Empty-nesting tell me about your traveling...

[noreenkate]

So now that we are "officially "retired and the kids are "adulting" we finally have the opportunity to travel with no work or school restrictions.

Over the course of the last year I have either adopted or picked up a couple of units on eBay and we are getting started on our journeys...I should have about 3 units a year to use & or exchange for just us annually... but after literally decades of planning disney trips I am looking forward to seeing places outside of Orlando. While we may travel outside the continetal US as we get the hang of it right now we are focusing on domestic travel here in the US.

What are your favorite destinations?

What are your favorite resorts to visit, brands, room size?

Do you drive or fly?

 

[b2bailey]

What is your 'home base' airport?
That would influence my response.

 

[DRH90277]

So you want freedom and variety? Rather than buying random weeks on eBay and committing to specific properties, think about joining Interval and using their getaways for a bit. You might find this less restrictive than owning any weeks and with better options. You might also spend under $20 per year to join Redweek for access a large list of available timeshare rentals.

After a while of doing this, you may find some favorites where you want to go every year. Our favorite for years has been Custom House in Boston and we go at least a week every year.

If you must buy, buy a lock-off unit at Grand Chateau in Las Vegas for use as 2 Interval exchanges. 51 of the 52 weeks are Platinum Season and they exchange very well through Interval. Look at the resale prices on Redweek.

Enjoy these years together!

 

[noreenkate]

What is your 'home base' airport?
That would influence my response.

Nashville

 

[noreenkate]

So you want freedom and variety? Rather than buying random weeks on eBay and committing to specific properties, think about joining Interval and using their getaways for a bit. You might find this less restrictive than owning any weeks and with better options. You might also spend under $20 per year to join RedWeek for access a large list of available timeshare rentals.

After a while of doing this, you may find some favorites where you want to go every year. Our favorite for years has been Custom House in Boston and we go at least a week every year.

Enjoy these years together!

Thanks for your thoughts…but none of the adoptions/purchases were random. They were either sought out to meet specific needs, affordable MFs that are regarded as decent traders here on tug, trade within RCI or II for access to last calls/getaways and or for a specific location that is exactly where I want to be at every year…As far as joining redweek goes that was done several years back and I maintain memberships both redweek & here on tug…My apologies if I wasn’t clear with that information.

That said I am very interested in your comment about Custom House in Boston especially since you visited it often.

Is it the resort you enjoy the area ect…Lol is it good for escaping the heat?

 

[jackio]

I second the Custom House. We have been twice in the fall and loved it. We go to Orlando a few weeks each winter to get out of the cold weather, and we take my mom with us, so we get a 2BR. DH loves Oahu, so we adopted an EOY unit there. This summer we are headed to National Harbor, MD, but the kids and grandkids will be joining us. We are looking forward to taking them to DC.
I love not being tied to the school schedule, because now we can go when it's cheaper and less crowded. We drive up to 8 hours, and fly to farther destinations.
Enjoy your retirement travels!

 

[HudsHut]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we drive almost every year to Marriott's Newport Coast (Newport Beach, CA) and Four Seasons Aviara (Carlsbad, CA)
For Disneyland, we go to WM Anaheim or WM Dolphin's Cove.

We fly to Hawaii almost every year: Marriott's Ko Olina, Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Hilton Kings' Land.

 

[DRH90277]

Thanks for your thoughts…but none of the adoptions/purchases were random. They were either sought out to meet specific needs, affordable MFs that are regarded as decent traders here on tug, trade within RCI or II for access to last calls/getaways and or for a specific location that is exactly where I want to be at every year…As far as joining redweek goes that was done several years back and I maintain memberships both redweek & here on tug…My apologies if I wasn’t clear with that information.

That said I am very interested in your comment about Custom House in Boston especially since you visited it often.

Is it the resort you enjoy the area ect…Lol is it good for escaping the heat?

