Snowbirding -- how to?

[Elan]

Now that I'm retired, we're looking into heading south for the winter. Probably 4-8 weeks after the first of the year, so early to mid January to mid to late February. Not going to start until next winter, at the earliest.
For those of you that do this, what have you found works in terms of accommodations? We would likely go back to certain locations annually, but want the freedom to go to different locations either within the same trip, or from year to year. So buying a condo or second home doesn't make sense. Thinking a combo of VRBO, hotels and possibly point based TS system. Obviously, keeping costs down is an objective, so accommodations would need to have kitchen and be comfortable for multi week stay (i.e. not standard hotel room). Occasional standard hotel rooms (for short stays) are acceptable. Should add that we'd almost certainly stay west of the Rockies (Palm Springs, Vegas, AZ, San Diego, etc) and would drive our own vehicle from ID.
Anyone care to share your experience? Where you stay and what your budget looks like?

 

[Passepartout]

How about short-term leases. 3-6 months? I'm pretty sure there are mgmt outfits that deal with such. Then there are RV 'resorts' all over the border states from CA to TX. You may be able to rent the set-up RV onsite or from a mgmt co.
Google is your friend.

 

[Passepartout]

Jim, we've run into lots of (mostly) Canadian snowbirds who regularly rent condos in Mazatlan for the winter. Those a couple-to a few blocks off the beach are pretty reasonable ( a few hundreds of bucks a month). Again property mgmt is where to look.

 

[Elan]

For context, I should add that we just got back from a few night stay at Marriott Dessert Springs Villas (1200sf 1br), and had a great time. I don't belong to MVC or have any other Marriott affiliation, so I just paid rack rates. Not awful, but 45 nights of that would add up very quickly. Given that the main objectives are sunshine and warm weather, I certainly don't need anything at that level. But, it didn't suck...

 

[Elan]

How about short-term leases. 3-6 months? I'm pretty sure there are mgmt outfits that deal with such. Then there are RV 'resorts' all over the border states from CA to TX. You may be able to rent the set-up RV onsite or from a mgmt co.
Google is your friend.

I've looked online at a few of the "RV resorts". Without seeing them in person, it's really hard to know what you're getting. But it's a possibility.

 

[Elan]

Jim, we've run into lots of (mostly) Canadian snowbirds who regularly rent condos in Mazatlan for the winter. Those a couple-to a few blocks off the beach are pretty reasonable ( a few hundreds of bucks a month). Again property mgmt is where to look.

Yeah, my best friend bought a condo outside NV. I'm sure it's nice, but I'm not that excited about Mexico. Definitely prefer drive-to destination(s) in the US.

 

[alwysonvac]

Last year some folks shared their winter destination in these two threads

Florida versus Hawaii versus Mexico versus South West USA for winter

I was wondering where Tuggers go in the winter. We have been breaking our winters into Hawaii and Mexico. We are thinking of changing this up. Where do you like to go and why ? Thanks Bill

tugbbs.com

For those who go away in the winter for 4+ weeks...

For folks, who go away for 4+ weeks, are you doing monthly furnished apartment rentals or using your timeshares? We're two years away from retiring and thinking about where to spend our winter months. I would like to spend January and February somewhere warmer. It can get below freezing in the...

tugbbs.com

 

[Passepartout]

I've looked online at a few of the "RV resorts". Without seeing them in person, it's really hard to know what you're getting. But it's a possibility.

Paula's dad kept a 'park model' trailer for decades at a place near Brownsville TX along with a fellow bunch of midwestern folk. They knew every VFW fish fry for miles around. The joint had a pool and the duffers put their clubs out by the mailbox and if anybody needed a 'fourth', they'd pick him up to one of the local courses. It was a lifestyle. Not the height of luxury for sure, but he made the effort to drive down from Wisconsin until he had a heart attack in the driveway there and we had to get him and his car home one last time.

 

[Elan]

Last year some folks shared their winter destination in these two threads

Florida versus Hawaii versus Mexico versus South West USA for winter

I was wondering where Tuggers go in the winter. We have been breaking our winters into Hawaii and Mexico. We are thinking of changing this up. Where do you like to go and why ? Thanks Bill

tugbbs.com

For those who go away in the winter for 4+ weeks...

For folks, who go away for 4+ weeks, are you doing monthly furnished apartment rentals or using your timeshares? We're two years away from retiring and thinking about where to spend our winter months. I would like to spend January and February somewhere warmer. It can get below freezing in the...

tugbbs.com

Thank you. Those are helpful.

 

[Elan]

A few more things.
I like to golf. Like way too much. Wife doesn't really play seriously, but we'll do 9 holes just to spend time together. So relatively inexpensive golf, even at executive type courses, would be nice.

