Have you made changes in your TS ownership with phases of retirement (Go-Go to Go-Slow to No-Go)?

[mountainboy]

There was a nice article By Jason Zweig in WSJ today re Stock market & retirement but had a nice link to an older article about phases in retirement & changes/adjustments folks have made during retirement, which made me start thinking...
Have you made changes in your TS ownership with health/illness/retirement?
Any advice for others, from your journey?
TY!

'Retirement tends to sort itself into three approximate phases: go-go, slow go and no go. In the go-go years, typically in your late 60s and early 70s, you’re in frequent motion, focusing on fitness, hobbies and travel. From your mid-70s to mid-80s, you might find less strenuous ways to savor life. In your 80s or 90s, you’ll likely be much less active. The resulting pattern of retirement spending is high in the go-go years, lower in the slow-go years and often higher in the no-go years'.

https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/retirement-health-money-planning-illness-698b5484?st=DHv5Gd&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

[Pennytx]

Very interesting
Not sure how I feel about it
I’m 61 hope to live long enough for those stages

 

[TolmiePeak]

I'm 56 and I'm already slowing down. The days of Disneyland from rope drop to 11p are long gone for me. Now we take it easy when we go.

 

[Panina]

I used to travel 20+ weeks a year, mostly using timeshares. I was retired already and in my 50's. Now at the "official" retirement senior age of 65 I am down to one high point hgvc unit that I use for multiple trades each year.

I don't think I actually slowed down. More that the state I live in now is much more satisfying to my needs and I don't have the need to find warm vacation spots.

 

[WinniWoman]

When working we took 3-4 weeks of annual vacations- 3 being our timeshares and one being whatever else.

Retired and moved to a vacation area out of state. Divested of the two week timeshare which was only 2 1/2 hours from our new home because the resort had a take back program that was soon to be expiring so we took advantage of it, though so far we still visit the same area yearly, but at a different time of year.

We kept the other timeshare because it’s just under an hour from our home and we also have day use included.

We did a couple of tours after we retired, but I hate the flying/ airport experience and don’t intend to fly ever again. We also have no desire to do long road trips either.

So we are focusing on our own state, and two adjoining states (one of where our timeshare used to be) IF we even want to go away. Right now we go away one week in June to get away from motorcycle week here. And another week at our timeshare in August. That’s it.

I am 69 and my husband is 71.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Ironically I have been thinking about this very thing all day today. I am thinking I need to keep getting rid of some timeshares to clean it up a bit. We already got rid of a bunch but more is probably a good idea. Being stuck with so many deposits in 2024 was scary.

Rick is going to be lost, if anything happens to me. I need to inform the kids on what we own and what I have rented, and what needs to be deposited.

 

[geist1223]

We are both 71. We spent 3 weeks in the winter in Australia. Hiking, etc. We probably walked 5 to 7 miles every day in Melbourne. This Spring we spent 2 weeks in Pacific Palisades in Carlsbad and 1 week in Avila Beach. We were on the go most days. This was closer to 4 weeks because we drove to Windsor and spent 2 nights. We returned the same route. This summer we spent almost 4 weeks in Canada (Vancouver and Canmore). We still have a week in Seaside Oregon in November.

We will never hike the Kalalau Trail to the Waterfall on Kaua'i again. But we have hiked it. But we hike many other trails including Sleeping Giant. We go a little slower.

 

[chosshaul]

I used to travel 20+ weeks a year, mostly using timeshares. I was retired already and in my 50's. Now at the "official" retirement senior age of 65 I am down to one high point hgvc unit that I use for multiple trades each year.

I don't think I actually slowed down. More that the state I live in now is much more satisfying to my needs and I don't have the need to find warm vacation spots.

Just curious how many pts one needs to make multiple trades in HGVC. I’m new owner with 11,200 and it feels like I can only get 1 trade out of that on rci

 

[Panina]

Just curious how many pts one needs to make multiple trades in HGVC. I’m new owner with 11,200 and it feels like I can only get 1 trade out of that on rci

It depends what you need. I tend to take 4-5 day vacations at other hgvc properties traveling during the week days as that requires less points as well as downsizing to 1 bedrooms or studios. I also can travel off season which requires fewer points. I find RCI actually isn't as good for me as I am using points for a whole week. I do trade within RCI for my favorite resorts. You have a few thousand points less than me but you could get two weeks thru RCI in one bedrooms using your points.

 

[easyrider]

We might be trying out some new places in the next year or two. We are currently in the go go go phase. We've slowed down on many activities but have ramped up on many things like travel and personal projects. I guess this means we are also in the beginning of the slow go phase maybe. For me, the no go phase will be no go, lol.