Custom House is a historic building right on the Freedom Trail near the Harbor on State Street. There are only 84 rooms, all large 1 bdrm. It's all about the location, the incredible historic building, great views, and so many things to do nearby. You fly into BOS airport, take the subway a couple of stops and you are feet from the Custom House entrance. Buy an inexpensive 1-week subway pass (under $25) and you can go all over the area and even down to Quincy to see the John Adam's library. We've been to Custom House over 20+ weeks since we bought in 2006 and have always found so much to do. Oh, I nearly forgot, you are a short walk to the North End restaurants and Mike's Pastries.

We own 16 Marriott timeshare weeks. If we were to keep only one, this is the one I'd keep.

They are inexpensive to buy as resales at about $2,500 but the maintenance fees are over $2,000 per year. We think these are a bargain and bought a second week a couple of years ago. These are $400 to $800 per night stays in this area. I also see some rental bargains occasionally on Redweek.

I don't think any of these are owned by the trust as they are RTU's through 2057, as I remember.

 

[noreenkate]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we drive almost every year to Marriott's Newport Coast (Newport Beach, CA) and Four Seasons Aviara (Carlsbad, CA)
For Disneyland, we go to WM Anaheim or WM Dolphin's Cove.

We fly to Hawaii almost every year: Marriott's Ko Olina, Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Hilton Kings' Land.

OMGosh we just had our 1st trip to VGC as a family…my oldest son asked that we spend some time elsewhere and I fell in love the areas we visited, I was able add a few nights at Wyndham Oceanside Pier and we drove down the coast a bit. There are so many things to see and do in California. I hope someday to see the redwoods.

Ko’olina is also beautiful we got to see the resort on a tour when we stayed at Aulani.

 

[easyrider]

What we enjoy is taking trips to the beach in the summer then following the sun to warm beaches in the winter. Our new thing is exchanging into nice resorts for winter travel. We enjoy Hawaii and Mexico for winter travel and the Oregon Coast for summer. We own Worldmark and Vacation Internationale which both have many resorts within driving distance from us so using bonus time or reserving a summer week to take our grandkids is working out pretty good. Our Mexico weeks are working out well for winter travel too. We have been exchanging the Mexico weeks for Mexico weeks because our favorite resort in Mexico is hard to get into in Feb. which should change as soon as all of the banked covid weeks dissipate.

I kind of enjoy the planning of the trips and the exchanging. We have been very lucky or blessed regarding exchanges.

Bill

 

[noreenkate]

I kind of enjoy the planning of the trips and the exchanging. We have been very lucky or blessed regarding exchanges.

I consider myself very blessed I have only done 2 trades so far and considering what I was able to accomplish thanks to the sightings board was IMO outstanding…

The planning for me is huge fun…

 

[Talent312]

We like to visit...
New Orleans (Quarter House) in the Spring (for Jazz Fest).
NYC - Spring or Fall (to see some shows).
The Outer Banks in the Summer.
Hilton Head... just about anytime.
Napa Valley... just about anytime.
Florida Gulf Coast... late Spring or late Summer.
.

 

[Passepartout]

I consider myself very blessed I have only done 2 trades so far and considering what I was able to accomplish thanks to the sightings board was IMO outstanding…

The planning for me is huge fun…

Many polls have shown that the most enjoyable part of travel is in the planning. Even more so than the trip itself or the memories afterward. Follow your dreams. Wanna see the Redwoods? Go to San Francisco. Rent a car and see Tahoe, Sonoma wine country, The Redwoods, Yosemite. Rent a houseboat on Lake Shasta.

I don't know where the airlines fly non-stop from Nashville, but suspect the whole South and Midwest are easy to leave home in the morning and have lunch in your destination. EVERYPLACE has something going for it. A quick search will turn up hidden treasures. Others have suggested using Getaways and Last Calls and TUG Rentals. They all are cheap enough that you can book a week there and even if you only use a long weekend and come home, it's still a great value.

