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Mega Planner, or Last Minute Molly? Which one are you?

missyrcrews

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I am perusing yet another last-minute II AC deal, at Acadia Village Resort, for Friday. THIS Friday. What a deal! I wish I was the sort of person who could just book and go. Unfortunately, even though it is summer and school is out, there is still my Target job, kids and their schedules, etc etc etc.

I guess I mostly fall into the "plan way ahead" camp. I have this summer and next summer planned. I know the area I want to go in 2021 (I AM going to Wburg at last!)...just waiting for the booking window to come around.

We do tend to do a few bookings inside 3 months. For instance, I'm at Smuggs now...and we didn't book this week until March. We often book long weekends inside a month. But for my "big" summer trips, we book way ahead.

Will I ever be one of the lucky ones who can pack a swimsuit and take off? Maybe upon retirement.... Maybe the gambling impulse is an acquired one. :)
 

JohnPaul

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Well, we are among those lucky retired folks. However, to make the best use of our MANY timeshare I'm typically booked through the next year. This means limited ability to make use of those last minute deals as well, since I've usually already got us going somewhere.

I do however, do everything to stretch our travel dollars with my planning.

With VI Resorts, we are Platinum Prestige which means we can get ridiculously cheap deals on their Direct Exchange weeks if they are still available at 100 days before check in. We have made use of those several times. We had Thanksgiving at Redmond, OR a couple years ago in a newly renovated 2 bedroom condo that looked like HGTV had just left. Cost was $224 for the week.
 

bluehende

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I plan ahead. I like to know everything I can about the area I am headed too.
 

pittle

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Pueblo Bonito Em Bay
I am also a plan ahead person. That basically comes from timeshare knowledge when you have float weeks. I must book 6 or 12 months ahead in order to get the weeks we want. But, I just got off the phone with Vidanta with a question about our Sr. Certificates and next year that one will be a gamble. Hubs turns 75 on September 1, and we want to go in November. We cannot book before September 1 :eek: so I will have to trust what the Customer Service gal said - the week before and week after Thanksgiving are not as Prime as the week OF Thanksgiving. Since we have a fixed Thanksgiving week, we know we are OK with one set of guests, but 1 of the other 3 weeks we generally go is with another set and then we do one week with just the 2 of us. So next year will be stressful and I will have a backup plan of some sort.
 

moonstone

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77,000 RCI points (Sunrise Ridge Resort, TN)
I like to plan and research new areas we are travelling to, but since we retired we do a lot of 'last minute' trips but they are often 2-5 weeks in advance of the departure date, so I guess that isn't really last minute. Our true last minute trip was 2 years ago. We are avid Toronto Blue Jays fans and they were in a winning streak. After watching a game one evening DH said hey they are heading to Philly tomorrow for a few games why don't we go! So at 10pm I turned on the computer, searched for and booked a hotel near the stadium, bought tickets to the games and researched other things to do in the city, then I packed. I finished just after midnight. We were on the road by 6am the next morning and I texted our 3 kids while driving away from the house to let them know we were leaving for a few days. We had a fantastic time (& the Jays won!).


~Diane
 

missyrcrews

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I like to plan and research new areas we are travelling to, but since we retired we do a lot of 'last minute' trips but they are often 2-5 weeks in advance of the departure date, so I guess that isn't really last minute. Our true last minute trip was 2 years ago. We are avid Toronto Blue Jays fans and they were in a winning streak. After watching a game one evening DH said hey they are heading to Philly tomorrow for a few games why don't we go! So at 10pm I turned on the computer, searched for and booked a hotel near the stadium, bought tickets to the games and researched other things to do in the city, then I packed. I finished just after midnight. We were on the road by 6am the next morning and I texted our 3 kids while driving away from the house to let them know we were leaving for a few days. We had a fantastic time (& the Jays won!).


~Diane
I want to be you when I grow up, Diane! ;)
 

Panina

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With my fixed weeks that I use, most being prime time, I start planning weeks on either end with ogs as far as two years out. I am pretty much set all this year and almost all of next year.

This past few weeks I saw many weeks in instant exhanges that I said oh I would love to go to but already have plans. I am thinking of keeping a week open at the beginning or end of one of my trips, when driving, to take a chance on getting a great last minute trade.
 
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missyrcrews

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With my fixed weeks that I use, most being prime time, I start planning weeks on either end with ogs as far as two years out. I am pretty much set all this year and almost all of next year.

This past few week I saw many weeks in instant exhanges that I said oh I would love to go to but already have plans. I am thinking of keeping a week open at the beginning or end of one of my trips, when driving, to take a chance on getting a great last minute trade.
That's something I can see us doing one of these days. Plan the "big" component of the trip out way ahead, and then fill in on either end. I'm "only" 49...so several years left to work. But one of these days.... :)
 

WinniWoman

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We always plan way ahead- a year ahead for our vacations. We always use our timeshare home resort weeks- so nothing to plan- we just show up. If we want to exchange- which is rare- we plan ahead- like a year ahead.

Just not a last minute person. Too OCD for that.

Any other vacations that we do as renters, we plan a year ahead also. We don't do long weekends for pleasure- not worth the drive and hassle we feel just for a couple of days.

When we are both retired (just me right now)- not sure that we will change. I actually anticipate going on less vacations. Might even divest of the Smuggs timeshare- not sure. We will (if all goes well) be living in a vacation area and will be busy with settling in.

