[2008] Fulltime timesharing?

[ronandjoan]

Anyone else out there timesharing full time?

We got inspired by Ray's journal when we first joined TUG some years ago and now, finally completed our plan: sold our house last month (in a week, no less!), finished the MISERABLE job of downsizing and going through ALL those boxes (where does all the STUFF come from), sold a lot of stuff (eBay, plus a FREE garage sale!) and put it all in a storeroom in Ohio. And took off!

To Seattle for the regular monthly visit to my mother (full blown dementia) and now back to Nashville at the Wyndham for 2 weeks, then to PHX to visit my nice for a week (Westgage Painted Mountain) back to Nashvile (flights form BNA to PHX were very cheap in the summer) and then onward to our journey. Have most things booked through next June...Who else out there is doing this and what tips can you give?.

You can PM me too, for more conversation. Would love to share ideas.

 

[VacationPro]

Anyone else out there timesharing full time?

We got inspired by Ray's journal when we first joined TUG some years ago and now, finally completed our plan: sold our house last month (in a week, no less!), finished the MISERABLE job of downsizing and going through ALL those boxes (where does all the STUFF come from), sold a lot of stuff (eBay, plus a FREE garage sale!) and put it all in a storeroom in Ohio. And took off!

To Seattle for the regular monthly visit to my mother (full blown dementia) and now back to Nashville at the Wyndham for 2 weeks, then to PHX to visit my nice for a week (Westgage Painted Mountain) back to Nashvile (flights form BNA to PHX were very cheap in the summer) and then onward to our journey. Have most things booked through next June...Who else out there is doing this and what tips can you give?.

You can PM me too, for more conversation. Would love to share ideas.

Someday, I would like to do this--maybe not full time, but for a big chunk of the year. I look forward to the responses in this thread, and would love to hear the logistics of how you do this. Enjoy! :whoopie:

 

[DeniseM]

Wow, Joan, that's amazing! Good for you!

I'm curious - In general, how many TS weeks do you own?

How many exchanges did you make?

How many weeks are rented?

What are your MF's?

 

[charcoalmana]

You need to write a book on the expierence and how you did it ! That's cool stuff , Good Luck

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Very cool... I'd love to timeshare full time... You'll have to write a blog or something to share your experiences.

Enjoy your journey...

 

[RIMike]

I too am interested in how the experience and expenses are working out for you..let us know.

 

[riverdees05]

Sounds great. Full Time RVing has been going on some time, but may have slowed down with the price of fuel. Full Time Timesharing sounds like a wonderful adventure. Please keep us posted, maybe a blog or something like that, I look forward to reading more about your experiences, etc. If you read some of the books on full time RVing, it might be helpful to see some of the things you have to plan for and ways to handle things, like mail, phone, bills, etc.

 

[Aussiedog]

Me too!

How fun !!!

One of the things that we saw in the 70s and 80s with those who sold their homes and went on the road with their Winnabagos was that at some point they had to stop, usually due to health issues for one or both spouses. Having a "medical home" (as we now call it) becomes very important as we age.

Since it sounds like your timeshares are in several places I would be interested in your exit strategy.

Ann

 

[Dori]

Joan, what a wonderful plan! We thought we were doing well planning for 5 weeks next February! What an adventure you are embarking on. It will be fabulous.

We had the great pleasure of meeting Ray and his charming wife Darlene. For several years, we would visit each other in Florida in February or March. We spent many happy hours learning of their travels and gathering TS tips.

Have a gtreat time and please keep us posted.

Dori

 

[ronandjoan]

Thanks everybody for the posts - friends said I should write a BLOG too, but I didn;t take it too seriously. Guess I need too - even if only to keep a journal for myself too! I always want to and then don;t.

To begin to answer questions:

We are VIP Wyndham so with the discounted points available (I know some people don't think it is worth it, but it does save us a lot of points), we can stay at Fairfield resorts and also use the RCI deposits avialable with them.

We also own 9 other weeks at other resorts. Some of you will remember that I love Telemark so much up in Cable, WI, and owners can get available weeks for $199 at 3 weeks out so we are hoping to add on two weeks to our 2 weeks stay there this fall. $199 a week - that's cheaper than our mortgage was! and good rent for a very large 2 BD lakeside unit!

We own 5 weeks at St AUgustine Beach and Tennis CLub, (II's TAS) 3 are fixed in January, so we'll be there then. Trips to MeX, in November, Feb, through SFX and Donitas, and then Hawaii in the spring with SFX. Other weeks here and there with RCI.

More later.

and

 

[swift]

How fun !!!