How comfortable are you with road trips? From home, you should be able to see much of the mid-Atlantic coastline. One of our favorites is Williamsburg VA. But then, there is New Orleans- or again hidden gems that might interest you- Civil War battlefields, and EVERY place has a museum.

Enjoy your 'empty-nesthood'. There's a world out there. Explore it. You've been using the timeshares as a destination. Change your mindset to make them a traveling comfortably 'home base' from which to explore.

A 'tourist' collects snapshots. A 'traveler' collects experiences. Be a traveler.

Jim

 

[sue1947]

Enjoy your 'empty-nesthood'. There's a world out there. Explore it. You've been using the timeshares as a destination. Change your mindset to make them a traveling comfortably 'home base' from which to explore.

A 'tourist' collects snapshots. A 'traveler' collects experiences. Be a traveler.

This. I was just collecting my thoughts to say the same thing.
Watch II or RCI to see what tends to come up in the bargain categories (AC/Getaways or Last Calls). Book something that interests you and then add on some of those bargains. I found that some places that I thought I would not enjoy became favorites. and the reverse. None of the stays were really duds. There is something interesting everywhere. If the area turned out to not be that interesting, we just used it as a relaxing break.
For me, it is about the location. The TS is a base to explore. If you want resorts where you can hang by the pool with lots of activities; those are out there as well.
So many places, so little time; dive in and see what you find.

 

[noreenkate]

Others have suggested using Getaways and Last Calls and TUG Rentals.

Since joining up RCI last year- I gotta say we have had tremendous luck with last calls…my son often needs to travel for work and has used several weeks so far.

How comfortable are you with road trips?

lol they are much more enjoyable now than when the kids were younger…before we retired to TN road-tripping to Florida from NY was a bit of nightmare. Now the kids live in Florida and I have made the trip multiple times on my own and actually look forward to it 14 hours over 2- 3 days is my max though.

I am driving to Branson area next month. I am a sucker for musicals and it’s an area I have always wanted to see the area…

Enjoy your 'empty-nesthood'. There's a world out there. Explore it. You've been using the timeshares as a destination. Change your mindset to make them a traveling comfortably 'home base' from which to explore.

A 'tourist' collects snapshots. A 'traveler' collects experiences. Be a traveler.

Jim

What an amazing way to look at it…
There are just so many choices…

 

[1Melanie]

So now that we are "officially "retired and the kids are "adulting" we finally have the opportunity to travel with no work or school restrictions.

Over the course of the last year I have either adopted or picked up a couple of units on eBay and we are getting started on our journeys...I should have about 3 units a year to use & or exchange for just us annually... but after literally decades of planning disney trips I am looking forward to seeing places outside of Orlando. While we may travel outside the continetal US as we get the hang of it right now we are focusing on domestic travel here in the US.

What are your favorite destinations?

What are your favorite resorts to visit, brands, room size?

Do you drive or fly?

