Travel Now . . . Things Only Go Up In Price

[Timeshare Von]

<<SNIPPED>> We have booked most cruises from Sandy on Tug. A cruise to Alaska is scheduled for August, 2025.
Being retired, allows us the flexibility to travel in uncrowned seasons.

Sandy on TUG? I'd be interested in connecting if you see this.

 

[WinniWoman]

We took a trans-Atlantic Cruise and tour of the Baltic. Once in a lifetime trip. Loved it! We have two timeshares and not investing in more.Cruising has become a more pleasurable experience. We have booked most cruises from Sandy on Tug. A cruise to Alaska is scheduled for August, 2025.
Being retired, allows us the flexibility to travel in uncrowned seasons.
We are in the process of downsizing, moving to a 55+ gated community, still in Central Florida. Moving by the end of 2024. New era in life after 37 years in our house. I’ll keep you informed of this adventure.

Good luck! Did this 5 years ago!

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Don't forget botanical gardens in the spring! And the ability to take advantage of local weather conditions (if applicable). Living in D/FW Texas, San Antonio is 15 degrees warmer in winter, and only 300 miles away. As a retiree, you are not bound to a work schedule. So when the January forecast shows 75-80 F (which there is a period like that 9 out of 10 winters) - ROAD TRIP! (But you never know when in January it will occur. That stops a lot of non-retirees, who lack the flexibility of picking whichever days are good.)

For me, this is all inside of my 300 mile car driving radius of action. . .

 

[ScoopKona]

The airfare is what is choking me/us the most. BITD I traveled enough for work to have plenty of miles to fly us both for free, often in 1st class. In transition I started doing the credit card churn, but even that has been tightened down and not as easy to navigate.

I'm not even seeing that. Here's my next trip: Hawaii to Japan. $700 rt. The flight times are only 30 minutes off the absolute fastest flights, which is more than $4,000 round trip. I did my standard search: +/- 3 days in each direction and a couple months out.

 

[easyrider]

Now that I've retired and we'll soon own no timeshares, I'm really curious what others are doing to maximize their vacation dollars.

It's kind of funny that every Tugger is here because they owned a timeshare when they first joined. Now everyone is getting older and many are thinking of getting out of timeshares for various reasons.

Thinking about it, the snowboarding and spontaneous travel we do would be very expensive if we didn't have timeshares. So our plan includes timeshares for the next 10 - 15 years.

For us, we like what we like and it's warm weather, beaches and mountains. I think the timeshares are what maximizes our vacation dollars.

Bill

 

[klpca]

I usually talk up hotels, but I can see where AirB&B like TSs can shine. Looking in June 2025 for Ceder Point for 5 days, the Hampton Inn for 2 rooms is $2,435. AirB&B claims $1,033 for the same time. Even adding in junk fees to get us to $1,500, it's almost a thousand dollar difference! One hotel room is 1,217 for the 5 days. But IDK how much a risk it is trying AirB&B, and if I could get away with 1 hotel room vs 2, I'd be tempted to stay with Hamton Inn. But for over a thousand dollars difference? I might well take the risk, with the knowledge that I can still probably book on the day one of the Hiltons within 22 miles if I have to.

It's totally a case by case thing. We only use Airbnb when it is the only available option. We went to a wedding in 2022 that was in Pinecrest Lake. The wedding block was long gone by the time we were able to commit, so we rented a house with our daughter & SIL. The photos that looked so good online were *kind of* accurate. What you couldn't tell from the photos is how old everything was. The kitchen appliances were 1980s vintage. Then a bear got into the unlocked trash can and knocked it over, spilling everything into the street. It contained a weeks worth of trash from the prior tenant - lots of beer cans and even dirty diapers. Yep, you can guess who had to clean it up. The owner saw everything on their webcam and apologized but said, that's what happens. We also had to strip beds, clean everything up, the normal stuff. And for our trouble we spent over $300 per night. I am souring on the idea. In the beginning it was supposed to be a less expensive alternative, but time is money too, plus even my most expensive timeshare is well under $300/night.

 

[klpca]

I'm not even seeing that. Here's my next trip: Hawaii to Japan. $700 rt. The flight times are only 30 minutes off the absolute fastest flights, which is more than $4,000 round trip. I did my standard search: +/- 3 days in each direction and a couple months out.

