RV vs Timeshare?

[Elan]

If my decision had to be made today, I'd go with a nice teardrop camper and a nice bundle of WorldMark points and hit the road!

We have an A-frame style hard-sided pop-up trailer. There's 5 of us, and we don't really fit very well anymore, but we can if needed. When we camp, we usually take a tent and me and one (or both) of my boys will sleep outside. We also have a large (10x10, IIRC) shade/rain canopy that we typically erect over the campground picnic table. If it rains, we just sit at the table and play cards and/or listen to tunes & chat. AFAIC, there's no such thing as a bad day when camping in the mountains.

 

[bbodb1]

... AFAIC, there's no such thing as a bad day when camping in the mountains.

Just being in the mountains does it for us.

 

[Elan]

Just being in the mountains does it for us.

Me too. I'd take 1 day in the mountains over a week at any beach. I think it's genetic.

 

[ace2000]

We have an A-frame style hard-sided pop-up trailer. There's 5 of us, and we don't really fit very well anymore, but we can if needed. When we camp, we usually take a tent and me and one (or both) of my boys will sleep outside. We also have a large (10x10, IIRC) shade/rain canopy that we typically erect over the campground picnic table. If it rains, we just sit at the table and play cards and/or listen to tunes & chat. AFAIC, there's no such thing as a bad day when camping in the mountains.

Very similar to what I'm thinking. Using a lightweight camper, getting good gas mileage, and then we can go from timeshare to timeshare, if needed. I'm not thinking of setting up a long-term camp. At most, 5 days or so. Then, when arriving at the timeshare, it should be pretty easy to park the small camper somewhere. I don't really need to travel with a "house", we can do something very similar to what you described and we'll have the whole outdoors to "live" in.

Just to clarify, I'm not planning on doing the "full-time" thing. But, could go for months at a time. We'll plan on keeping the house. Plus, the camper gives us the flexibility to stop at places where there are no timeshares, and enjoy both the timeshare experience, as well as the camping experience. This sounds like the best of everything to me. And traveling "light" appeals to me more than driving a "house" all over the place. Those are my plans today, and always subject to change!

 

[Elan]

Very similar to what I'm thinking. Using a lightweight camper, getting good gas mileage, and then we can go from timeshare to timeshare, if needed. I'm not thinking of setting up a long-term camp. At most, 5 days or so. Then, when arriving at the timeshare, it should be pretty easy to park the small camper somewhere. I don't really need to travel with a "house", we can do something very similar to what you described and we'll have the whole outdoors to "live" in.

I'm also not planning on doing the "full-time" thing. But, could go for months at a time. We'll plan on keeping the house.

Yep, we're on the same page. If I need all the luxuries of home, I'll stay home. I get out to be outside. Hiking, paddling, fishing, biking, etc. Our trailer is quite small, so we spend very little time inside it, which is fine with me. I call our trailer a "tent on wheels", yet it provides ample refrigerated food storage, hot water, a place to clean up & do dishes, and a place to escape the weather and/or bears if needed and a feeling of security for my wife and daughter. Furnace for cold nights. All while being off the ground so it's relatively clean inside. I can't think of having used the inside stove ever, and we've had the trailer for over 11 years. It's got an outdoor shower, which we don't use for full showers, but with a shower tent one could make do. Or get a Zodi & shower tent. Trailer can be pulled by a Subaru wagon (I pull with 1/2 ton truck and it's almost like it's not there) and is stored easily in a garage.

 

[Passepartout]

Very similar to what I'm thinking. Using a lightweight camper, getting good gas mileage, and then we can go from timeshare to timeshare, if needed. I'm not thinking of setting up a long-term camp. At most, 5 days or so. Then, when arriving at the timeshare, it should be pretty easy to park the small camper somewhere. I don't really need to travel with a "house", we can do something very similar to what you described and we'll have the whole outdoors to "live" in.

Just to clarify, I'm not planning on doing the "full-time" thing. But, could go for months at a time. We'll plan on keeping the house. Plus, the camper gives us the flexibility to stop at places where there are no timeshares, and enjoy both the timeshare experience, as well as the camping experience. This sounds like the best of everything to me. And traveling "light" appeals to me more than driving a "house" all over the place. Those are my plans today, and always subject to change!