Bill

 

[tonyg]

Down to 2+1/2 weeks, I'm about to enter the no-go or geezer stage, so I'll be looking to getting rid of another week. I remember when Mr. Bill (easyrider) was a newb here.

 

[BarbmC]

Thanks for sharing - we still do go-go (me 65 and hubby 75) He will take a day off while I push on. We're on pause, dealing with a health issue, but have a full calendar for 2026

 

[heitmullerj02]

I’m in the go-go phase but looking ahead, I realize all I want is to see my kids more. They are always busy but a free weeks vacation can tempt them to set some time aside for Mom. The hardest part is knowing 9 months out where we can go, they live minute to minute. We tend to return to same spot, just easier but I would like more variety.

 

[rapmarks]

Retired at 55, traveled most of the next 4 and a half years, looking for a retirement home.
Probably home 20 to 30 days a year. This was definitely go go phase.
Finally decided sw Florida for seven to eight months, and Wisconsin for 4 or 5, but still took several timeshare trips either visiting Florida or other areas of the country for the next 15 years. We were very active in both communities, which were basically resorts. Still go go
My husband grew progressively worse, but we still took at least two timeshare trips a year..
In 2021 we took our last trip together, I knew he couldn’t travel anymore, we were home three days when he fell and ended up never returning home. Now we entered slow go
I would still love to take some timeshare trips, but for the most part my only travel is back and forth between the two homes. So I am in slow go, getting close to no go, after being retired 26 years.

 

[DaveNV]

Starting out, way back when, I ramped up and through a number of timeshare ownerships early on, as I explored TS ownership and how it could fit into my life. I was searching for a system or plan that worked for me, my lifestyle, and how I enjoy traveling. All were purchased resale, and all very affordably. I used them and learned how to make the most of that ownership, while my husband and I traveled often and enjoyed things. As a timeshare lost its usefulness, I sold or gave it away, passing that bargain onto a new owner. Paying it forward was a great way to pay myself back.

Over time, I whittled things down to just owning Worldmark, as I found it was the best fit for us. And then Covid came along, and we both retired (me, at full retirement age, and him, several years early.) We sold our Washington state home, waved goodbye to family and friends, and moved to Nevada.

We found that by living here, things were upside down, from a timeshare perspective. Those weekend getaways we used in Washington were no longer convenient. Travel home to the Pacific Northwest was followed by relatives insisting we stay with them. Stays at WM locations in Las Vegas or St. George, Utah, which had been great when we came from the Pacific Northwest for a vacation, were no longer convenient, because we now live just an hour or less from both those cities. We still enjoyed visiting those areas, but preferred to come home at the end of the day and sleep in our own bed.

So the Worldmark ownership became something we just weren't using. I sold it fully loaded at my cost three years ago to a great Tugger friend. They were happy to buy it, and have been using the heck out of the ownership. I'm quite happy for them.

So now, we rent. No commitment, no long term obligations. It works beautifully in our retired life, and our financially reduced lifestyle. We're both very happy with the arrangement. Timesharing for us was great, and we gracefully exited things in the right way.

Dave

 

[aandmrun]

I believe we are just entering the slow-go years. We have loved timesharing and did so from our mid forties through our 70's. At one point we owned 4 timeshares and one includes a lock-off, so we had 5 weeks of timesharing available and we took full advantage. We are now down to 2 timeshares. We use one as a trader and have had some excellent trades, our other is the lock-off Marriott that we have lately been inviting my sister to join us. It is also just about an hour and a half from our house so we can easily drive there. We have recently moved to a retirement center and are loving the activities here. We also do not like the airport hassle any more. We will keep these two timeshares for a bit longer and then see whether our daughter wants one. If she doesn't we will probably give one away and have Marriott sell the other one. There are now so many ways to travel to resorts, through tours, AAA, Costco Travel, that I don't really want to saddle my daughter with a lifetime commitment unless she really wants it.

 

[heathpack]

I am 59 and when we were in California, I was planning on working until 67 or 68. But since moving to Alabama, we reduced our expenses so much that it looks like I will retire at 62 if we can continue turbo saving.

However in the last 5 years I realized I had too many timeshares- we were traveling a lot in AirBnBs with the dogs and using the timeshares efficiently became a challenge. So we gave away a SBP, sold a Hyatt High Sierra (Tahoe) and deeded back a Hyatt Highlands Inn (Carmel)- recouping maybe 50% of what we’d paid for all three (ranged from $0-$9000). Right now we own two EOY Marriotts and 350 DVC points. I feel like that’s enough, or maybe another Marriott lock off would be ok, or maybe another 100 DVC points. We’re probably better off adding nothing and seeing how things go.