I've started looking into Worldmark again. Haven't really looked since we bought first TS 20 years ago. WM is a real possibility for at least a portion of the overall stay, but the thought of buying into another TS (system) is not that appealing. At least resale memberships are cheap. Need to research more, re: one time credit rentals, etc

 

[ScoopKona]

I maintained two households for years. It was an awful, unnecessarily-expensive process. Unfortunately it was also unavoidable. Here's what I learned:

1) Property managers won't lift anything heavier than money. And the only thing they really provide is a false sense of security. If anything goes wrong, the homeowner pays for all of it and the property manager has nothing but excuses as to why this wasn't his or her fault.
2) Having two sets of everything you need (or lugging it back and forth) is a pain. I was "lucky" in that all my tools were stolen the last time I switched residences. So now I only have the one set of tools.
3) If there is a way for the plumbing system at home to break in such a way that it is egregiously expensive, it will. This is also when freak accidents (like a drunk driver taking out your mailbox) will happen -- almost as soon as you leave.
4) The wifi router and/or security cameras will glitch almost as soon as you leave the house. It's not even worth having them.
5) The neighbor who you trust to keep an eye on your place has a young cousin who is a burglar.

 

[Bucky]

A few more things.
I like to golf. Like way too much. Wife doesn't really play, but we'll do 9 holes just to spend time together. So relatively inexpensive golf, even at executive type courses, would be nice.

I've started looking into Worldmark again. Haven't really looked since we bought first TS 20 years ago. WM is a real possibility for at least a portion of the overall stay, but the thought of buying into another TS (system) is not that appealing. At least resale memberships are cheap. Need to research more, re: one time credit rentals, etc

We bought a second home at Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach. Lots of great golf and entertainment all winter long. There are three 18 hole courses on the property but they are too expensive to play as often as I like. I just joined a senior group that travels throughout the area. Many members are snowbirds. Lots of owners there rent to the snowbirds that come down every year. Many units rent Oct-Mar. Snowbirds start leaving during April usually and then it calms down again until school gets out. Then we get the summer surge late May thru Sept. Rinse and repeat.

 

[easyrider]

Now that I'm retired, we're looking into heading south for the winter. Probably 4-8 weeks after the first of the year, so early to mid January to mid to late February. Not going to start until next winter, at the earliest.
For those of you that do this, what have you found works in terms of accommodations? We would likely go back to certain locations annually, but want the freedom to go to different locations either within the same trip, or from year to year. So buying a condo or second home doesn't make sense. Thinking a combo of VRBO, hotels and possibly point based TS system. Obviously, keeping costs down is an objective, so accommodations would need to have kitchen and be comfortable for multi week stay (i.e. not standard hotel room). Occasional standard hotel rooms (for short stays) are acceptable. Should add that we'd almost certainly stay west of the Rockies (Palm Springs, Vegas, AZ, San Diego, etc) and would drive our own vehicle from ID.
Anyone care to share your experience? Where you stay and what your budget looks like?

To us anyway, Southern California is a bit cool in the winter but we like it in Feb. Phoenix has too many people in the winter. We like Mexico and Hawaii for winter snow birding.

We like our Worldmark and Vacation Internationale. We often exchange into SFX as they give a bonus week with the exchange and Diamond members get free upgrades. We also have about five years left on a few Villa Group memberships which we use mostly for Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.

Bill

 

[alwysonvac]

With WM, you can join II and/or RCI and take advantge of cash rentals (II ACs & Getaways or RCI Extra Vacations).

 

[Chrispee]

If I were in your position I’d consider stringing together Interval International getaways. Both Palm Springs and Phoenix fit the bill for what you’re looking for, and have availability in nice resorts at that time of year.

 

[Elan]

I maintained two households for years. It was an awful, unnecessarily-expensive process. Unfortunately it was also unavoidable. Here's what I learned:

1) Property managers won't lift anything heavier than money. And the only thing they really provide is a false sense of security. If anything goes wrong, the homeowner pays for all of it and the property manager has nothing but excuses as to why this wasn't his or her fault.
2) Having two sets of everything you need (or lugging it back and forth) is a pain. I was "lucky" in that all my tools were stolen the last time I switched residences. So now I only have the one set of tools.
3) If there is a way for the plumbing system at home to break in such a way that it is egregiously expensive, it will. This is also when freak accidents (like a drunk driver taking out your mailbox) will happen -- almost as soon as you leave.
4) The wifi router and/or security cameras will glitch almost as soon as you leave the house. It's not even worth having them.
5) The neighbor who you trust to keep an eye on your place has a young cousin who is a burglar.