There is a sort of 'mission creep' thing. Waaay back I camped with wife and a kid from a VW bug, a pup tent, sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags. Then a bigger tent (so we could use cots and stand up). Then the VW camper I built into a VW cargo van (no side windows) made camping season nearly year-round. Life changes, that family and I went our separate ways. But eventually, with new relationship, a succession as described upthread of smaller, then bigger campers, timeshares, and now a second home. It sure isn't 'roughing it, but it IS getting away.

Jim

 

[Elan]

There is a sort of 'mission creep' thing. Waaay back I camped with wife and a kid from a VW bug, a pup tent, sleeping on the ground in sleeping bags. Then a bigger tent (so we could use cots and stand up). Then the VW camper I built into a VW cargo van (no side windows) made camping season nearly year-round. Life changes, that family and I went our separate ways. But eventually, with new relationship, a succession as described upthread of smaller, then bigger campers, timeshares, and now a second home. It sure isn't 'roughing it, but it IS getting away.

Jim

Absolutely true. When we go to our C Oregon TS every year, I go mostly to "get away' from the chores of home. We've been there so many times that I think we've done everything in a 150 mi radius more than once. But we all still love to go just to get away. Play a little golf, play a little tennis, but spend a great deal of the time sitting out on the back deck, drinking a beer, eating chips and guacamole, and watching the world go by. Having said that, I'd still love to pull the little trailer on the trip over and spend a couple nights camping in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness area on the way. Haven't been since I was a kid.

Strawberry Lake

 

[silentg]

Never been a fan of camping, we have a comfortable house and bed why go out and sleep on the ground? I bought a futon for the screen porch only to send it back, when my husband pointed out that I would miss sleeping in our comfortable bed under air conditioning. When the kids were in scouts we camped with them. Tried to be enthusiastic but I hated it. My brother loves to camp, likes going year round in a tent. He talks about getting a RV but will rent one at first to see if his wife likes it. We have friends with a conversion van, they use it to drive to New Jersey to visit family. Not exactly a vacation. Another friend has a 5th wheel that they go on long weekends but they take mother and adult kids along too. Makes for a crowded RV. We feel crowded in a studio unit timeshare, even a one bedroom is small. We have been trying to stay in Two bedroom timeshares. We lucked out in Myrtle Beach we had a 3 bedroom Unit. Loved it. I like my space, I’m sounding spoiled ( guess I am) but if you have a big roomy house, you enjoy staying in a big roomy place for vacation!
Silentg

 

[DaveNV]

I like my space, I’m sounding spoiled ( guess I am) but if you have a big roomy house, you enjoy staying in a big roomy place for vacation!
Silentg

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If RVing and camping was easy, everyone would be doing it. You know what you like, and that’s just fine.

Dave

 

[Kel]

We have been RV camping for 35 years and timesharing for 22 years. We like doing both. We have had just about every kind of RV through the years depending on what activities we were doing (motor home, 5th wheel, travel trailer, toybox and camper). For the last 6 years we have had a Lance 1050S camper on our truck and it works great for the two of us. It has almost everything a motor home has except for the square footage. It has a slide out at the dinette, onboard generator, inverter, solar panels, AC/Heat, bathroom with separate shower (not a wet shower), large fridge and freezer, stove with oven, microwave, TV, etc. Our bed in the camper is the most comfortable bed we own. We love the camper.

We spend about 60-90 days a year in the camper. We do a lot of dry camping on beaches in Baja, Mexico (SUP and kitesurfing) and a lot of California desert camping (motorcycle/ATV). We spend some time in campgrounds, but that isn’t our favorite kind of camping. Last year we spent 7 weeks traveling the US west coast and western Canada and it was nice to always have everything we needed with us no matter where we went.

We’ve been camping so long that it doesn’t seem like a lot of work. Everything we need is always in the camper and it is parked by the side of the house. I think having your RV parked at your home and not in storage makes RV camping easy. When we are going camping we load the toys, the food and additional clothes and off we go. I have an extensive checklist to make sure everything is in camper before we take off.