I kind of feel like life in LA was frenetic and the move and new job has been a lot. I kind of feel like doing less in retirement, not more! We’ll see but I think we might start retirement as Go-Slow types.

 

[Timeshare Von]

Very good article and lots for folks to think about.

For me, given my folks died young (Dad 1979 age 46 and Mom 1995 age 57) . . . me and my sisters don't really know what retirement or old age is supposed to look like. We are all going about it with the hopes of continuing to live our best life as long as we can.

Personally, I think I'm still in the go-go phase, although many of my friends might call it the "balls to the wall" stage. Sometimes I feel like I'm spending money like a drunk sailor with 6 months to live. But I do feel strongly that as long as I'm physically able to travel, especially solo, I'm going to. With my hubby recently retiring too, it changes some of the dynamics a little bit . . . but he's still more of a homebody and doesn't thrive on the travel like I do.

As we both age, I know I'll have to slow down and that is in play now as I considering my preferred mode of camping. I've done it mostly with sleeping comfortably in my SUV but I know getting older will start taking a greater toll on my back & legs/knees. So I have started tinkering with the idea of upgrading to a campervan or small RV (see that other thread/discussion) but for now, I can't rationalize or justify the cost to own vs. renting. And once I'm unable to really use a vehicle designed more or less exclusively for road tripping & camping, what will be the exit cost/loss when I sell it?

For now however, the "stages of retirement" are probably more impactful in terms of where we want to live when we sell our home in Wisconsin for a better climate in our 70's and beyond. This is particularly important as for our 20+ years of marriage, there has been very little in and around our house that my DH cannot fix or remodel . . . plumbing, electrical, flooring, drywall, concrete, etc. But as he approaches 70 . . . I really don't want him to have to use his tools. We need to be in a position where we shouldn't have much in the way of maintenance/repairs . . . or we contract the work out . . . including lawn care, etc.

 

[AwayWeGo]

We are not only hard-core sr. citz., we are also down to the timeshare bare minimum. All we have left is one -- 1 -- triennial 1BR points unit out in Las Vegas good for 16,333 points per year.

That's not enough for any kind of straight-points exchange, but it usually works fine for Last Call & Bonus Week reservations, plus those attractive full-week reservations at 9,000 points & below (basically, the points version of Last Call.)

We're also close to the bare minimum in timeshare vacationing. We settled into the routine of 2 back-to-back Orlando-Kissimmee weeks in late January, which has worked out OK so far even with our paltry annual points allocation -- OK, that is, but not perfect. For example, this past January we snagged back-to-back 2BR weeks at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, starting with an excellent 7-night reservation for 7,500 points + exchange fee. For the following week, however, the best we could do was to take a 2BR Extra Vacation reservation at Bonnet Creek for $840 (plus tax, minus RCI Platinum discount).

Before paring down to the bare minimum, we formerly owned (not all at the same time) a 3BR unit in Orlando, a 2BR unit in Kissimmee, a 2BR unit in South Africa, & a studio points unit in Arkansas. It's not so much that the varying multiple ownerships became too much for us to handle, but more that our timeshare ownership eventually exceeded our diminished timeshare usage. We ended up with our triennial Las Vegas 1BR points unit by selling off a 2BR triennial Kissimmee FL points unit, basically cutting our points allocation & our annual maintenance fee in half.

Is this great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[heathpack]

@Timeshare Von totally agree about the RV. Buying one would simplify travel with the dogs. But I know financially it will be a loss. Hard to justify. However if we have some kind of windfall, we might get one!

 

[Timeshare Von]

@Timeshare Von totally agree about the RV. Buying one would simplify travel with the dogs. But I know financially it will be a loss. Hard to justify. However if we have some kind of windfall, we might get one!

YES! I/we are waiting for our windfall too

 

[VacationForever]

We have been travelling for at least 3 months a year since retiring 9 years ago. After a disappointing summer which included 2 trips of 3 weeks each, we just divested from 4 weeks worth of Worldmark ownership, which were bought 3 years ago to cover summer travel to cooler weather. We own alot at Marriott/Vistana and will probably get rid of most of them in 6 years' time, when my spouse will be in his 80s.

 

[Timeshare Von]

We are not only hard-core sr. citz., we are also down to the timeshare bare minimum. All we have left is one -- 1 -- triennial 1BR points unit out in Las Vegas good for 16,333 points per year.

That's not enough for any kind of straight-points exchange, but it usually works fine for Last Call & Bonus Week reservations, plus those attractive full-week reservations at 9,000 points & below (basically, the points version of Last Call.)