View attachment 100451

I managed to find round trip airfare from San Diego to Barcelona for about $600 each. We had to move our dates a bit and leave on a Tuesday, but those prices are out there. Of course we are sitting in the back of the bus and have a couple of stops, one of which is my favorite - an overnight layover so I get to sleep in an actual bed - so we decided to book them. It took quite a bit of searching and a little luck (never showed up as a google alert) but at this point I have more time than I know what to do with, so looking for deals is my true hobby.

 

[dioxide45]

This is why you should also buy timeshare today from the developer, the prices only go up. Don't wait till five years from now as it will cost a lot more to purchase. At least that is the line we have heard from many sales people over the years.

 

[ScoopKona]

I managed to find round trip airfare from San Diego to Barcelona for about $600 each. We had to move our dates a bit and leave on a Tuesday, but those prices are out there. Of course we are sitting in the back of the bus and have a couple of stops, one of which is my favorite - an overnight layover so I get to sleep in an actual bed - so we decided to book them. It took quite a bit of searching and a little luck (never showed up as a google alert) but at this point I have more time than I know what to do with, so looking for deals is my true hobby.

It's all about not doing what everyone else is doing.

Most people book their accommodations (or a tour) and then go shopping for flights. Airlines know this, so they charge more for high-demand travel days. And why wouldn't they? If everyone wants to visit the Mediterranean this year, airlines know this. And charge more. And why wouldn't they?

Let's say I get a timeshare in Spain and it's Saturday-to-Saturday. But the best flight leaves on a Tuesday and arrives on a Wednesday. I could suck it up and pay the egregious "convenience tax" to arrive when I want. Or I could see this as a bonus and book a hotel somewhere between the airport and my destination and see more of Spain.

That's the difference between half-full and half-empty thinking.

 

[Timeshare Von]

It's kind of funny that every Tugger is here because they owned a timeshare when they first joined. Now everyone is getting older and many are thinking of getting out of timeshares for various reasons.

Thinking about it, the snowboarding and spontaneous travel we do would be very expensive if we didn't have timeshares. So our plan includes timeshares for the next 10 - 15 years.

For us, we like what we like and it's warm weather, beaches and mountains. I think the timeshares are what maximizes our vacation dollars.

Bill

Agreed . . . and yes for over 40 years I thoroughly enjoyed and maximized savings making some very nice trips financially possible.

Part of "the change" in my life is that while I'm still enjoying getting in the car and just driving to places, my DH . . . not so much. Each of the last 3 years we've done a long (2+ week) vacation that involved driving. When we were younger, we both enjoyed it . . . my hubby even said he enjoyed the drives. This past trip, he admitted he wasn't as patient with the driving and while he's always refused my offers to share in it, this trip he took me up on sharing because he was getting more fatigued by it all.

Of course we could fly to Florida for the beaches, but we both have started to dislike the airport routine because of the unreliability and hassles when things do go sideways. And lately, for me, I've ended up sick with some respiratory crud after flights home. Damn does getting old stink!

I'm happy to make it to retirement age and approaching my 70's. Cruising for me (not my hubby) is a nice option even if it does involved flying more often than not. I hope they continue to provide me (and my sister) with nice casino offers because we couldn't travel via timeshares for the daily "rate" our cruises are working out to be in the coming year.

 

[Timeshare Von]

Me too. I can't believe that people prefer them. We even had to stay and wait for a cable guy show up to repair something once. Seriously? But my husband needed to have internet access to work. I am team timeshare all the way, followed by legit B&Bs (with a host and breakfast), then hotels.

While in Pompano Beach a couple of weeks ago, one family at the pool told us about their nightmare experience at an AirBnB across the street. Last summer they booked a small house/cottage like place that was supposed to have an inground pool. When they arrived, yep there was a pool, but it was empty. They called their "host" who said the pool guy must have not made it out to set it up for them. They didn't buy it . . . thankfully . . . because their neighbor told them the pool hadn't been open or used all year (this was in August).

 

[WinniWoman]

In the past we rented a few places via Home Away. They were just ok.

I prefer to rent directly from a standard condo resort or a timeshare resort or an owner of a timeshare.Next year we have a condo booked through VACASA at a resort in Vermont.