Have fun!

 

[DaveNV]

I have an extensive checklist to make sure everything is in camper before we take off.

And I'll wager that list has been tuned and re-tuned over and over, as you found what did and didn't work for you. That's when you know the people take their camping experience seriously. When I was still tent camping, I had two clamshell lock boxes stored in the garage. One had the camping gear, the other had kitchen supplies. If I wanted to go camping spur-of-the-moment, all I had to do was grab those two boxes, a couple of lawn chairs, a box of groceries, a cooler, the dog, and we were on the road. I could be ready to go within about 15 minutes. Everything we'd need was in those boxes, assembled from trial and error over the years. I stopped using them when I bought a bigger camp trailer, so it all just sat on a garage shelf for a long time. It was bittersweet when I gave everything to my nephew, so he and his wife could go camping. But the smiles on their faces in the pictures I see them post on Facebook tells me I did the right thing.

Dave

 

[klpca]

And I'll wager that list has been tuned and re-tuned over and over, as you found what did and didn't work for you. That's when you know the people take their camping experience seriously. When I was still tent camping, I had two clamshell lock boxes stored in the garage. One had the camping gear, the other had kitchen supplies. If I wanted to go camping spur-of-the-moment, all I had to do was grab those two boxes, a couple of lawn chairs, a box of groceries, a cooler, the dog, and we were on the road. I could be ready to go within about 15 minutes. Everything we'd need was in those boxes, assembled from trial and error over the years. I stopped using them when I bought a bigger camp trailer, so it all just sat on a garage shelf for a long time. It was bittersweet when I gave everything to my nephew, so he and his wife could go camping. But the smiles on their faces in the pictures I see them post on Facebook tells me I did the right thing.

Dave

I still have the boxes in my garage, although they get used less than in the past. One is labeled "camp kitchen" from the girl scouting days. And one whole section of the garage stores our gear. It takes an afternoon the get everything checked and packed, but it's always a fun time. You all are making me want to bust out the tent!

 

[DaveNV]

I still have the boxes in my garage, although they get used less than in the past. One is labeled "camp kitchen" from the girl scouting days. And one whole section of the garage stores our gear. It takes an afternoon the get everything checked and packed, but it's always a fun time. You all are making me want to bust out the tent!

You should see me wandering around Camping World...

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

After we sold the 5th wheel, I gave all the 'RV stuff' to a friend who just bought their first RV. So away went sewer extensions, power cords, gloves, potable water hoses, the little extensible 'bridge' for sewer hose, RV TP and the hundred or so 'you can live without it, but it's nice to have' items. He left with a pickup load of goodies that probably would cost a few hundred bucks if bought new, and I got most of a garage bay in return.

 

[easyrider]

We have friends in Alaska who have a nice (about 41" boat) they keep docked in Valdez. They do fishing charters, including overnights. We've been fortunate to go out with them for 3-4 days/nights . . . and was pretty amazed at the space and amenities. We aren't really "boat people" but for a few days to get away, to fishing and sightsee . . . it was quite comfortable.

This view never got old, that's for sure!

Wow, that is what I want and where I want to be. Very cool.

Bill

 

[WinniWoman]

Never been a fan of camping, we have a comfortable house and bed why go out and sleep on the ground? I bought a futon for the screen porch only to send it back, when my husband pointed out that I would miss sleeping in our comfortable bed under air conditioning. When the kids were in scouts we camped with them. Tried to be enthusiastic but I hated it. My brother loves to camp, likes going year round in a tent. He talks about getting a RV but will rent one at first to see if his wife likes it. We have friends with a conversion van, they use it to drive to New Jersey to visit family. Not exactly a vacation. Another friend has a 5th wheel that they go on long weekends but they take mother and adult kids along too. Makes for a crowded RV. We feel crowded in a studio unit timeshare, even a one bedroom is small. We have been trying to stay in Two bedroom timeshares. We lucked out in Myrtle Beach we had a 3 bedroom Unit. Loved it. I like my space, I’m sounding spoiled ( guess I am) but if you have a big roomy house, you enjoy staying in a big roomy place for vacation!
Silentg

I'm with you! Right now, we live in a nice, roomy, but still cozy home in the woods with total privacy. So we are surrounded by nature and are just a mile from a state forest/mountain preserve. People are always surprised that we do not sit outside that much after work or weekends. Part of that is because we still work and are busy (and tired) but also we have enough windows and doors with screens and we always feel part of nature- like nature has been brought into the house- that we don't feel a need to be out there as much (not to mention the bugs).