If you like history, the East & Southeast has a plethora of places to visit where one can learn so much about the American Revolution and the Civil War. Atlanta has a fabulous Aquarium. You could also visit the Colorama at the history center. New Orleans has the most comprehensive World War II museum and You’ve got to experience Mardi Gras at least once in your lifetime. You must see Charleston and Savannah. Washington DC has a wealth of history in their Smithsonian museums. The Southwest has lots of history of the old West. Phoenix has lots of golf courses but there are also lots of ghost towns and museums, where you can learn about the earliest occupants. A few hours away in Tucson you can visit the best gem and mineral museum ever! A few hours drive to Tombstone, which has been kept rustic, you can get an idea of what it was like back in the days of the shootout at the OK Corral. There’s an old mine where you can learn about the hardship miners endured during their short lives. All along the way, there’s National Parks showcasing the differing landscapes all around our country. I think somewhere I read you are from Nashville. Nearby in Gatlinburg are the great Smokey Mtns Natl Park. Go during the Fall when it lights up as the foliage changes colors.
Go to Daytona to do the Daytona 500. Of course, for beautiful beaches and to learn about a truly unique/sad history of a stolen Kingdom, you have to visit Hawaii. The West Coast has so much more contemporary and quirky history. There’s beautiful beaches up and down the coast. (Not all swimmable but beautiful nonetheless) There’s so much more our great country has to offer. These are only a few of the places we’ve managed to see. TUG members are able to give you more tips on places to see and things to do. Stay tuned.
We are Wyndham owners and have been able to find accommodations at or near most of these places along the way. We’ve liked all the resorts we’ve been to. Beats Motel 6. We’ve only stayed in a handful of them more than once. Bonnet Creek was great when we did Disney, stayed there 3 times. Beautiful resort. Stayed at the El Cid 3 times as well. Another gorgeous resort if you want to visit Mazatlan. When I want to visit family, we might stay at the Waikiki Beach Walk (owned there at one time). It was great when I liked being near the action. I prefer quiet now. One of my favorites is the Royal Seacliff on the Big Island (stayed 3 times) Great for R & R. Close enough to everything but quiet and scenic, you can watch the dolphins, the paddling teams and cruise ships go by.
Unless we are doing something on the West Coast (we live in WA) we have to fly to most of our destinations. I like Seaside Oregon and have been there several times. Saw most of the sites for several miles north and South of there, it’s a great place to vegetate for a few days.
To save on flying (ugh) we often book longer stays of 3-6 weeks in a general area then drive from one resort to another to explore the area. As retirees you’ll be able to do that too.
It’ll be great! The majority of timeshares are beautiful. It’s hard to be disappointed when you can have all the comforts of home with you. Take out a map, pick an area you always wanted to see and go. Happy travels!

 

[jules54]

We have been retired for 6+ years. We love our Harley Davidson and We love love to travel. We like ocean and beaches and mountains. In the Spring we have been driving and trailering the motorcycle to Florida mostly Wyndham properties Panama City Beach, Daytona, Pompano Beach. In 2022 we spent a week in Key West we rode our motorcycle down from Pompano Beach. Really enjoyed Key West. Spring is also South Carolina, Myrtle Beach Hilton Head. Love New Orleans try to get there on our Spring trip. Wyndham resorts all those locations. Summer we have done different locational trips. Colorado, Southwest, California coast riding from Nebraska to Oregon and following the coast to California. In 2019 we rode to Alaska. We have rode a motorcycle in all 50 states. Renting in Hawaii. Last year we started spending about a month in Breckenridge, Colorado beautiful and our resorts Peak 7 and Peak are gorgeous. We ride and stay at Steamboat Springs, Durango, Pagosa Springs. Wherever we can use our Wyndham points for a few nites. In the Summer and Fall we hit Branson, Lake of Ozarks, Nashville, Gatlinburg, South Carolina again Edisto Island. Summer Northern East coast and New England, crossing into Canada. In November and part of December we fly to Cabo San Lucus, MX occasionally spending the holidays there. Trips to Las Vegas, Arizona driving.
We spend 2 months in the winter Jan-Mar in Playa Del Carmen, Mx which we plan to expand to more weeks in 2024.

Soon we will be leaving on our Spring trip Driving with our trailer and motorcycle. Not sure where yet. First maybe to New Orleans for Jazz Fest then backtrack to Las Vegas, Texas, California. When we drive with Trailer it limits our resorts because we have to be able to park the trailer and have the motorcycle on site. This keeps us out of Urban areas such as Austin, San Francisco, San Diego, New York City, Washington D.C. National Harbor, San Antonio. We have visited there but with only the motorcycle or fly in or driving a vehicle. Unless we have friends in the area where we can park Trailer as we do near New Orleans.

Wyndham points, Interval Exchanges, Interval Getaways, Interval Short stays, RCI exchanges, RCI extra vacations, resorts we own Grand Lodge Peak 7, Grand Colorado Peak 8. Grand Crown in Branson.