No real desire to own a second home. Don't want to feel any compulsion to go to the same place every year and don't really need a real estate investment.

 

[ScoopKona]

No real desire to own a second home. Don't want to feel any compulsion to go to the same place every year and don't really need a real estate investment.

You're still leaving your "main" house for weeks/months at a time. We shut the gas at the meter, the water at the meter and the electricity main at the breaker box.

Then we only had to worry about arson, squatters, burglary and people finding a way to injure themselves on our property and then file a lawsuit. There was always a problem each time we left. Something happened and we either had to pay someone local to make it go away, or fly back and fix it. It gets REAL old REAL fast.

 

[Elan]

With WM, you can join II and/or RCI and take advantge of cash rentals (II ACs & Getaways or RCI Extra Vacations).

If I were in your position I’d consider stringing together Interval International getaways. Both Palm Springs and Phoenix fit the bill for what you’re looking for, and have availability in nice resorts at that time of year.

Thank you both for this. Can either of you outline a hypothetical use of WM/II combo to meet my needs? Obviously not specific locations, but how one could/would go about obtaining 4-6 weeks economically. I'm not currently an II or RCI member (former RCI Points).

 

[PigsDad]

Given that the main objectives are sunshine and warm weather...

What is your definition of "warm" weather? None of the locations you mentioned (CA, AZ, NV) would be considered "warm" in Dec-Feb to my wife and I. That is why we chose SW FL. I'm not saying that is the right choice for you, but please make sure and understand what the weather may be like during the snowbirding months. We've frozen our tails off with vacations around the holidays in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and even a mid-March vacation in Palm Springs was pretty chilly.

And don't get scared off by Scoopy's over-exaggerations about your home when you are gone. When we leave our CO home for the winter, we leave all utilities on and never have had any of the issues that he claimed he has. Internet is a must to monitor the home via Ring cameras and Ecobee thermostats, plus water leak detection. We set the thermostats at 50 which protects from any freeze issues. We have a very responsible neighbor teenager who watches the house, runs water in all the sinks, drains, etc. every couple of weeks, and takes care of any misc. winter landscaping maintenance. We also have fantastic neighbors on both sides of our home who keep an eye on things.

Kurt

 

[alwysonvac]

It's cold in NJ. Daytime temps above 50 degrees works for me .

From https://weatherspark.com/compare

 

[alwysonvac]

Thank you both for this. Can either of you outline a hypothetical use of WM/II combo to meet my needs? Obviously not specific locations, but how one could/would go about obtaining 4-6 weeks economically. I'm not currently an II or RCI member (former RCI Points).

For WorldMark, I would look at Monday Madness and Inventory Specials (see quotes below from the threads linked in post #7)
For II, you can find II cash getaways for less than $700/week in various areas such as Orlando, South Carolina, Vegas, San Diego, etc.

WorldMark by Wyndham may be just the thing for you. Last ski season and this ski season I will spend more than a month staying at WorldMark (timeshare) resorts and skiing. I am planning for 3 consecutive months in 2025. WorldMark has locations in Orlando, FL, Hawaii, Phoenix, AZ, Palm Desert, CA, San Diego, and more warm weather destinations without any exchange fees. No resort fees other than parking fees at some of the San Diego locations. Book up to 30 days in a single reservation, so two months in Hawaii would require only two reservations -- you would not need to book a week-at-a-time and hope they link-up exactly, as with most other timeshares.

Here is an example of what is possible: The WM Kona, HI resort has recently been completely remodeled. I have read the units are very nice. Each week in a 1 bedroom is 10,000 credits or 40,000 credits for 4 weeks. Annual club dues (maintenance fees) are $3,500 for a 40,000 credit membership ($875/week in Hawaii), $6,750 for a 80,000 credit membership ($845/week). The transient occupancy tax would be the same as other Kona rentals. There are no transaction fees. Complimentary housekeeping credits are awarded 1 per 10,000 credits owned, so no additional cost there.

Arrive any day of the week. Book up to 13 months in advance. Hawaii is a popular destination, so this is important. At this moment there is availability to book a month beginning January 15, 2025.

With the selection of resorts available, you could spend a week or two in Phoenix, AZ or Orlando, then a month in Kona, HI, and then a week or two in San Diego, just for some variety.

Purchase cost (resale) would be about $0.10-0.15/credit. 40,000 credit memberships are more common to find than 80,000 credit memberships, but memberships may be combined, if desired.

The same plan could be accomplished with Club Wyndham (the Hawaii resorts are generally "nicer" versus WorldMark) but the annual maintenance dues would be higher.

Thanks for sharing.