In fact, we got rid of our outdoor furniture and barbecue grill! If we feel like sitting on the deck- we take out our camping chairs. (We also have a very tiny screened in porch with 2 chairs). We have a George Foreman stand up grill that we keep in the kitchen and plug in outside when we want to "barbecue, which is also rare. If we do barbecue- we still eat inside.

I still like lying on my chaise in the living room with the windows opened or the AC on- or in winter- the fireplace going.

Inside we have room to walk around; a TV; a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, washer and dryer, fireplace and everything we need and that is the way I like it on vacation, where we go out exploring all day- but then back to comfort.

Yes- spoiled we are. And I agree about the timeshares- much prefer 2 or 3 bedrooms- more square footage overall- even in the living areas. But I also prefer a lot of windows, which you don't always get. Our Pollard Brook unit does not have many windows at all- so I do find myself sitting out on the balcony more often than I might do at Smuggs, where we have a nice panoramic view of the notch from within the living room, but I do sit outside on the deck a bit there as well. Problem with the timeshares is the furniture is not very comfortable.

 

[gbridger]

Getting close enough to retirement age that we have to start thinking about this question. I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced both lifestyles and what their thoughts were on the advantages and disadvantages of each - in comparison. Right now I'm leaning towards a teardrop camper (or a fifth wheel) and experiencing both.

All are welcome to chime in with their thoughts, what's everyone think?

Being in retirement for a few years now, I envision "post retirement" being after I die. Will that be the trips my kids take to spread my ashes?

 

[klpca]

We have an A-frame style hard-sided pop-up trailer. There's 5 of us, and we don't really fit very well anymore, but we can if needed. When we camp, we usually take a tent and me and one (or both) of my boys will sleep outside. We also have a large (10x10, IIRC) shade/rain canopy that we typically erect over the campground picnic table. If it rains, we just sit at the table and play cards and/or listen to tunes & chat. AFAIC, there's no such thing as a bad day when camping in the mountains.

How do you like the A-frame? We've been thinking about one but haven't pulled the trigger.

 

[ekeeler]

After reading quite a few of the responses, thought about how we use our timeshares, and if that would work if we had a motor home. Most of our timeshares are two bedroom, and we are always inviting family and friends to join us. Our two bedroom in Vegas lets each of us enjoy the same accommodations, and get together for meals or coffee or drinks in either side, as they are both identical. We will be joining family in October in Palm Beach Florida, and to accommodate the five couples, we have reserved a three bedroom and a two bedroom for the first week. One couple is staying for the second week, and we will have other friends joining us for weeks three and four. It also has some privacy, so that each of us has a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, though the second bedroom part is somewhat smaller, and still be able to share the larger living room, balcony, etc of the main unit.
Guess what I'm trying to say, we enjoy the timeshares with the space and ability to host friends and family without everyone being crowded. It has worked well for years, and we have yet to grow tired of our travels, even after almost twenty years.

 

[TAG]

We're in much the same boat (which I need to sell, by the way). I retired a couple of years ago and my wife retired at the end of last year. I've been looking at RVs trying to decide why there are so many of them out there. We live in OR, and I understand a lot of people buy here because we don't have sales Tax - and that may be why they're so visible here. We have been thinking about a major road trip across country, visiting as many National Parks and historical sites as possible. Right now we're thinking of driving a car or small SUV and combining motel stays with timeshares for stays of longer duration. We like getting on a plane and being in a place for a week or two. I have considered a class b Sprinter type van for the occasional stay in the boondocks, and for the extra space while traveling. However, I don't like the idea of needing to take my house in to the shop for repairs. One thing I've noticed is that a lot of timeshare resorts specifically state "No RVs or Boats Allowed". What do you do if you're traveling in an RV and want to spend a week in a timeshare along the way?

