Getaways are one of the best things on II. You only do exchanges 1/year/TS owned generally. Whereas, I'm always looking to see what getaways are available. I'm sure II uses web monitoring barometrics which show there is more activity under getaways vs exchanges, which is why it is the default.
Typically, if a getaway is less than $100/night for something good, I'll do a getaway rather than an exchange. If trying to decide between a couple of resorts, I'll look to see which has more getaways available and which getaway is more expensive. If it is scarcer and more expensive as a getaway, then I am more likely to trade for it rather than pay cash. Getaways are why we only own 1 TS. For example, we go to New Orleans at least once a year. I can usually get a getaway there for around $300/wk. Why pay the upfront costs and maintenance fees of owning something else to trade (figure at least $1000/year), when I can just pay a getaway rental for under that?
Hope this helps you understand and enhances your II experience.