We're also close to the bare minimum in timeshare vacationing. We settled into the routine of 2 back-to-back Orlando-Kissimmee weeks in late January, which has worked out OK so far even with our paltry annual points allocation -- OK, that is, but not perfect. For example, this past January we snagged back-to-back 2BR weeks at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, starting with an excellent 7-night reservation for 7,500 points + exchange fee. For the following week, however, the best we could do was to take a 2BR Extra Vacation reservation at Bonnet Creek for $840 (plus tax, minus RCI Platinum discount).

Before paring down to the bare minimum, we formerly owned (not all at the same time) a 3BR unit in Orlando, a 2BR unit in Kissimmee, a 2BR unit in South Africa, & a studio points unit in Arkansas. It's not so much that the varying multiple ownerships became too much for us to handle, but more that our timeshare ownership eventually exceeded our diminished timeshare usage. We ended up with our triennial Las Vegas 1BR points unit by selling off a 2BR triennial Kissimmee FL points unit, basically cutting our points allocation & our annual maintenance fee in half.

Is this great country or what ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Similar story for us too. I'm 68 (soon) and hubby is 64 so we're early in the retirement & senior citizen curve. Like you, we once had A LOT of timeshare ownership and use potential . . . 3BR lock-off in Williamsburg, 2BR in Flagstaff, ST/1 BR in Waikiki and the 77k points with Wyndham (Myrtle Beach). We starting winding down with them about 8 years ago . . . and are now finally divested of all ownership responsibilities with 3 use years (2026-2028) with Wyndham thanks to their Certified Exit program. That will get me to my 70's.

P.S. Alan did I ever tell you I was born & grew up in NoVA and McLean specifically? Langley High School . . . GO SAXONS . . . Class of 1975!

 

[dougp26364]

We started looking at our “portfolio” years ago. We got rid of our 2 DRI weeks and consolidated our MVC ownership. This was going to be our last year with our Spinnaker week, but we “got lucky” and it appears they’ll be closing that resort. They offered us a free deed back and I jumped on it like a duck on a Junebug (see the central forums). After that’s complete we’ll have our unit in Breckenridge, a HGVC deed in Vegas and our MVC deeds/points. In the next few years I suspect we’ll get rid of our HGVC week. We bought it because we loved going to Vegas. But Vegas does what it always does, reinvented itself. It reinvented itself into something we no longer enjoy. Hilton has grown, but not in ways we can use, so it will go sooner than later. We’ll hang onto the MVC and Breckenridge ownership as long as we can or until we can no longer travel. Breckenridge is drivable and we love that resort and our unit. Even if we only stay in the unit and on resort grounds we’re happy. MVC has enough variety to keep us going for as long as we can go.

 

[rapmarks]

Very good article and lots for folks to think about.

For me, given my folks died young (Dad 1979 age 46 and Mom 1995 age 57) . . . me and my sisters don't really know what retirement or old age is supposed to look like. We are all going about it with the hopes of continuing to live our best life as long as we can.

Personally, I think I'm still in the go-go phase, although many of my friends might call it the "balls to the wall" stage. Sometimes I feel like I'm spending money like a drunk sailor with 6 months to live. But I do feel strongly that as long as I'm physically able to travel, especially solo, I'm going to. With my hubby recently retiring too, it changes some of the dynamics a little bit . . . but he's still more of a homebody and doesn't thrive on the travel like I do.

As we both age, I know I'll have to slow down and that is in play now as I considering my preferred mode of camping. I've done it mostly with sleeping comfortably in my SUV but I know getting older will start taking a greater toll on my back & legs/knees. So I have started tinkering with the idea of upgrading to a campervan or small RV (see that other thread/discussion) but for now, I can't rationalize or justify the cost to own vs. renting. And once I'm unable to really use a vehicle designed more or less exclusively for road tripping & camping, what will be the exit cost/loss when I sell it?

For now however, the "stages of retirement" are probably more impactful in terms of where we want to live when we sell our home in Wisconsin for a better climate in our 70's and beyond. This is particularly important as for our 20+ years of marriage, there has been very little in and around our house that my DH cannot fix or remodel . . . plumbing, electrical, flooring, drywall, concrete, etc. But as he approaches 70 . . . I really don't want him to have to use his tools. We need to be in a position where we shouldn't have much in the way of maintenance/repairs . . . or we contract the work out . . . including lawn care, etc.

Oh Von, I have so many friends over 75, and even over 90, that take a cruise at least once a month,travel all over Europe. Plus our neighborhood has many Handimen , and lots of them are over 70. Plus, we have a group called the volunteers, who literally dig ditches, lay concrete, fix bridges, and all kinds of jobs for the community, many are in their eighties. And a group of women called the Deadheads,who take care of all the flower beds in the community. Staying active is the best medicine.