We've been given a timeshare

Well, that's one way to avoid the shit-show in Vegas: one of my wife's uncles has given us a week of RCI (the "home" abode is in Arizona). It's actually an every-other-year deal and the fees are $450. I think we'll take it. I'm pretty sure we'll trade through when we use it, and looking at the directory there are all sorts of options in places we enjoy, Bend or Kauai, Whistler or Santa Fe, etc.

 

My bride's uncles aren't that giving!

A family friend used to own through RCI and would trade to stay all over the place.
Enjoy, ken2v!

RICHARD

 

a couple I know has the same sort of setup- cheap timeshare property owned in Duluth, MN and they trade most of the time, most recently for a week down in Cancun, MX

 

If all it costs is $450 for a week, then way to go.

 

I'd go look at the timeshare guru or something like that to learn the ins and outs of your program and how to maximize its value. I don't own one, but my sense is the average owner needs to have a strong understanding of the rules of their timeshare to maximize its value - the need to book X months in advance, how it works to book a resort other than your own, if you may be better off buying X more points second hand to get to some other point amount, etc.

 

Good advice.

My in-laws are in the same system and they and the folks passing this along to us have given us time slots over the years, so we're fairly versed as it is.

For us, we're more hooked on locales than specific properties, and we also like to travel in shoulder seasons whenever possible, so we aren't vested in Condo X at Resort Y over Holiday Z, and nothing else will do.

 

"Ohhhh Clark, that's the gift that just keeps on giving!"

- Cousin Eddie

 

Lots of golf courses on Hilton Head Island and the weather is great during shoulder season. Not exactly an economical destination for flights, though.

 

Yep, good bits of the SE aren't exactly timely or convenient to reach from here.