We have discussed selling our way too large home and traveling full time staying at Timeshares. The timeshares I’ve got the thought of selling the house and getting rid of so many of my possessions is still too overwhelming.

Visit everywhere you even think you want to. Don’t wait as you don’t know what the future holds and how healthy you’ll stay. Gotta go now and keep planning our Spring Trip.

 

[b2bailey]

Many polls have shown that the most enjoyable part of travel is in the planning. Even more so than the trip itself or the memories afterward. Follow your dreams. Wanna see the Redwoods? Go to San Francisco. Rent a car and see Tahoe, Sonoma wine country, The Redwoods, Yosemite. Rent a houseboat on Lake Shasta.

I don't know where the airlines fly non-stop from Nashville, but suspect the whole South and Midwest are easy to leave home in the morning and have lunch in your destination. EVERYPLACE has something going for it. A quick search will turn up hidden treasures. Others have suggested using Getaways and Last Calls and TUG Rentals. They all are cheap enough that you can book a week there and even if you only use a long weekend and come home, it's still a great value.

How comfortable are you with road trips? From home, you should be able to see much of the mid-Atlantic coastline. One of our favorites is Williamsburg VA. But then, there is New Orleans- or again hidden gems that might interest you- Civil War battlefields, and EVERY place has a museum.

Enjoy your 'empty-nesthood'. There's a world out there. Explore it. You've been using the timeshares as a destination. Change your mindset to make them a traveling comfortably 'home base' from which to explore.

A 'tourist' collects snapshots. A 'traveler' collects experiences. Be a traveler.

Jim

I enjoy the planning -- but would never say MORE than the actual trip.
If that was true, I would book and cancel.
That would be no fun for me.

 

[b2bailey]

I've been an empty nester ever since joining Tug. It does give so much freedom for travel. I've never placed a search request. I enjoy the ability to make random choices. Best wishes for a successful future of traveling. Reminds me of a quote:
Not all who wander are lost. I've done a lot of wandering with timeshares to assist. Mostly I like water and warm places. Lots of Hawaii and Mexico. Lived for awhile in Florida and Georgia, so discovered Caribbean. Grand Cayman was a favorite, Aruba not so much. Now, flight time from CA is too long to venture there.

 

[geist1223]

Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Canmore Alberta, Sonoma Valley CA, Sante Fe NM, San Jose del Cabo, Tucson AZ, Reno NV, anywhere in HA, Tasmania Australia, North Island New Zealand, Scotland, France.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

We try and avoid traveling during school vacation times.

The first two weeks of December are supposed to be among the least traveled weeks of the year.
I have generally found more availability and larger timeshare units in Hawaii for this time period. I would think this might be true for any destination. I have found reduced airfare for this time period as well, the lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas travel.

We love Sedona, and were also surprised how much we enjoyed a week in Palm Desert. We don’t golf but found lots of other activities to enjoy in the surrounding area.

We have a fall trip planned to Boston to stay at the Marriott Customs House, combined with a week leaf peeping tour around New England. Really looking forward to that.

Another trip on my planning radar is Hilton Head and the surrounding areas of Savannah and Charleston. New Orleans is also on my list, as well as New Mexico and revisiting New York City. The Oregon Coast in the fall is my favorite time to visit. I would like to go to Key West as well.

Not time a timeshare trip, but our driving trip around Utah visiting the national parks was a favorite.

I loved traveling with my kids when they were living at home, but it’s so much easier (and cheaper!) for just the two of us now. Enjoy your retirement!

 

[Passepartout]

@noreenkate
Others' comments prompted an add-on. While we like kids, we'd as soon travel at times they are in school or otherwise occupied. We've found as others have that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time to be in places where the kids like to play, but so do adults. Another great time for adult travels is April and May. The weather is usually cooperative and availability is pretty easy.

