier non-urgent items sent there.  We are there very regularly to see my mother, hopefully a trip every 4-6 weeks, (sometimes it is longer), so we pick up the mail then.
3.  Internet.  We are very aware when the M/F's are due for the properties so we watch for the bills and in one case in particular, UVC, we get on the internet to pay every year.
4.  By telephone, especially if we want to deposit a week into an exchange company, we call and pay with a credit card.  I just deposited a Sept 2012 week.  
I am sure you all do the same things.  It's just that we have to keep extra careful account - and with spreadsheets, of course.  The hardest one for us to keep track of is the 6 weeks at Townhouses at St Aug Beach and Tennis Club, since 3 are floating and 3 are fixed and they have different contract numbers which we have to figure out,and if we have paid in advance because of a deposit, etc. We've almost figured out how to keep them straight!  

You do bring up a potential urgent problem that could occur,though,and that is if the IRS decides to audit us, sends it to Seattle and then we aren't there for a month!  and maybe miss the appt deadline.  Oops!

So far, that has not happened, but in planning for every possible eventuality?


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## ronandjoan (Aug 5, 2011)

frenchieinme said:


> the key to timesharing success.  We own fixed weeks and we go there because we love it there especially when the family anf friends come to visit.  Now Ron & Joan enjoy their way of doing the timesharing experience.  I say kuddos to them.  That on the other hand may not be someone else's cup of tea as they say.  As long as a timesharer owns in a location one enjoys, that is the key of a positive experience in my estimation.



I listed the fixed weeks we own and the rest of the year is spent with exchanging, so it's probably about 1/2 and 1/2.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 5, 2011)

lprstn said:


> We have seriously considered TS 6 months out of the year when we retire.
> Have you all considered adding cruising into the equation? Some cruise ships offer great cheap deals if you can travel last minute. AND it includes food and entertainment. We hoped to TS 6 months and cruise 1 month. The rest of the year spend near family and grand kids.



Great plans for your retirement!  What could be better! 

We have not cruised yet.  I get motion sickness so am leary, I know that Triptone and Bonine will help, but haven't tried it yet.  People differ on which cabin placements would be the best...
The cost was a factor for us, too, since we have not done any last minute stuff yet.
  We also try to be within a plane ride to a parent (3 elderly parents)- and we fly Delta....


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## frenchieinme (Aug 5, 2011)

ronandjoan said:


> I listed the fixed weeks we own and the rest of the year is spent with exchanging, so it's probably about 1/2 and 1/2.



What I meant is it is not the amount of weeks you necessarily which makes timesharing a positive experience BUT where you own them.  If you own primarily where you like to go and vacation, THEN timesharing appears to be more of a positive experience.

frenchieinme


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## pranas (Aug 6, 2011)

Joan, thanks for posting your experiences.  I really enjoy reading them.


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## lprstn (Aug 21, 2011)

Joan, I have some friends that do the cruising. They get discounts by calling on Wed and asking what ships leave that Sat. Since we live in a cruise port and now go to FL every year (where we extend our trip with cruising) friends we've met there say you can get a week cruise for 2 for as little as $299 per person. We haven't tried it out yet, but our friend cruises monthly with these deals. Oh, and both my younger kids suffer from motion sickness, but I give them the meds before we get on the boat. Then consistently after that and they are fine.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks so much for this information about cruising.  Sounds like a good idea to try when we are doing last minute stays!


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## taffy19 (Aug 22, 2011)

ronandjoan said:


> Thanks so much for this information about cruising.  Sounds like a good idea to try when we are doing last minute stays!


Especially from FL, Seattle or Los Angeles.  That was a good tip.  

I was reading your blog last night and found it very interesting and the movie clip of the loon.  Just beautiful to experience that in real life.

Will we meet next Februry again and Bruce and his wife and Karen?  Our dates are the same time or very close to it.  There is a thread about it here.


