Starting Our 4th Year - Continuing Fulltime timesharing

[ronandjoan]

July 23 Moving Day
We are moving to another unit today, leaving the lake unit (Telemark Pointe Red Apple Club) to the villas on the hill above Telemark Lodge. The lodge reopened with year and is in the process of remodeling, and we are very happy about it as it was closed last year. Therefore this year, we have a swimming pool available, the indoor one and the large outdoor one is filled, heated and ready to go, but no lifeguards available. It is scheduled to open August 1st, so, hopefully, we can enjoy it a few days, as we will leave here Aug. 6th.
We’ve had two weeks in this unit and then 2 weeks in the next one, both 2 BDs with one day overlap which we like very much in order to move more easily. When we first decided to timeshare full time, A TUGGER commented that he would not like to lose a day of his vacation every week (in our case, a day of our life?) to pack up and move on. I mentioned before that simply moving from one timeshare to another is not too bad: pick up the stuff, put food in ice chest and go, especially if it is only a one day’s drive between stops (even though that means packing up the van carefully, yes!) and we look forward to the next stopping place. And it does keep us more neat and organized (?)
Of course, it is hardest when we are getting on an airplane because it can be tricky planning where we will be next and packing accordingly. For example, from here we go to Seattle, so we’ll have to pack for that trip. When we return to this vehicle in September (which will be parked in Bloomington, IL) we’ll be visiting our son there, then driving to Xenia, OH and maybe Knoxville, then back to IL again to catch the plane back to Seattle on Aug 31st, and we will not come back again until October 5th, when we will return to Telemark for 2 weeks in October, and then begin our drive south for the winter.
So the next timeshare we will be unpacking the whole van will be back here October 10th. Hmmmm…we need to make sure that nothing we need for the shorter stays in 4 different places and several differnet times....is buried in a plastic tub! But my DH just reminded me that we will be unloading the van in Springfield IL, where we have a storage unit, so we can drive with a lighter load to Ohio, except I am going to take a lot of my teaching files to a teacher friend there who is starting to teach science who has never done so before, So the van may be loaded after all to Ohio, but then, not on to Knoxville.
Oh, Oh, it just turned dark, cold, windy… a thunderstorm just started. But we can load the van in a GARAGE here! Telemark Pointe units have large garages!

 

[Margariet]

I love to read your blog! Hope you have many good timeshares.

 

[Dori]

Enjoy every moment of your excellent adventures!

Dori

 

[ronandjoan]

I love to read your blog! Hope you have many good timeshares.

We have had so many good experiences...most timeshares are wonderful! we can;t decided where to settle down and [really] retire!

 

[Carol C]

We have had so many good experiences...most timeshares are wonderful! we can;t decided where to settle down and [really] retire!

Joan and Ron...why settle down? You have developed a nice system and now you're going to add some spice to your adventure and not book so far in advance for part of the year. That will be fun for you! So why even think of "really" retiring when you're having a blast? Looking forward to hearing about your more spontaneous trip planning...hope our paths cross soon!

 

[jlwquilter]

I take my hat off to you! I spent most of this summer (and not quite done yet) traveling and it's alot more tiring than I thought!

DD got out of school on June 3rd. We left June 4th for a week on the FL Gulf (a 4 hour drive from home). Got back and left 4 days later for 10 days in Orlando (3 hour drive). Got back and left a week later for 2 weeks out west (Glacier NP and Banff). Been back a week today and leave in 4 days to go to Seattle for just over a week. All but the Seattle week were in timeshares.

It's been a great summer so far (really looking forward to Seattle!), but man, I am beat at the same time. We do take very active vacations and go, go, go while on them. We are not as active, so to speak, when home.

Do you do alot of activites in various locations or are you more 'living at home', just in a timeshare?

 

[PeelBoy]

Thanks Joan and Ron for sharing. I have added your blog to my favorite for future reading.

Is it possible you can provide a ball park figure how much per month on MFs, membership fees and exchange fees?

Did you have any difficulties finding a TS unit during peak seasons, e.g. summer, Christmas and holidays?

 

[stevelb]

You are amazing people. I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing.

 

[twinglez]

This is my dh's dream to do what you are doing. How many timeshares do you need to do something like this? Have you written somewhere guidelines for others interested? I would love to read them.

Can't wait to read your blog

 

[ronandjoan]

Do you do alot of activites in various locations or are you more 'living at home', just in a timeshare?

I'm afraid I label us as "stick in the muds". We are usually just "living at home", especially when we return to our favorite places -- since then, we have usually gone to the tourist activities during the first visit.