We can always rent timeshares from others or units from Home Away if we want.
 

geist1223

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DRI Cabo Azul 50,500
Royal Solaris San Jose del Cabo
We plan 18 to 24 months out. Book at least 13 months out. Got in this habit while working and because of the way WMTC works. So right now we are planned through October 2020 and Booked through June 2020. Our shortest stay is 1 week. 2 to 4 weeks are not unusual.
 

dsmrp

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I'm the planner in the family, usually around 12-18 months out.
I get occasionally bored cause I can reserve only so many trips a year.
Would love to take advantage of the short notice offers, but not until we're retired.
Even then, probably won't do things much less than 30-60 days out as it's a plane trip to
most places for us.

It's hard to plan with my girlfriends; they drive me crazy.
Takes a lot to get them to sit down and tell me what months they are free.
 

Talent312

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I would think that nearly all TS peep are plan-ahead types (which the responses seem to confirm), as it's necessary to lock-down the accommodations to which we're accustomed.

I'd like to be more spontaneous, but it'd require more flexibility with my standards.
Difficult that is.
.
 
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mav

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I am definitely both! I have seen available resorts I would like to go to especially in Europe 2 years out and booked, and twice had a chance to go to London with 2 weeks notice, one of those times even less and jumped on them. AHH, I miss Sloane Square !
 

geist1223

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Most of the people that I have talked to that eventually get very negative about WMTC will not or can not plan 12 to 13 months in advance. Yet they still expect to get Hawaii or other high demand Resorts with only 60 days planning.
 

Jan M.

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Wyndham Presidential Reserve at Panama City Beach
Club Wyndham Access
Grandview Las Vegas and Discovery Beach Resort - Both in RCI Points
Woodstone and Summit at Massanutten - Both in RCI weeks used as Wyndham PICs
We stayed 122 nights last year in various timeshare resorts. Only one 5 night stay was booked more than 60 days out and at least 90 nights were booked within a month of the check in date. There were 3 three night stays, 4 five night stays, a 13 night stay, a 17 night stay and 9 seven night stays.

I'm the one who plans everything and enjoy the challenge of making it all work. Seven of those stays involved flights and I always manage to find cheap flights.
 

missyrcrews

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We stayed 122 nights last year in various timeshare resorts. Only one 5 night stay was booked more than 60 days out and at least 90 nights were booked within a month of the check in date. There were 3 three night stays, 4 five night stays, a 13 night stay, a 17 night stay and 9 seven night stays.

I'm the one who plans everything and enjoy the challenge of making it all work. Seven of those stays involved flights and I always manage to find cheap flights.
That's awesome! I was looking over 2018...I am but a beginner compared to you! We stayed 7 weeks and three long weekends in timeshares. But I'm still working....those were all done around the school calendar. So I suppose I did okay!

2019, we're behind the 8 ball. Still have the 7 weeks planned or already done, but we've already missed out on MLK weekend, and Labor Day isn't looking good. I've already booked Vet's Day, though! ;)
 

AnnaS

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We like to plan ahead.....never had much choice. First it was work, and/or kids's schedule/school, etc., work was always there......then came babysitting the grandchildren.

I officially retired two weeks ago....hubby and I are both home and would love to take advantage of last minute deals. BUT the reason I finally retired was because now I started to babysit for my other new grandson......in addition to my other three grandchildren (alternate days).

We will still be planning for a while........They are pretty flexible with the schedule (one is a nurse and one works 4 days a week). We share the babysitting responsibility with the other grandparents...so we might be able to squeeze an extra vacation in but still need some notice!!!!

For now though - we book at least two vacations a year, a year to 18 months in advance. We throw in a few nights here and there in between close to home.
 
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silentg

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We used to plan around school schedule and enjoyed summer vacations. Now we more or less can go when we want. Retirement is getting very close for DH. We have at least one trip a month, starting in July!
Silentg
 

JudyH

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Such first world problems!!
We like to take two out of the US trips a year now that we are retired. And thanks to the TPU system, my one purchased week with a lockout (banks as two) now gets me more credits than I can use. So add on at least two or three timeshare trade weeks a year. We like to go up north to see the kids and grands. That’s at least 30 days a year broken up. Add on three camping trips to Florida Bluegrass Festivals in January and February. And we like staying home here in Florida where we’ve met lots of wonderful people and there’s lots of things to do and see. While I don’t want to get rid of the TS I feel obligated to use it. Mostly DH wants this. And we always exchange; I didn’t buy it to go there.
Such first world problems. Spending my kids inheritance.
 

Talent312

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DW is a fridge-magnet collector. We use a magnetic board in the hallway.
But we're running out of room. Planning ahead: I'll buy another board soon.
Thus, one board will be for U.S. + Americas and another one for overseas.

.
 

bizaro86

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We're planners - I'm getting my 2021 searches in right now for our "core" vacation weeks.

But there are a few exceptions - I'll often book a stay at a WM resort, and then try to "upgrade" resorts with an II exchange or direct trade with a tugger right up until the WM cancellation policy (30 days). This has worked relatively often.

My best last minute travel deal was in 2009 during the recession, there was a crazy last minute deal for the Four Seasons Punta Mita. We got >$300/night in resort credit plus free breakfast on our $399/night room. It was like being at an all-inclusive Four Seasons. We booked on a Wednesday and left less than 48 hours later on Friday morning. The flights were a crazy cheap last minute deal on Continental. That was an exception though, we almost always book many months and often years in advance now.
 

pedro47

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We are planners. Family issues are getting us close to home at this time.
 
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