 

[singingcowgirl]

I'm hoping in a few years to get a camper van, they're easy to drive and can park on streets, parking lots, etc. When I get sick of being in the van, I'll stay at a resort. I figure I can get at least 12 weeks from my 2 RCI TSs if I book less than 45 days out.

 

[jeffcarp]

I agree with others here and believe that this should not be an either-or decision. We have owned two different small motorized RVs along with timeshares for over 10 years now. We simply use the small motorized RV as our transportation to and from our timeshare stays. Having the motorized RV allows us to extend our trips before and after the timeshare stay to see other sites in the area or explore things on the way. The only thing you have to be careful with is doing extensive research to ensure that you have a solution for parking the RV at your destination timeshares. The worst case for us has been needing to park at an airport parking lot and rent a car for the time of our timeshare stay. We would have had the rental car expense anyway if we were flying in to stay at the timeshare.

 

[Timeshare Von]

You should see me wandering around Camping World...

Dave

I'm not even ALLOWED there!!!

 

[VegasBella]

I considered either/both also and still want to get an RV. So far we have only rented an RV a handful of times and do much more traveling via timeshare. But here are some of my thoughts...

- With an RV you can more easily bring a pet. That's a big deal for some of us.
- RV campsites can be very competitive in some areas so you really have to be a planner and get those spots first thing.
- There are a few timeshares that have RV parking also (Sedona Pines is one).
- There are a few timeshare that have RV parks right next to them (San Clemente Inn, Riviera Beach & Shores for instance) where if you owned one EOY legacy week then you should have day use privileges and you could RV camp next door and use the timeshare for the pool, fitness room, etc. You could use that week for a trader to see other parts of the country
- Oh, and with an RV you can access more destinations.

All that said and we still don't have an RV. Instead we use timeshares and VRBO or hotels for locations that don't have timeshares. And we have rented an RV when we felt like it was a good option. Have you considered renting an RV to test it out?

 

[Jan M.]

My sister and BIL started out with a pop up camper when their kids were babies and graduated to a 19 foot travel trailer. One summer their family spent a month traveling out West. They also owned their Spring Break week at Orange Lake in Orlando which they purchased when their kids were little. They eventually sold the travel trailer when their kids got older as they were rarely using it anymore. The two of them had been doing tent camping but after they both retired, teachers, they did a lot of research and looking and decided to buy a used 28 foot 5th wheel with two slide outs and a truck. Good friends of theirs have had a 5th wheel for years and they had done some traveling with them in it so they were familiar with 5th wheels and knew what they wanted. They found one online in West Palm Beach, FL, and flew down from Ohio to Florida to stay with us to look at it. It was immaculate and the layout was everything you could want.

They hadn't had that 5th wheel much more than a year and they were already talking about getting rid of it. My sister told me they both hated driving pulling something that big, my sister who always has to be busy didn't want the work of getting it ready to go and cleaned when they got back for shorter trips, the mileage was low/gas was expensive to pull it and campgrounds had gotten a lot more expensive than when they had their travel trailer. They had pulled their travel trailer with a Chevy Tahoe for years and even helped with the driving when they went with their friends who have a 5th wheel. Money isn't an issue for them; they have more income even being retired than a huge number of couples do who are both working! I was so flabbergasted I wanted to ask her who are you people and what have you done with my sister and BIL? They have two young grandsons so I suggested they find a nice campground at a lake not too far from them that they could leave the 5th wheel set up at. They did that and everyone enjoyed going there for the next two summers before they sold the 5th wheel. They'd gotten too spoiled using their timeshares.

Owning and using an RV or larger travel trailer/5th wheel isn't cheap and isn't for everyone but then neither are timeshares. I would have loved having a travel trailer but unfortunately for me that wasn't a dream my husband and I shared. Timesharing has worked well for us and has kept the nomad in me satisfied.