I've been a WorldMark owner since January 2007. So far, I've been using our 6,000 credit WM ownership with II & RCI and renting additional credits as needed.
I also have access to Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Vistana and Marriott Abound which we're currently using for our Hawaii stays. I haven't stayed at a WorldMark resort yet.

Once we're retired, we're planning to take advantage of Worldmark's cash resort discounts offered throughout the year.
Inventory Specials - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/resort-deals/inventory-specials
Monday Madness - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/deals-and-offers/resort-deals/monday-madness
Fax Time Policy update - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com//us/en/resorts/news/2021/fax-policy-updates
Exotic Bonus Time - https://worldmark.wyndhamdestinations.com//us/en/owner-guide/types-of-reservations

 

[Chrispee]

Thank you both for this. Can either of you outline a hypothetical use of WM/II combo to meet my needs? Obviously not specific locations, but how one could/would go about obtaining 4-6 weeks economically. I'm not currently an II or RCI member (former RCI Points).

From an II getaway perspective, with my platinum membership I can see studios at DSV I and II in January ranging in price from $497 to $647 per week. There are a couple of 1br options for $700 to $800ish. I can also see 1br units at Westin Mission Hills and Westin Desert Willow for $707 to $747 in early January.

Phoenix looks to be a bit more expensive with studios ranging from $947 to $1147 at Marriott's Canyon Villas. A couple of 1br units sprinkled in there for $1147.

Hyatt Vacation Club Villas on the Green in Escondido CA has super inexpensive weeks at $387 per week. Not sure if there's a resort fee at the Hyatts though?

If you don't mind a less luxurious smaller hotel room, you can string together studio weeks in Waikiki for $950 to $1200 (eg. Aqua Aloha Surf).

 

[Elan]

What is your definition of "warm" weather? None of the locations you mentioned (CA, AZ, NV) would be considered "warm" in Dec-Feb to my wife and I. That is why we chose SW FL. I'm not saying that is the right choice for you, but please make sure and understand what the weather may be like during the snowbirding months. We've frozen our tails off with vacations around the holidays in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and even a mid-March vacation in Palm Springs was pretty chilly.

And don't get scared off by Scoopy's over-exaggerations about your home when you are gone. When we leave our CO home for the winter, we leave all utilities on and never have had any of the issues that he claimed he has. Internet is a must to monitor the home via Ring cameras and Ecobee thermostats, plus water leak detection. We set the thermostats at 50 which protects from any freeze issues. We have a very responsible neighbor teenager who watches the house, runs water in all the sinks, drains, etc. every couple of weeks, and takes care of any misc. winter landscaping maintenance. We also have fantastic neighbors on both sides of our home who keep an eye on things.

Kurt

I golf (in shorts) if it's over 40°, sunny and not windy. So highs in or near 50's° would be sufficient, as long as the sun is out. Warmer is better, but not better enough to consider the South . We get nasty, prolonged inversions here. Highs in 30's with no sun for days on end. Mostly just need to escape that.

 

[Elan]

From an II getaway perspective, with my platinum membership I can see studios at DSV I and II in January ranging in price from $497 to $647 per week. There are a couple of 1br options for $700 to $800ish. I can also see 1br units at Westin Mission Hills and Westin Desert Willow for $707 to $747 in early January.

Phoenix looks to be a bit more expensive with studios ranging from $947 to $1147 at Marriott's Canyon Villas. A couple of 1br units sprinkled in there for $1147.

Hyatt Vacation Club Villas on the Green in Escondido CA has super inexpensive weeks at $387 per week. Not sure if there's a resort fee at the Hyatts though?

If you don't mind a less luxurious smaller hotel room, you can string together studio weeks in Waikiki for $950 to $1200 (eg. Aqua Aloha Surf).

Those prices for greater Palm Springs area are excellent. So then it's just availability and logistics of stringing weeks together. Thank you for taking the time to look at II inventory.

 

[easyrider]

I golf (in shorts) if it's over 40°, sunny and not windy. So highs in or near 50's° would be sufficient, as long as the sun is out. Warmer is better, but not better enough to consider the South. We get nasty, prolonged inversions here. Highs in 30's with no sun for days on end. Mostly just need to escape that.

Sounds like us in Yakima. Those inversions seem to last all winter.

You would do well owning a Worldmark because it exchanges in II, RCI and SFX with no problems. With II , I can see a bunch of January extra vacations . Same with RCI but RCI has a last minute thing called "Last Call" where you can get a week in a one bed unit for about $309. II has nicer resorts like Marriott but the cost for a one bed is over $100 a night.

You would have to join either or both to see what's best for you. I use them both with WM.

Bill