{"id":2510,"date":"2012-08-23T23:42:40","date_gmt":"2012-08-24T05:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2510"},"modified":"2012-12-14T12:48:57","modified_gmt":"2012-12-14T19:48:57","slug":"buy-timeshare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2510","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Never Buy a Timeshare: RCI, Trendwest, and the others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Go ahead, buy a $1800 vaccum.\u00a0 Succomb to the “we’ll give you a discount if you put our\u00a0home security sign up on your lawn” pitch.\u00a0 Overpay for\u00a0more meat than you can fit in your freezer. But please, please, never-ever buy a timeshare. \u00a0RCI, Trendwest, they’re not looking out for your travel budget, they’re looking out for theirs.<\/p>\n

They are cunning… they are manipulative… they \u00a0are\u00a0shameless. They’re the best in the business when it comes to high-pressure sales.\u00a0 They draw you in with irresistible loss-leaders and tap into the mega-vulnerability of your wanderlust.\u00a0 They’ll convince you that unless you pony up the $25k or finance it at ridiculous rates, you’ll spend your life cooped up in an adventureless existence. But please, please, never-ever buy a timeshare.<\/p>\n

They have one thing right – your money is better spent on experiences than on “things.”\u00a0 I could point you to a dozen studies that say money doesn’t buy happiness, but it can buy you experiences, and what is happiness if it’s not the sum total of your experiences?\u00a0 But a timeshare is neither an experience, nor is it a thing.\u00a0 It’s neither an asset, nor a depreciable liabilty.<\/p>\n

When you “buy” a timeshare, you’re “buying” a committment to pay an annual maintenance fee which is likely 50% or more of the cost of a week in a vacation rental home.\u00a0 You’re “buying” the obligation to stay in a specific place at a specific time with limited flexibility.\u00a0 You’re “buying” something that is unmarketable – something that isolates your travel options to only a few destinations – and\u00a0something that prohibits you from spending money in ways that compound your travel opportunities.<\/p>\n

These are\u00a0not things I would take if given to me – much less things that I would actually pay for – and certainly\u00a0don’t merit\u00a0borrowing to buy.\u00a0 Consider that investing your $25k inital purchase price at an 8% yield would spin off $2000 a year! That’s more than enough to\u00a0stay a week in some incredible places.\u00a0 If you’re still not convinced, consider that timeshare salespeople are paid commissions as high as 20%.<\/p>\n

But by all means – let not this extinguish your desire to see the world.\u00a0 There are plenty of other, more cost effective means of arranging lodging in interesting places. To illustrate, consider these options of places you could stay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.<\/p>\n