Should you consider a time share?

Here are some time share travel tips.

Today time shares are called vacation clubs or vacation ownerships. You hardly ever hear them called time shares unless you're reading the government-required fine print on a contract.

Time shares are the equivalent of having a vacation home. Most buyers love them because you don't have the maintenance or upkeep of a second home. Time shares also offer a more comfortable setup than you find at most hotels. You can find one or two bedrooms, a full kitchen, a living room with tv and stereo, and a balcony or patio.

Some of the most important things you should consider are:

1. Can you swap locations? A week at Disney sounds great, for the first few years. After that you're ready for a new location. Two of the major exchange companies are Interval International and Resort Condominiums Inc. These company let owners swap with other owners for locations around the world.

2. Are you locked into your week? Some companies require that you take the exact same week each year. Which is great for planning future vacations unless an emergency comes up, then you lose your week.

3. What are the maintenance fees? Fees can range anywhere from $300-$1100 per year. These fees are due whether you actually use your time share or not. Make sure to read the contract to see how often the fees rise and by what percentage and/or dollar amount.

If you do consider a time share, here's a quick list of the 4 top-tier time share companies.

1. Marriott International
2. Hilton
3. Disney
4. Four Seasons

Time share tips

Are you considering buying a time share? Here are 3 tips to keep in mind before you go to the presentation.

1. Make your time count. If a company says the presentation is 90 minutes, stay for only 90 minutes. After that, take the coupons and/or gifts they promised you and leave. Salespeople will impose upon you and keep you as long as possible. If they don't initially get the sale, they'll try to keep you there until they do.

2. Get everything in writing. Salespeople will promise you the moon to get you to sign a contract. The most common promises are bonus weeks or an extra vacation to another location. Make them put those promises in writing before you sign the contract. After you sign on the dotted line, they only have to provide whatever is detailed in the contract.

3. Find out about your states cooling off period. Most states have a 3-10 day cooling off period, during which time you can cancel the contract.

Welcome to travel tips

Welcome. This blog will focus on travel tips. Not things like where to find weekly deals or cheap rooms, seats, etc. I will talk about time shares, retiring overseas and things like that. I will also give travel tips covering things that most people forget about. Hints about applying for passports, how to pack your luggage, what to bring, etc.

I'll update this site at once a week, sometimes more. Feel free to comments and let me know if there's any topic you would like to see me cover.