Often, we say, Let's do that again, it's been a while, unless there are things we like to do every visit, like the monthly art gallery tours in St Augustine, FL, and now they are having monthly concerts there too!

 

[ronandjoan]

Did you have any difficulties finding a TS unit during peak seasons, e.g. summer, Christmas and holidays?

So far, no. Planning ahead is the key....so we will see how our last minute plans work for next year.

We are able to stay at our son's condo in Seattle if it is not rented out on vrbo. Of course, that requires our planning ahead because of the airline tickets and sometimes we have to go to a hotel. We'll see how that goes.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

Hi Joan - I enjoy reading your blog.

Is it still fun? Does it beat you down moving and transporting?

Do you think that you will be ready to find a place to really retire?

elaine

 

[dumbydee]

Been reading your blog and loving it. I too would like to know how many times shares it takes to do this.

Way in the future me and my husband would be interested in doing something like this.

 

[slip]

I know my wife and I would love it. I'm not ruling out giving it a try. I love
reading your blogs also. Seeing the different places, even if some are just used
to relax, just like home. That's one of the nicest things about timeshares,
considering them home.

 

[ronandjoan]

I too would like to know how many times shares it takes to do this.

Way in the future me and my husband would be interested in doing something like this.

How many timeshares?
It depends on the system you prefer and how much risk you can stand in trying to book last minute weeks which are so much cheaper.

1. RCI
a. Alan Cole seems to go a lot and he only owns 3 timeshares now but uses RCI Last Calls. Granted, those used to be a lot cheaper, as were Extra Vacation, i.e. when Ray Harper did it. But that would be cheaper than some MF's,

b. RCi TPU's - if you happen to have wonderful units, like some people here who have 300 TPU's per year at low MF's with several units. People are now trying to buy those high TPU resorts. Since Wyndham bombed out now with RCI exchanges, I am not using RCI much any more - except for the bonus weeks I can get with Telemark.

2. Which brings me to the next way to maximize timesharing: resorts which offer bonus weeks to you, like the Telemark example above. 1300+ sq ft lakefront 2 BD unit with cathedral ceilings for $150 week and able to book ahead? A Wow for me. Maybe other TUGGERs can share their resorts which do this for people to buy into.

3. Buy into a points system which allows you to “stretch” points with last minute point discounts. We almost never use full Wyndham points for a unit and that makes as huge difference and adds and adds weeks. I just saw the Bluegreen system from a friend and it offered similar discounts, as I am sure all the points systems do.

4. Join the other timeshare exchange companies, besides RCI and II and watch their specials carefully and deposit so as to get bonus weeks and reduced exchanges. For example I have gotten several DAE exchanges for just $1 and Platinum Interchange is always offering little gimmicks to reduce their already low exchange fees as well as offering 2 for one bonus weeks as SFX also does. Keep watching and get great deals (e.g. see the PI example above with Kona Hawaiian Resort even in the summer) .

5. The other and smaller timeshare companies also have great bonus programs, and much cheaper than the RCI Last calls. Their problem is, of course, that their inventory is more limited, but since the RCI change in November, I have seen better inventories in them, so there is hope for the future.

6. Own where you want to go. This is the best advice that TUGGERs give and finally I understood how important that is. The timeshare salesmen try to stress exchanging, but if you own where you like to go, there are no exchange fees, no playing games. We own 3 weeks at Telemark, all floating, and 6 weeks at the Townhouses at St Augustine Beach and Tennis Club, 3 fixed and 3 floating, and 2 fixed weeks at Villa del Palmar in PV, all places we LOVE to go to (and all bought on eBay or less.). We usually add bonus weeks to extend those stays, thus capitalizing on the transportation costs and essentially lowering the MF costs.

So, how many timeshares do you need to do this? It depends …upon your preferences:
a. the places you want to go…are there a lot of timeshares there so it is easy to get into, (e.g. Orlando, Branson)? or maybe in the Midwest where not so many people want to go to,

b. the kind of units you like. Do you demand only the top quality glitzy resorts which are harder to get into during certain seasons?

c. How much risk are you willing to take? Can you take chances on last minute postings or using short term bonus weeks/ Do you have a place to go, in case you couldn’t get a week somewhere?

d. Are you willing to monitor a point system so as to use points at best advantage?


Hope this helps?

 

[paxsarah]

Every one of your points makes sense, yet taken all together it seems so overwhelming - I'm so impressed that you've been able to make this work for you!