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## Cathyb (Aug 23, 2011)

*Where are you now *



ronandjoan said:


> July 23 Moving Day
> We are moving to another unit today, leaving the lake unit (Telemark Pointe Red Apple Club) to the villas on the hill above Telemark Lodge.  The lodge reopened with year and is in the process of remodeling, and we are very happy about it as it was closed last year.  Therefore this year, we have a swimming pool available, the indoor one and the large outdoor one is filled, heated and ready to go, but no lifeguards available.  It is scheduled to open August 1st, so, hopefully, we can enjoy it a few days, as we will leave here Aug. 6th.
> We’ve had two weeks in this unit and then 2 weeks in the next one, both 2 BDs with one day overlap which we like very much in order to move more easily.  When we first decided to timeshare full time, A TUGGER commented that he would not like to lose a day of his vacation every week (in our case, a day of our life?) to pack up and move on.  I mentioned before that simply moving from one timeshare to another is not too bad: pick up the stuff, put food in ice chest and go, especially if it is only a one day’s drive between stops (even though that means packing up the van carefully, yes!) and we look forward to the next stopping place.   And it does keep us more neat and organized (?)
> Of course, it is hardest when we are getting on an airplane because it can be tricky planning where we will be next and packing accordingly.  For example, from here we go to Seattle, so we’ll have to pack for that trip.  When we return to this vehicle in September (which will be parked in Bloomington, IL) we’ll be visiting our son there, then driving to Xenia, OH and maybe Knoxville, then back to IL again to catch the plane back to Seattle on Aug 31st, and we will not come back again until October 5th, when we will return to Telemark for 2 weeks in October, and then begin our drive south for the winter.
> ...



Happy Wanderers -- where are you now?  We just returned from Coronado, CA (free week there).  Piers Morgan was doing his night's show right across the street at the Hotel del Coronado.  Pretty cool.  We also tried to find the house that had that 'murder' or was it suicide -- the police are trying to decide.  Hope to see you in Seattle!


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## ronandjoan (Aug 24, 2011)

Cathyb said:


> Happy Wanderers -- where are you now?   Hope to see you in Seattle!



We are right now in Seattle (at the Renton condo), just had a wonderful  salmon dinner prepared b our DIL in Issaquah and saw the vidoes of Natalie playing at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR last weekend.   We go tomorrow to Whidbey Island, see my BLOG for a fabulous photo of the deception Pass bridge, that is seldom seen.


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## Cathyb (Aug 24, 2011)

*Great picture!*



ronandjoan said:


> We are right now in Seattle (at the Renton condo), just had a wonderful  salmon dinner prepared b our DIL in Issaquah and saw the vidoes of Natalie playing at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, OR last weekend.   We go tomorrow to Whidbey Island, see my BLOG for a fabulous photo of the deception Pass bridge, that is seldom seen.



Good picture to submit to some photo contest!  Do you ever have trouble sleeping in so many different beds and bed-types?  Ever wake up and forget where the bathroom is in the middle of the night


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## Free2Roam (Aug 24, 2011)

Cathyb said:


> Ever wake up and forget where the bathroom is in the middle of the night



Great question!!!


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## Judy (Aug 24, 2011)

ronandjoan said:


> As for bills, ALL bills, the regular ones, like you, are all set up auto pay either from the credit card or from the bank.


Hi Joan, Your posts are fascinating  
Paying bills has been a worry for me as I'm planning a long cruise where internet access is slow and expensive.

I like your idea of setting bills up to be paid automatically through your bank account.  Do you consider credit card bills among those "regular" ones?  My bank's system will only pay the "amount due" automatically, not the "balance in full".  I like to pay the "balance in full" .  Maybe I need a new bank    If I'm not being too nosy, may I ask which bank's online bill-pay you use?