One of the things that we saw in the 70s and 80s with those who sold their homes and went on the road with their Winnabagos was that at some point they had to stop, usually due to health issues for one or both spouses. Having a "medical home" (as we now call it) becomes very important as we age.

Since it sounds like your timeshares are in several places I would be interested in your exit strategy.

Ann

This is exactly what happened to my parents. They sold everything and went full time RV'ing. My siblings and I begged them to rethink things. Sure enough 2 years later my mom went in for a simple shoulder surgery and things went wrong. She ended up coming out in a full time wheelchair. Of course the wheelchair didn't fit in the RV and they couldn't sell it. Ended up giving it back to the bank and my siblings and I pooled together to get them a duplex. Please protect yourself and have a plan in place. You will be glad you did.

 

[Carolinian]

There was a retired older gentleman who owned a week in the early fall at a resort I own at on the Outer Banks, who had been timesharing full time for years. Nobody ever remembered him having a wife. He always showed up by himself and drove his own car. He owned fixed weeks 52 weeks of the year and moved around. He liked to sit and talk with the manager from time to time and talk about his travels. One year, he was having obvious health problems when he was on the OBX and when the m/f bills went out at the end of that year, a response came from a relative the he had died. So he managed to keep timesharing until nearly the end.

 

[ronandjoan]

Health: yes, you mentioned health issues. That is why we are doing this NOW, while we still have our health, and of course, we never know how long we'll have it. I am hoping for 5 years of health -

we are talking 2 years of full time timesharing, but the time is already passing so quickly, that.....maybe 5? Maybe till the end, like the gentleman above?

We plan on returning to Ohio a couple of times a year, not only because all our STUFF is there, but the doctors are too. I also do various things at the high school there in our small town.

 

[heather]

We timeshare for 5 months of the year by exchanging through RCI, II and Redweek, developer bonus weeks from RCI, Extra Vacations RCI, and Skyauction. But we maintain a home where we love to be in the summer. Our winter costs at our permanent home are reduced by shutting off everything electrical, reducing the natural gas costs to minimal heat, and suspending the phone, cable tv and ISP. We no longer want to move every week but manage to be in most places for at least three weeks where we have established friendships with those who do the same. Life is good!!!!
I too am happy to share strategies.

 

[BevL]

I love this thread. I've recently sold my professional practice and am taking on work that I can do anywhere with internet access. Hubby and I have discussed staying for two months, say November, December in Palm Springs using getaways - kids and friends are thinking it's a great thing - they'd have a place to land!!

 

[vacationhopeful]

Fulltime timesharing might be a bit too much, but 39 weeks is 75% of the time.

I think I might be able to handle only 40% of the time. Like 20 weeks.

 

[ronandjoan]

Heather and Bev, good to hear from you.

Yes, Heather, we have stayed away for 6 months during the last 2 winters to try out our plan and avoid the snow in Ohio (you do not say where your home is) . I love the spring and summers in Ohio too! but with the total costs of the mortgage and utilities continuing while we were gone, we decided to try this for a while.

We don;t mind moving every week (so far) although we have enjoyed staying the 3 weeks at Telemark and St Augustine. We'll also have 3 weeks at the Mayan Palace in PV this November and 2 consecutive weeks in Cancun at the in Feb. Same in HI in April.... Time will tell how long until we tire of moving often.

The first time we had to pack up to leave a timeshre was a shock! as for several people we have talked to. What a job! But, hopefully we have gotten better at it! I'm sure some, though, are even more proficient than we!

 

[luv2vacation]

What a wonderful adventure! :whoopie:

It is something that Hubby and I would like to do when we retire, although maybe not full-time, but at least 20 or so weeks per year.

Such a great way to see other parts of the country and the world. And to keep going back to some of your favorite places.

Please keep us updated.

 

[Mel7706]

Great thread

We,too, had a chance to meet and talk to Ray & Darlene.
Very nice & interesting folks. They had a system for what they carried and how it was packed. They had a condo in Massachusetts for permanent residence near family.
We had friends who went fulltime RVing. Changed to a state tax free permanent residence. Mail was sent to a drop and remailed to them as instructed. They enjoyed it for years. Have fun & please provide a link to your blog.

