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Exchanging timeshare for a private home, or other options for European cities

letsgobobby

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Hello, has anyone successfully exchanged a timeshare for a home stay or home swap? Ie, someone's private home?

We are hoping to go to London and Paris late 2021 for one week each and wonder if there is a way to use our HGVC ownership for some of the lodging. I see that RCI has just 1-2 pretty unimpressive options in Paris. I also see MVC has an option in London.

But barring a good timeshare option, perhaps there's a way to use someone's private flat, in exchange for an HGVC reservation where they'd like to go, ie Orlando or Hawaii or etc. Is there an established program for this type of exchange?
 

Theiggy

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Some others here have mentioned using Third Home. I have no idea if they have homes in Europe but you could easily go to the site and check. Also type Thirdhome in the search bar here on Tug and read about it,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tschwa2

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Hello, has anyone successfully exchanged a timeshare for a home stay or home swap? Ie, someone's private home?

We are hoping to go to London and Paris late 2021 for one week each and wonder if there is a way to use our HGVC ownership for some of the lodging. I see that RCI has just 1-2 pretty unimpressive options in Paris. I also see MVC has an option in London.

But barring a good timeshare option, perhaps there's a way to use someone's private flat, in exchange for an HGVC reservation where they'd like to go, ie Orlando or Hawaii or etc. Is there an established program for this type of exchange?
I doubt it. You could rent out your home week at HGVC and then use the proceeds toward renting what you want. Would be a lot easier than finding someone who has what you want and wants what you have.
 

silentg

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Try Marketplace direct exchanges.
 

Eric B

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Not much availability in ThirdHome in England right now, but they do have some in Paris between now and April 2021. There are a fair number of possibilities in both London and Paris, but nobody seems to have deposited much for late 2021. Happy to keep an eye out for you if you like.

There is this one in London, but it's showing no availability, possibility due to folks that pay for upgraded membership having a 24 hour jump on the rest of us peons for new ones.


ThirdHome might allow you to deposit an HGVC week; I've seen Elara in there. Not sure what you'd get for Marbrisa or Lagoon Tower.
 

A.Win

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I have exchanged my timeshares for home stays through homeexchange.com. It is NOT easy to set up, but I do know that there are LOTS of French people that use the homeexchange website.
 

letsgobobby

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I have exchanged my timeshares for home stays through homeexchange.com. It is NOT easy to set up, but I do know that there are LOTS of French people that use the homeexchange website.
thank you, i will look into it. did you use the GuestPoints option?

As tschwa2 suggested it may just be easier to pay cash or use other currency like HH or Marriott points, which is fine. it is an unusual year for us, since we just acquired our timeshare points for use in 2021 but by virtue of it already being 2021 some of our preferred weeks are not available. i can convert HGVC points to HH but it is not a good value. on the other hand if someone wants to spend 7-14 days with some flexibility in Hawaii or elsewhere I can swing that pretty easily.
 

kckaren21

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thank you, i will look into it. did you use the GuestPoints option?

I have used our timeshare thru HomeExchange.com several times and love it! It was not that hard to set up. I have only used the Guest Points option and love the flexibility. So far we have stayed in Phoenix for a softball tournament (2 br home), Westlake Village on the lake (1 br condo), vacation condo on Molokai (1 br condo), and 1 nt overnight passing thru Grand Rapids, CO. We will stay at a home near downtown New Orleans for a few days before a cruise coming up, and I am looking at an apartment in Galapagos Islands, because it is very expensive to visit those places. Also I found a gorgeous home near Zion NP we may visit.

I love the flexibility of so many places to visit and varying lengths of time to stay, rather than 7 days at a timeshare. Sometimes there is a cleaning fee, sometimes not; it is up to the owner. I prefer to stay in a "secondary residence" or vacation home, rather than someone's permanent home, and you can filter for that and other things. Some people have ADU's, or separate visitor 'apartments' at their homes, and are so nice they treat you like guestws they invited!

It is CHEAPER than an exchange company, because you pay an annual fee only $175 per year ONE TIME, no fee per exchange. Other benefits include coverage for cancellation and damage. I don't know if I will renew my II membership next year.

For an extra 250 Guestpoints you could use my referral number, if you like: karen-e40e4

Note that it can take some time to find the place you want available at the time you want, rather than just doing it immediately exchanging thru II/RCI/Trading Places, etc inventory, but it has been great option for us.
 

escanoe

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I have used our timeshare thru HomeExchange.com several times and love it! It was not that hard to set up. I have only used the Guest Points option and love the flexibility. So far we have stayed in Phoenix for a softball tournament (2
I love the flexibility of so many places to visit and varying lengths of time to stay, rather than 7 days at a timeshare. Sometimes there is a cleaning fee, sometimes not; it is up to the owner. I prefer to stay in a "secondary residence" or vacation home, rather than someone's permanent home, and you can filter for that and other things. Some people have ADU's, or separate visitor 'apartments' at their homes, and are so nice they treat you like guestws they invited!

It is CHEAPER than an exchange company, because you pay an annual fee only $175 per year ONE TIME, no fee per exchange. Other benefits include coverage for cancellation and damage. I don't know if I will renew my II membership next year.

For an extra 250 Guestpoints you could use my referral number, if you like: karen-e40e4

Note that it can take some time to find the place you want available at the time you want, rather than just doing it

Something like this for the masses would be awesome to give II and RCI some competition.

Is there a list somewhere of timeshares they will accept?
 

Carolinian

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I wonder if 7across in Europe still does this. When it was DAE Europe, they took a lot of weeks in second home and rental cottages in Europe into their timeshare exchange system. They had quite a few in England and France, also Ireland. Wyndham changed a lot when they bought out DAE, so I do not know if they still do this, but it may be worth checking.

When they were DAE Europe, I did a timeshare trade into a 1BR apartment in Venice a block off of the Grand Canal on the ground floor of a centuries old building but a very modern furnished apartment for a week in late Spring.
 
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Carolinian

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I should also mention that UKRE has started doing this, taking weeks at private rental and vacation properties into their timeshare exchange system. The problem for US timeshare owners is that UKRE only takes resorts / properties in the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) as deposits.
 

A.Win

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Something like this for the masses would be awesome to give II and RCI some competition.

Is there a list somewhere of timeshares they will accept?
I believe you can list anything thru Home Exchange. I have had MANY successful exchanges here, but it does take a lot of patience to find something that meets your needs.

ThirdHome is the higher end home exchange, so their exchange fees are higher and they are much pickier about taking only higher quality timeshares and homes. I have completed 2 stays through them, 1 at Vidanta Riviera Maya and the other at Snowshoe WV (ski week).

Feel free to contact me and I can share my referral bonus with you!
 

DRIless

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I should also mention that UKRE has started doing this, taking weeks at private rental and vacation properties into their timeshare exchange system. The problem for US timeshare owners is that UKRE only takes resorts / properties in the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) as deposits.
Not sure this is accurate, my email communication with ann@ukre.co.uk indicated that they were taking Orlando ?
 

Carolinian

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Not sure this is accurate, my email communication with ann@ukre.co.uk indicated that they were taking Orlando ?

That may be new. Orlando is very popular with Brits. I had a British colleague when I was working overseas who owned a vacation home with his wife in Orlando. One reason I will never be using timeshares in Orlando is that he very graciously offered free use of it for my family if we wanted to go to Orlando.

UKRE has a sister company called Worldwide Resort Exchange, run out of the same office that takes locations outside the UK, but UKRE has traditionally been British Isles only. Their resort directory only includes the British Isles: https://www.ukre.co.uk/all-resorts/
 
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