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A Lifetime of Wonderful Vacations

By Mary Hobson
Learning & Life Columnist

Planning vacations can be great fun, but there is no guarantee that the vacation itself will live up to your expectations. There can be a number of reasons for this, a new resort that does not live up to its publicity, hotels or apartments that are crowded or not maintained properly, or simply a vacation that is not what you expected.

There is a way to minimize these risks. This is the concept of vacation ownership, the principle is extremely simple. You buy the use of an apartment for a number of weeks per year. You choose the apartment, according to your needs, and you stipulate the weeks per year that you will visit it. This idea is becoming one of the most popular methods of buying vacations. More than 5 million families now take their vacations through vacation ownership.

The advantages can be great - as you have bought the vacation, your costs for accommodation are clear. You are familiar with the resort you are visiting, you have no worries about the standard of accommodation, and you can take maximum advantage of your vacation from the first day.

So what does it cost? The purchase price usually takes into account the size of the accommodations, the season of use, and the amount of time selected. Vacation ownership purchases are typically financed by consumer loans of five to ten years, with terms dependent upon the purchase price and the amount of the buyer's down payment.

Then there is the yearly maintenance fee. In a vacation ownership resort, all owners share the maintenance costs to ensure the quality and service they require. Each vacation owner pays maintenance fees annually. The assessment usually covers the costs for onsite management, unit upkeep and refurbishing, utilities, and maintenance of the resort's common areas and amenities. The amount of the yearly maintenance fee typically depends on the size, location, and amenities of the resort. Once the timeshare developer turns resort management over to the vacation owners, you, the owners, determine the fees through your Board of Directors.

This form of ownership usually ensures a lower cost of vacation because the cost of ownership is relatively stable, but the cost of hotel accommodation has historically risen quite steeply. Therefore the cost per vacation is increasingly good value.

If you decide that you want a change, either of vacation weeks or of location, vacation ownership companies usually operate a vacation trading system. You simply decide where you want to go from the list of resorts available, and you trade your weeks in your "home" resort for somewhere else. Most companies have arrangements for resorts all over the world, including Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. This gives you all the benefits of known standards and facilities along with a degree of variety that can satisfy you for a lifetime.

Resorts provide restaurants, swimming pools for adults and children, entertainment, often child care facilities, and all kinds of leisure pursuits, including golf, water sports, and tennis. Many resorts are near attractive beaches and in places of interest, so there is plenty to satisfy all of your family.

Some companies offer you the chance of visiting a resort at a reduced cost with no obligations, so that you can check out the resort and the apartments. You will of course be expected to spend time with the resort management, and they will take the opportunity to work out the deal with you. This is a wonderful chance to make sure that you are going to be entirely satisfied with the company and the location. It also gives you a break, and allows you to experience at first hand the vacations you will enjoy for the rest of your life.

If you want high quality, reliably good vacations at low cost, and are willing to invest some money now to ensure this, then you need to consider vacation ownership. Take the step now, and you can look forward to a lifetime of pleasurable vacations.



About the Author
Mary Hobson is the Head of IT School at a Polytechnic in New Zealand. She also works as a freelance writer.

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