 

[heather]

I'm happy Joan to share where I live. We are in Ontario, Canada on the banks of the St. Lawrence River where I garden to my heart's content from May to early October when what we call our "timehare box" comes out of storage. We spend from mid October to the end of November in the southeastern US, come home for December, and at the end of December leave until sometime in April. For the past few years we stuck to the east coast from Florida to South, with a cruise thrown in somewhere but this year we have reserved in Sedona, Phoenix and Palm springs for January and then will head to South Carolina. All of this is obviously off season but we don't mind. In the next few years we will likely try Portugal for two months as others have done so very happily. We too pack very systematically but somehow our "stuff" seems to overwhelm us sometimes, especially with one set of golf clubs in the trunk of our car (no van or suv for us) and treasures we have purchased along the way.

At last count awhile ago we were up to sixtie + exchanges. I keep all of the confirmations in a binder so must count again soon. It's a bragging thing!!!

It's good to be back here.

 

[Carol C]

Joan, it's cool that you started this thread! I knew about your life change and transition to timeshares, but I wonder if more folks aren't doing same. Of course longtime TUGgers have Ray Harper to thank for inspiration and his journals. I had a chance to see one of his spreadsheets once...that's how he kept track of all the timeshare stays he piggybacked from Thanksgiving to Easter. I think that's the way to go in order to keep it all organized.

As for me, I'm planning to live in timeshares for parts of the winter when weather is crummy here in Georgia. That's primarily mid-Nov to mid-Feb. I don't garden then. My focus will be living in Mexico (primarily Mazatlan and PV) during my winter season. Some years I wouldn't mind spending a few winter months in Spain...Costa del Sol or Mallorca, or even in South America where they have summer when we have winter. Of course those exotic locales will depend on airfares being affordable when I retire.

Speaking of airfares, Joan, do you snag frequent flier tickets for your far-flung forays?

Let's keep this thread going. It is good to read Heather's postings as well as others!

 

[ace2000]

I've enjoyed this thread also. Would anyone care to share your packing tips? I assume you've got it down to a science. Also, what do you do during the time in between? Or do you try to get the same unit for multiple weeks straight?

I hope to be joining the 'club' within the next couple of years.

Scott

 

[icydog]

Our plan was to have enough DVC points to stay at WDW for a month at a time. I now have enough points to stay for two months or a full winter season if we could stay in a studio, God forbid. We love Orlando but will never buy another second home. We had one for sale in St Augustine for two years before it sold well below value this year.


I also couldn't change resorts like you plan on doing. I would waste two days each week packing and unpacking. Also going on airplanes would be out as well. Too much money.

As it is we vacation at least one week a month without using our DVC points at all. With our Marriott and HGVC weeks, our BG points and last minute deals, our II ACs, our RCI weeks, and then RHC points (and weekly) contracts we could be gone all the time. But we choose not to be.

I'd miss my dog and kitties too much and I don't have enough money to kennel them for months at a time. But the thought of it sure is nice.

The new Marriott in Orlando, we just bought, gives us two 1 bdrms instead of a studio and a one bdrm, so in essence, with our two weeks we could stay for a month in Orlando in our one bdrm units. That sounds nice for a cool NJ February. Too bad the place doesn't open until 2010!!!:annoyed: And too bad ts don't let you take your pets like RV places do

I wish you the best of luck. Let us know how you are doing from time to time.

 

[ronandjoan]

FF miles for longer trips

Yes, Carol, I managed to get the FF miles from Delta for the Cancun trip in February and the Hawaii trip in April/May. Despite the changes in award ticketing! The November trip to PV was cheaper to buy a ticket from Seattle.

We have quite a few miles and they are there so in case of emergencies, if avaiable, we can use them, as well as for friends and family.

For 2 family deaths now, we have been able to use them, even at the last minute - one will be tomorrow when we fly back to Seattle from Nashville (we are at the Wyndham here) since my stepsister died.

We'll return here when we will be staying another week. Wyndham front desk people arranged it so we could be in the same room for the full 2 1/2 weeks here, even though I had multiple small reservations to make up this stay.

 

[ronandjoan]

We're not on vacation; we're just living somewhere else!

Good friends rent a condo for 6 to 8 weeks at the Townhouses at St. Augustine Beach and Tennis Club, where we own some timeshare weeks, said the above quote. They, like us, bring their computer and printer, and just continue their activities as if at home: except they are in a better climate for the winter! That was our goal too, to get away from the snow.
Last week we got a call from my father in Oak Harbor, Washington. We were afraid it was bad news about his wife, who has been very sick. No, it was her daughter, who also had been sick, but now had passed away. We got on the Web and got a frequent flyer airline ticket to Seattle from Nashville and went for three days for the funeral. We told the front desk that we would be gone. We just left our stuff here, as we were coming back for another week. We were not interrupting our “vacation”; we were just leaving “home”.