Of course, one week always costs twice what we paid for 2 weeks when we had our Smuggs timeshare.

 

[Luanne]

I usually talk up hotels, but I can see where AirB&B like TSs can shine. Looking in June 2025 for Ceder Point for 5 days, the Hampton Inn for 2 rooms is $2,435. AirB&B claims $1,033 for the same time. Even adding in junk fees to get us to $1,500, it's almost a thousand dollar difference! One hotel room is 1,217 for the 5 days. But IDK how much a risk it is trying AirB&B, and if I could get away with 1 hotel room vs 2, I'd be tempted to stay with Hamton Inn. But for over a thousand dollars difference? I might well take the risk, with the knowledge that I can still probably book on the day one of the Hiltons within 22 miles if I have to.

Some locations, NYC, Maui and Vancouver, are cracking down on airbnbs. There may be other cites as well, those are just the ones I'm aware of.

 

[jp10558]

Of course we could fly to Florida for the beaches, but we both have started to dislike the airport routine because of the unreliability and hassles when things do go sideways. And lately, for me, I've ended up sick with some respiratory crud after flights home. Damn does getting old stink!

I used to get sick on planes basically every time, and that was in my 20s and 30s. Ever since the pandemic, wearing an N95 on the plane and through the airport has left me with no illness. This was a flight to Ireland, England and back to the US, and a round trip to Las Vegas. "I'm a believer" for plane travel.

I'm happy to make it to retirement age and approaching my 70's. Cruising for me (not my hubby) is a nice option even if it does involved flying more often than not. I hope they continue to provide me (and my sister) with nice casino offers because we couldn't travel via timeshares for the daily "rate" our cruises are working out to be in the coming year.

Do you get these from being at a casino on land, or are you getting them from IDK doing a casino cruise? I still don't think Cruises are for my family due to both not really wanting to be "locked in to a ship" and what I always saw as the high cost, but I do love to hear about deals!

 

[jp10558]

While in Pompano Beach a couple of weeks ago, one family at the pool told us about their nightmare experience at an AirBnB across the street. Last summer they booked a small house/cottage like place that was supposed to have an inground pool. When they arrived, yep there was a pool, but it was empty. They called their "host" who said the pool guy must have not made it out to set it up for them. They didn't buy it . . . thankfully . . . because their neighbor told them the pool hasn't been open or used all year (this was in August).

And these sorts of stories are what give me pause. I think in a lot of non-timeshare cases, I really have to want to go to the place, and Cedar Point isn't one of them lol.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I used to get sick on planes basically every time, and that was in my 20s and 30s. Ever since the pandemic, wearing an N95 on the plane and through the airport has left me with no illness. This was a flight to Ireland, England and back to the US, and a round trip to Las Vegas. "I'm a believer" for plane travel.

Do you get these from being at a casino on land, or are you getting them from IDK doing a casino cruise? I still don't think Cruises are for my family due to both not really wanting to be "locked in to a ship" and what I always saw as the high cost, but I do love to hear about deals!

I may have to start traveling with a face mask more!

We got the casino offers from the Royal Caribbean after just a couple of their cruises (a 5 and 7 night). We didn't play/gamble/lose much on either . . . in fact on the 7 night trip, we both made a little money on the ship.

My hubby is a "never cruiser" guy . . . he doesn't want to be on a ship and is actually very closed minded to it. He's especially biased about them being full of germs, but I haven't gotten sick on a ship (YET!).

 

[dioxide45]

Do you get these from being at a casino on land, or are you getting them from IDK doing a casino cruise? I still don't think Cruises are for my family due to both not really wanting to be "locked in to a ship" and what I always saw as the high cost, but I do love to hear about deals!

Generally these are received during or after a sailing on a cruise. People do earn them from land based casinos, but generally the cruise line will invite someone back to sail again based on the time they spent in the casino. Depending on how you look at things, you may or may not really be saving any money with casino comp cruises. In almost 30 cruises, we have never received one. That is because we spend no time in the casino.

 

[dioxide45]

I still don't think Cruises are for my family due to both not really wanting to be "locked in to a ship" and what I always saw as the high cost, but I do love to hear about deals!

Cruises are certainly something that can be geared more toward night owls. They tend to have entertainment and activities that go into the early morning. Not as much happening in the morning hours except a bunch of people having breakfast.

