[ 2013 ] Age at Initial Purchase

[Whirl]

I was 31. I own 11 distinct interests currently. I have owned up to 20 at any one time, but bought and sold and changed my holdings according to my needs over the years.....Wyndham ( then fairfield) was my very first ( resale ) purchase....owned just shy of 1 million points myself many years ago....

Its been fun all along the way...

 

[sb2313]

We bought our first when I was 29 and my wife was 23. Added a few over the past couple of years including our hgvc affiliate this year at 32 and 26.
We have 2 kids under 3, so hope to use our weeks for years to come!

 

[alwysonvac]

We had our 1st timeshare presentation in 2000 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (HHV) for Hilton Honors points. We bought the HGVC VIP “try it before you buy it” package and found TUG before our return visit to HHV.

Our first timeshare purchase was HGVC via resale in early 2003 when I was 38 and hubby was 42.

We don’t have kids. We've used our timeshares mostly to host extend family vacations (sometimes up to three generations - parents, siblings and nieces/nephews). We’ve had some great vacations and priceless memories through the use of our timeshares.

I also find this it fascinating to read about how others think about and use their timeshares. I’ve learned so much from TUG over the years. It’s truly a valuable resource.

 

[artringwald]

We were 54 and empty nesters before we could afford going to Hawaii every year.

 

[Magic1962]

Married, 48 when we bought our first, both our daughters are married and our oldest has a family... we bought our second last year....Had been watching for years and when a coworker came back and told me he had bought full price down in Florida I looked at the same property and bought the same week resale lol man he was not happy.... We now make memories with our daughters and families..... Today our youngest is a Gatlinburg with her husband on their late Honeymoon from a trade from us Love Timesharing...:whoopie:..... Dave

 

[Karen G]

Reading the TUG boards, I get the feeling I'm one of the youngest. I bought in at 29 (I'm now 38),

Here's a TUG poll related to the ages of Tuggers that you might be interested in seeing.

 

[PassionForTravel]

My GF had bought WM 3 months before she met me, from the developer, I was 47. I taught her how to use it. Last year we decided that we needed more credits and I was going to purchase them, thank goodness I discovered the resale market before doing it. I purchased more WM last year, I was 54 and added HGVC this year.

Ian

 

[mjm1]

We got involved at a young age as well. I was 29 and my DW was 25. We had been married one year and didn't have any kids at the time. Her parents owned several timeshares, but otherwise we didn't know anything about them.

Our first purchase was one we shouldn't have purchased (from developer) and in Reno, which we didn't even like visiting. We kept it about 25 years before giving it back to the resort. We traded it a lot, so got value from it.

Our second purchase was an independent resort on Kauai. Nice place, but we sold it a few years ago.

We enjoy the resorts we own now and are very glad to we have enjoyed so many years of great vacations and memories.

 

[PearlCity]

My GF had bought WM 3 months before she met me, from the developer, I was 47. I taught her how to use it. Last year we decided that we needed more credits and I was going to purchase them, thank goodness I discovered the resale market before doing it. I purchased more WM last year, I was 54 and added HGVC this year.

Ian

You always talk to me like your old. You're actually quite young!!

 

[bjones9942]

I bought my first at 52. Didn't entertain the thought of getting into timeshares because of the hoopla (scandals) in the news in the late 70's/early 80's, and had no desire to spend time sitting through a presentation. Found the resale market and have been happy ever since!

 

[ronparise]

You really jumped in the deep end too Ron, I'm impressed with how you corner your unique markets like a TS baron

I got a late start, but Im a fast learner and I caught up

 

[Quiet Pine]

Bought my first timeshare 2 years ago at age 64

Don't feel alone. I bought my first timeshare 2 years ago at age 69, after lurking on TUG for 8 years. I'm a married empty-nester from a generation that no one mentions or even seems to know about, the Silent Generation, born between 1925 and 1942. No president has been elected from our generation--jumped from Greatest Generation to Boomers. Does anyone know there are a bunch of us in between?

I bought resale, so the initial cost is negligible, and my kids are eager to take over when we're done. We get 4 weeks a year from the TS & call our travels ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA. I figure I'll have 15 years at least before I can't use it any more, and the last few years may be taking a shuttle to Phoenix to stay for a week.

 

[jackio]

We bought our first timeshare resale in 1997. I was 38 and DH 41, with 3 school age children. We sold that first one, and have acquired and given away several more through the years. Personally I have met many TUGGERs and this forum has been a valuable part of my life.