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## ronandjoan (Aug 26, 2011)

Cathyb said:


> Do you ever have trouble sleeping in so many different beds and bed-types?  Ever wake up and forget where the bathroom is in the middle of the night



We have been very surprised to have few problems with beds and bedding in the many  timeshares we have stayed in.  Actually the ONLY time we have had real problems with back pain in the morning, was in the last month when we stayed at 2 non-timeshare palaces.  
   I do carry a set of sheets with us, I like thick cotton sheets, especially to use at St Augustine, since the sheets there are thin (and we are there 5 weeks), and only occasionally at other times, have  I gotten them out to use.  Usually bedding is quite nice and in many places,  VERY nice (e.g. in Wyndhams!)  
   (Yes, just like I carry extra flatware to augment the small number of forks and spoons!)
      And, thankfully!!!!! we have been able to know where the bathroom is everywhere we go!     And I actually know *where* I am!  In the 80’s, when I was traveling often to give presentations at educational conferences, and flying from time zone to time zone, I would wake up and not know!  A funny feeling.  But so, far, we have been able to keep track.  It may be because we plan ahead and are more aware of where we are going, and also, that we usually are staying more than a night or two here and there.
   I did become confused last year when we were at Telemark, where we go every year, but were in another unit, a mirror image of the one we usually stay in, and I found myself going to the wrong side of the condo to go into the 2nd bedroom!


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## ronandjoan (Aug 26, 2011)

Judy said:


> Hi Joan,
> Paying bills has been a worry for me as I'm planning a long cruise where internet access is slow and expensive.
> 
> I like your idea of setting bills up to be paid automatically through your bank account.  Do you consider credit card bills among those "regular" ones?  My bank's system will only pay the "amount due" automatically, not the "balance in full".  I like to pay the "balance in full" .  Maybe I need a new bank    If I'm not being too nosy, may I ask which bank's online bill-pay you use?



Hi Judy!
We bank at Chase, formerly, for us, it was WAMU, that is, Washington Mutiual, which I have banked at ever since 2nd grade with School Banking, 5 cents every Tuesday!  (What at great plan for bank loyalty!)
    We watch our accounts online, can transfer funds, set up automatic payments, and use especially now, a new "Pay Bills" plan they have wherein they will send a paper check by snail mail, no charge to you, to whatever address!  Just allow time for the mail to get there!
   Yes, credit card bills are paid through automatic payments, too.  Usually it seems the credit card company is  the one which determines whether you pay the full amount or just the mim payment.  And also which date to pay it. Most of our credit cards have that option to check on their websites.  And/or we can also track what the credit card bill is and then request payment of a certain amount a few days before it is due.  Woudl you have that option on the cruise? Or could you set that up before you leave?
   For one company (BOA) we request an automatic payment of MORE than the minimum, just to be sure that it is enough (and keep them happy too!).
    Both Ron and I keep track in different ways on spread sheets on our laptops.


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## TravelinGuy (Aug 28, 2011)

ronandjoan said:


> ... As for bills, ALL bills, the regular ones, like you, are all set up auto pay either from the credit card or from the bank.  We do almost everything on line and watch the bank accounts on line very very often. ...
> 1.   We have a UPS box in a UPS Store in Ohio and they can forward all mail sent  there to us, wherever we are, upon request.  I can either call or email  them.  ...



Joan, this thread has been full of really useful information, thank you!  We're getting more and more excited about the idea of taking two years off and traveling the world with timeshares/points.  There's still plenty to learn and figure out, but I think using a combination of WM points, rentals, bonus weeks, and maybe a couple high TP units for ongoing use, we may be able to pull it off.

I can see that long-term planning, and staying well-organized and on top of potential money-saving weeks appears to be the key.  And also being flexible and willing/able to stay at hotels/motels during some weeks might also be needed.

Regarding handling mail while you are traveling long-term, have you looked into some of those "mail scanning" services that exist?  My understanding is that for under $20/mo, one can have all one's mail and bills scanned and made readable/managable through the internet.  I haven't used one of these services myself, but I saw this Consumer Review of some of them, and thought it might be useful for you.

http://www.topconsumerreviews.com/mail-scanning/

I loved the recent pictures on your blog, by the way.  Gorgeous!


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