 

[MLR]

re: Full Time Timesharing..........

OK - forgive me - I am trying to understand. Is this person and her husband 'living full time' in timeshares - no longer owning a home? OH MY! My houseplants alone would fill a van! What intrepid travelers! Loved reading about her adventure though.

 

[bobh]

Question on #Timeshares & maintenance dues

could I ask the other poster's question again? How many timeshares do you own? What does it cost you in maintenance dues to accomplish 3 years lving in timeshares? Please forgive me but I found your answer too complicated to understand. I would just like to get a rough idea of how many timeshares ownerships it would take to do what you are doing.Thanks.

 

[ronandjoan]

OK - forgive me - I am trying to understand. Is this person and her husband 'living full time' in timeshares - no longer owning a home? OH MY! My houseplants alone would fill a van! .

Hi MLR

YEP! we downsized! We had pets, houseplants and a most gorgeous garden which I loved sitting out in - in the spring, summer and fall! We had 2200 sq feet of STUFF, lots of books and over 30 files drawers of teaching files! ....yes, after seeing our parents needing to move out of their houses due to health issues, we did not want to burden our children with our JUNK (to them!) and we'd had it with SNOW. wanting to travel, loving timeshares....we did it! It took us 2 years (well, partial years because we were gone from the house 6-8 months per year by then) to get the house ready to sell. It sold in 3 days.

 

[ronandjoan]

could I ask the other poster's question again? How many timeshares do you own? What does it cost you in maintenance dues to accomplish 3 years lving in timeshares? Please forgive me but I found your answer too complicated to understand. I would just like to get a rough idea of how many timeshares ownerships it would take to do what you are doing.Thanks.

Sorry, Bob, I had tried to make it simple.

I guess we own a total of 15 weeks of real timeshares, (many other TUGGERS own that many) but with stretching points and bonus weeks, as described, we can extend that to 52 weeks. .

and you do not need that many weeks! A friend once traveled 3 months with owning just 3 weeks of timeshares, by using RCI Last Calls and Extra Vacations. So they thought we owned way too many weeks.

The problem is......if you get on eBay, you can't help but become addicted -- well, I am not now, but as TUGGERs say, it is easy to buy and harder to sell.

And remember, every year, you get another year of weeks....so every year you can get more exchanges and bonuses.

Sometimes, though, as in the next 1 1/2 months, we are being "forced" to stay in motels and in our son's condo in order to visit family, friends, and attend a military reunion. (Hey! we 'd rather be in a timeshare unit than in a motel!)

as for $$, I can assure you that the MF's alone are less than a mortgage (and associated home expenses!) However, exchange fees can add up (esp from RCI ) and we spent extra $$ at first with SFX bonus weeks which are more $ than the other exchange companies.

Right now, we have 14 weeks deposited in various companies and 8 of those are bonus weeks, several of which will expire next year, so we want to use them - or we would lose them. And at $120/week cost, they would be great deals to use. Some are only 45 days out though (TP) but PI allows 90 days!

We are booked until March 10th anyway, so will have to figure out how to use those other weeks up, plus we'll have our Telemark weeks to use again next year....and we are hoping to spend more time in Seattle due to my aging parents....

I tried to say that so much depends upon your personal choices...send me a PM if you want to discuss more

 

[dumbydee]

Joan you should right a book about your journey. It would be interesting to read how you have accomplished to live 3 years in timeshares.

Thanks for the information.

 

[ronandjoan]

Joan you should right a book about your journey. It would be interesting to read how you have accomplished to live 3 years in timeshares.

Thanks for the information.

Thanks, my DH just said it should be called "At Home Away from Home.":whoopie:

 

[Happytravels]

Hello again

We had the pleasure of meeting Ron and Joan..They happen to be in Texas and we had the time to meet up with them (we still both work full time and still have more then 20 yrs before retireing) When I grow up I want to be like RON AND JOAN is what I told my husband...of course he thinks I am crazy!! ...Very remarkable people...It is truely amazing how you work all these weeks out........Why settle down when you are haveing so much fun traveling the country....our hats off to you and Ron.........I always enjoy reading your blogs and posts.......have fun...:whoopie:

 

[lprstn]

They are living my dream retirement life, but I'd just love to add Cruising in for 6 weeks of the year - spread out of course, and about 6 weeks in Hawaii, hummm....

 

[bellesgirl]

Joan,

It was great meeting you and Ron last winter in PV. We have told your story to many of our friends. You are becoming a legend. :whoopie: We hope to see you back in PV next winter.