I certainly wouldn't think of cruising as being "locked on a ship". It has certainly never felt like that to me. Sure there are sea days, but there is always a ton of things to do around the ship. When in port, there is so much more to explore.

When we took our first cruise, we weren't sure we would like it. So we booked a three night cruise on a small ship. We loved it and have now been on nearly 30. I would certainly suggest trying a short cruise to see if you like it. You really can't say you won't like something until you try it. I tried caviar for the first time a few weeks ago. While it wasn't bad I certainly am not going to spend the money to actually buy it to eat. It was nice for me that one time because it was free.

 

[easyrider]

Part of "the change" in my life is that while I'm still enjoying getting in the car and just driving to places, my DH . . . not so much.

We love road trips. We've been cruising around in a Lincoln Towncar and using bonus time and exchange company deals. We average about 24 mpg on highway type driving.

We've only been on a couple of cruises. They were fun. I'm thinking if we do go to Europe I would like to cruise the Mediterranean as part of a winter trip.

Bill

 

[marmite]

Throwing this one in there for other Canadians... If you don't have a WestJet credit card, you are missing out on a yearly companion fare. Now that WestJet is flying to London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Tokyo and Seoul, that companion fare ($400 for the extra person) can really save a lot. And if you like Premium seats there's even more value for you (saving 2K or more on a ticket isn't a bad deal at all!).

 

[Luanne]

I used to get sick on planes basically every time, and that was in my 20s and 30s. Ever since the pandemic, wearing an N95 on the plane and through the airport has left me with no illness. This was a flight to Ireland, England and back to the US, and a round trip to Las Vegas. "I'm a believer" for plane travel.

Do you get these from being at a casino on land, or are you getting them from IDK doing a casino cruise? I still don't think Cruises are for my family due to both not really wanting to be "locked in to a ship" and what I always saw as the high cost, but I do love to hear about deals!

Not to sound like a commercial but my husband flew a lot at one time. He would always get sick. Then someone turned him on to Airbourne. We now all take it when we fly. Has helped a lot.

 

[WinniWoman]

I may have to start traveling with a face mask more!

We got the casino offers from the Royal Caribbean after just a couple of their cruises (a 5 and 7 night). We didn't play/gamble/lose much on either . . . in fact on the 7 night trip, we both made a little money on the ship.

My hubby is a "never cruiser" guy . . . he doesn't want to be on a ship and is actually very closed minded to it. He's especially biased about them being full of germs, but I haven't gotten sick on a ship (YET!).

I don’t blame him. I’m not a cruise person. I like being on land and sightseeing, not locked in a boat. ( I was on a cruise once)

As for germs or getting sick, well you can contract things in crowded airports, restaurants, nightclubs, hotel lobbies, a taxi cab, a store, yes a cruise ship, anywhere. Being on a plane is stifling enough never mind wearing a mask while in one.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

an open mind + willingness to change habits will allow one to see things that have not gone up in price since (insert some date) but, nothing wrong with spending almost $1,000/day for a family of 3 at a ridiculous theme park ... and then, idk, "bragging" about it.

 

[bizaro86]

Throwing this one in there for other Canadians... If you don't have a WestJet credit card, you are missing out on a yearly companion fare. Now that WestJet is flying to London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Tokyo and Seoul, that companion fare ($400 for the extra person) can really save a lot. And if you like Premium seats there's even more value for you (saving 2K or more on a ticket isn't a bad deal at all!). They also run specials for 35% off WestJet dollars (on right now until October 16th), so I will be stocking my account this month to save even more when I go to book my companion ticket to Europe for 2025.

I have this card and use it. The big disadvantage is that they have added a bunch of non fare fees to the fares, especially to Europe. So that $400 is now often $400+$500+ taxes/fees.

Still a good deal for peak seasons/premium class, but not as good as it initially seems.

 

[easyrider]

I have this card and use it. The big disadvantage is that they have added a bunch of non fare fees to the fares, especially to Europe. So that $400 is now often $400+$500+ taxes/fees.

Still a good deal for peak seasons/premium class, but not as good as it initially seems.

It looks like we could catch flights on West Jet from Seattle to Europe. The fares didn't look bad. Especially if we had a companion ticket. I wonder if Americans get a West Jet Mastercard ?

Bill