I don't know how you feel about cruising, but Spring and Fall are great times to cruise the Mediterranean or Caribbean. There are great values on cruise lines' 'repositioning' cruises. They move ships in the Fall (usually Oct/Nov) from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. There are great prices on these cruises. They generally are 2 week cruises with a few stops on each end with about a 6 night crossing. There is no end of things to do and your shipmates are doing the same thing.

In Spring- soon now, they move the ships from the Caribbean to the Med. for the Summer season. Most leave from Florida and hit a few European ports, like Canary Islands, Portugal and Barcelona. It's a relatively cheap way to get to Europe and you can back it up with a TS or AirBnB before you fly back home.

Pro tip: If you do the east bound transatlantic cruise, you get 6- 23 hour days in a row. In the Fall, you get 6- 25 hour days.

If I come up with other empty nest suggestions, I'll revisit this thread.

Jim

 

[mdurette]

What are your favorite destinations?

What are your favorite resorts to visit, brands, room size?

Do you drive or fly?

Another frequest Orlando travelor from the East Coast. We are more US/Carribean travelors with not much interest in international.
Hyatt offers a very nice resort experience and if you have never been to Sedona or San Antonio it would be worth adding to your list of options. Also, Florida options outside of Orlando: The Keys and Bonita Springs.

I love New England for drive vacations and prefer Newport RI, White Mountains of New Hampshire or Coastal Maine over the MA locations of the Cape, the Berkshires or Boston. But, people love all those areas and they can be great shoulder season, especially early Sept when alot of travel stops, but the weather is still warm. I find RCI has alot more options for New England.

Hershey PA is also a place we have explored a couple times, Not a high priority trip, but the area is interesting enough (even without the park) to check out if you see availability at the resort.

Room size, not yet traveling kid free, but I do know even if just DH and I, I will be looking for a 1BR. We simply have different sleep patterns, I go to bed and rise earlier than him, so it is nice to have the separate bedroom.

 

[BJRSanDiego]

So now that we are "officially "retired and the kids are "adulting" we finally have the opportunity to travel with no work or school restrictions.

Over the course of the last year I have either adopted or picked up a couple of units on eBay and we are getting started on our journeys...I should have about 3 units a year to use & or exchange for just us annually... but after literally decades of planning disney trips I am looking forward to seeing places outside of Orlando. While we may travel outside the continetal US as we get the hang of it right now we are focusing on domestic travel here in the US.

What are your favorite destinations?

What are your favorite resorts to visit, brands, room size?

Do you drive or fly?

I live near San Diego. We don't like flying, and we don't mind driving. So, because of our location, and 3/4 of our timeshares have Marriott preference, these are the drive-to resorts that we like:
1. Palm Desert, Ca (DSV1, DSV2, SRI, SRII, WDW)
2. Phoenix Canyon Villas, Az
3. Newport Coast, Ca.
4. Marriott Timber Lodge (Tahoe)
5. Hyatt Sedona
6. Hyatt Highlands Inn
7. Hyatt/Welk Northstar (Tahoe)
8. SVC Starr Pass (Tucson)

We like staying in 2 BR units.

Sometimes we drive up to Paso Robles but since Vino Bello left ii, are now staying in a hotel using Bonvoy points or in a B&B. It is still a lot of fun.

Every-other-year we go to Hawaii for 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[SmithOp]

OMGosh we just had our 1st trip to VGC as a family…my oldest son asked that we spend some time elsewhere and I fell in love the areas we visited, I was able add a few nights at Wyndham Oceanside Pier and we drove down the coast a bit. There are so many things to see and do in California. I hope someday to see the redwoods.

Ko’olina is also beautiful we got to see the resort on a tour when we stayed at Aulani.

We enjoyed Samuel P Taylor CA State Park to hike in the redwoods, and it's close to SF for a day trip.

Samuel P. Taylor State Park

California State Parks

www.parks.ca.gov