It’s vacation time – timeshare, vacation home or Craigslist?
Summer time typically means vacation time for many families across the United States. According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), leisure travel is expected to increase 1.4 percent this summer, which means that Americans will take nearly 330 million trips through June, July and August.
Once you’ve decided that you’re going to hit the road or hop on a plane — and where — the next natural question is, where will I stay?
The question of lodging can be a little tricky. Does your family own part of a timeshare or have a vacation home? Do you have hotel points built up from business travel or credit card use? If the answer is “yes” to any of those questions, your choices are easy. If the answer is “no,” the choices can seem daunting. It can be tough to know whether you’re getting the best price on vacation packages with so many options available.
There is no right way to go; much of the time, it simply comes down to preference and which option is the easiest and most convenient for you and your family.
Timeshares and Property Ownership
The vacation business has grown in stature across the country and one avenue of that growth is the timeshare industry. In 2006, according to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), sales of timeshares hit $10 billion, growing by 16 percent since 1995.
Timeshares allow vacationers to purchase a furnished resort accommodation without actually owning a second home. Typical programs give the owners use of the resort they bought into for one week a year and allow owners to exchange their week at sister resorts around the country and the globe.
In addition to timeshares, the outright purchase of vacation homes by consumers has been on a slow but steady rise over the past couple of years. The National Association of REALTORS® reports that 14 percent of all homes sold in 2006 were vacation homes, up two percent from 2005.
Going Online
Navigating the wilds of Internet vacation planning can seem daunting at first, but many travel sites have made it much easier for travelers to book their vacations. We sites such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity do much of the work for you by consolidating all decisions you have to make about hotel, airfare and car rental into full vacation packages.
Newer Web sites, such as Craigslist, act as a huge online bulletin board where timeshare and vacation home owners post ads to rent their properties. If you want to visit Lake Tahoe, for example, you can search local ads in that area or see if someone in your hometown has posted an ad for their property in Tahoe.
Of course, the traditional ways of booking your vacation (such as AAA or your local travel agent) still exist. What you choose depends on your level of comfort with the new Web access tools or whether you just like the personal touch of face to face advice.
Whatever you choose, here’s a piece of advice: don’t put it off! Vacation time is important for health and well being of anyone who works hard.
If you’ve already returned from your vacation and are interested in looking for a place to call home, plan to attend the Fall Festival of Homes the weekends of Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 5-7. The SHBA’s annual event sponsored by Fred’s Appliance will feature over 40 new homes throughout the Spokane area in all price ranges. For more information, go to www.spokanefestivalofhomes.com or call (509) 532-4990.