Digital Nomad and Timeshare Life

[jen.in.hi]

I'm just curious, do we have any members who are full-timers living only in timeshare properties? It seems doable with the current, digital scene of some service professions. I'd love to hear some success stories if any of you are able to live full time in timeshares.

If you're close to full-time or even half-time, how many weeks in a year do you stay in timeshares?

 

[Pennytx]

I am doing a major remodel in my home in Aruba and have been living in timeshares for over 8 months
Frankly it’s a very easy and reasonable way to live
I book a month at a time in most locations
Usually at the same resort
Your welcome to pm me if you want ant additional information
The places we’ve found to appeal to us the most where this is doable so far is
Branson Missouri
Williamsburg Virginia
Orlando Florida
Myrtle beach
Pompano beach Florida
Massanutten Virginia
Gatlinburg Tennessee

 

[CO skier]

If you're close to full-time or even half-time, how many weeks in a year do you stay in timeshares?

Full time in timeshares for the past 30 months, and likely for the rest of my traveling life days. 40-52 weeks per year for me projecting forward for the next 24 months. Yeah, one needs to plan ahead for this lifestyle. Visiting relatives across the country when not in timeshares. Freeeedom!!

Couple of hints to make it affordable:

Own enough points in a timeshare to book your hard-to-get reservations 13 months ahead, plus enough points to cover other preferred resorts that do not appear in RCI Extra Vacations.

RCI Extra Vacations and Last Calls -- as low as $319/week for a 1 bedroom (plus taxes, most times, but No Taxes in Arizona at the moment!), I also avoid resorts with per-night junk "amenities fees." I like the randomness of where the cheapest (consecutive) weeks will take me. GEVC Lighthouse Pointe is the place for me!

Book timeshare points stays Sunday to Friday; spend weekends using hotel points. My IHG and Wyndham Rewards points do not charge occupancy taxes, which add up.

Really, the only difficulties are coordinating doctor's appointments/prescriptions when traveling thousands of miles away from whatever "home base" for 6+ months at a time and having a "permanent mailing address" for financial accounts, car registration and insurance.

It has not come to this yet, but my "back-up" plan is a mail stop in South Dakota. South Dakota is very "nomad friendly." Only one overnight in South Dakota is needed for residency, but there are some hoops to jump through for driver's license and car registration success.

The full-time (retirement, in my case) timeshare resort lifestyle is entirely possible, but plan on investing a couple hundred hours of research over a few years to prepare.

 

[jp10558]

While I'm not a digital nomad, I do see how you could reasonably spend quite a lot of time in TS each year if you're willing to chase around the cheap stays. I've already done 2 one week trips, 2 3 week trips this year and have a 2 week that I might still stretch into a 3 week coming right up. That's 10 weeks already, which is a lot compared to my life before TS. I had to skip some time in July and August due to jury duty and work requirements, and have forgone one week in October for family health reasons. I also find it hard to book the amount of doctors visits that the doctors like to have me come to (for reasons I don't entirely understand).

 

[missyrcrews]

While I'm not a digital nomad, I do see how you could reasonably spend quite a lot of time in TS each year if you're willing to chase around the cheap stays. I've already done 2 one week trips, 2 3 week trips this year and have a 2 week that I might still stretch into a 3 week coming right up. That's 10 weeks already, which is a lot compared to my life before TS. I had to skip some time in July and August due to jury duty and work requirements, and have forgone one week in October for family health reasons. I also find it hard to book the amount of doctors visits that the doctors like to have me come to (for reasons I don't entirely understand).

Love this! Someday I'm going to string weeks together and enjoy. For now, I manage to get away around 7 full weeks a year, and then four three day weekends and a couple of two day weekends. One weekend a month at least!

 

[jp10558]

Love this! Someday I'm going to string weeks together and enjoy. For now, I manage to get away around 7 full weeks a year, and then four three day weekends and a couple of two day weekends. One weekend a month at least!

I've started a "tradition" of at least 3 weeks in FL in the winter, though I'm not sure if I'll aim for December or January starts. January has the TUG meetup in Orlando, but I think a lot of December was really easy to book last year anyway. I'd like to go for 4 weeks, but this time we're hitting up against the Philadelphia Flower show I think.

 

[kanerf]

Kind of. I spend Mon-Thu in one of my timeshares in the DC area as I work there and chose not to rent an apartment. Weekends I go home to PA, stay somewhere in the area or head down to Williamsburg and use one of my timeshares down there. I get home about one weekend a month. Been doing this for about 15 years.