 

[ronparise]

Don't feel alone. I bought my first timeshare 2 years ago at age 69, after lurking on TUG for 8 years. I'm a married empty-nester from a generation that no one mentions or even seems to know about, the Silent Generation, born between 1925 and 1942. No president has been elected from our generation--jumped from Greatest Generation to Boomers. Does anyone know there are a bunch of us in between?

I bought resale, so the initial cost is negligible, and my kids are eager to take over when we're done. We get 4 weeks a year from the TS & call our travels ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA. I figure I'll have 15 years at least before I can't use it any more, and the last few years may be taking a shuttle to Phoenix to stay for a week.

As their ownership base ages, I wouldnt be surprised if developers started adding "assisted living" buildings at their resorts. Keep a couple of nurses on staff and a doctor on call, and we could transition from adventures before dementia to Adventures with Dementia

 

[gnorth16]

32 when I first bought, kids were 9 and 6. The number of TS's goes up and down, but I can't get enough time off to use what I have now. Mostly trading and booking a few for friends and family.

solo travelling is great. I like the peace and quiet that is sometimes not there when I travel with my family...Plus it costs less on airfare!!! Everywhere I have stayed, I have always met some really nice people to chat with at the pool/hot tub/bar/golf.

 

[PamMo]

As their ownership base ages, I wouldnt be surprised if developers started adding "assisted living" buildings at their resorts. Keep a couple of nurses on staff and a doctor on call, and we could transition from adventures before dementia to Adventures with Dementia

:rofl: Too funny!!!!:hysterical:

 

[vacationhopeful]

As their ownership base ages, I wouldnt be surprised if developers started adding "assisted living" buildings at their resorts. Keep a couple of nurses on staff and a doctor on call, and we could transition from adventures before dementia to Adventures with Dementia

Sounds like they are letting their TS guests bring their companion dogs already ...

 

[SMHarman]

As their ownership base ages, I wouldnt be surprised if developers started adding "assisted living" buildings at their resorts. Keep a couple of nurses on staff and a doctor on call, and we could transition from adventures before dementia to Adventures with Dementia

The need for ADA compliance will certainly increase.

 

[MichaelColey]

I was 41, with three kids (7, 4 and a newborn) when I bought my first (and second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.) timeshare. We had always traveled a lot, but primarily used hotels and loyalty programs. With the addition of a 5th member to our family, we found the hotels to be MUCH harder to find. And I happened to get suckered into a Silverleaf timeshare presentation. We bought, then rescinded the next day. Not long after that, I bought our first resale timeshare. Since then, we've expanded our portfolio to 8 timeshares (mostly lockoffs and UDIs) and have spent over 50 weeks in timeshares. We love the extra space, privacy, kitchen, and affordable prices. We typically spend about half as much as we did in hotels.

 

[Maverick1963]

Interesting!

I and my wife have been married for 19 years. During our marriage, we had international travel/vacation 16 times. Almost every year. Our first stay at HHV Lagoon Tower was in 2003. I became interested in timeshare. But when I googled "timeshare" in Japanese, I only found "work sharing" and such.:annoyed: We had another "pay" stay at Kalia. Fortunately I found TUG before our purchase. We bought HGVC Flamingo resale in 2005 and I was 42 y.o. then.

 

[VegasBella]

My husband and I are in our 30s. We have a preschool age son and plan for one more child. We just bought a month ago.

From what I read in another thread, my mom is in the demographic of the "average" timeshare owner. She does not have a timeshare. One of the reasons we wanted larger units was so she and/or my mother-in-law could join us on some vacations.

 

[Vegasgirl]

I'm currently 27 single woman. I own a couple timeshares.

 

[DS14]

...after lurking on TUG for 8 years.

You have far more self-control than I did! My wife and I attended our first TS presentation over ten years ago, but didn't want to borrow for it. Since then, we'd rented and used friends accts. Last year after seeing how much the resale market had dropped I knew it was time to jump in. After finding TUG and reading about the great vacations everyone here takes, I'm not sure if I lurked for 8 days! Whether you're in your 20s/30s when you joined, or 51 like me, this is a wonderful forum.

 

[spoody]

I was 31 when I bought my first one and that was 15 years ago.

 

[got4boys]

I was 32 and my spouse was 40 when I brought my first one through the developer and before I found TUG (4 years later).