What is The Deal with Vacation Clubs and Timeshares?

Vacation Clubs and Timeshares are both ways for travellers to get great deals on vacations and save money.

The one that works for you will depend on your finances, the amount of vacation you will take in a year and the type of accommodations you want.

Vacation Clubs

The Vacation Club membership is for individuals and families who want to travel to multiple locations per year.  Vacation Clubs can offer discounts on transportation, package deals, timeshare like accommodations, curses and car rentals.

Vacation Clubs allow you to trade your vacation allotment with others for different properties.  There is more flexibility with a Vacation Club.  Here are some Vacation Clubs.

·         Atlas, The Vacation Owners Club

·         Avalon Vacation Club

·         Aviawest Resort Club

·         Club Absolute

·         Club Casa Dorada

·         Club Intrawest

·         Club Navigo

·         Club Regina

·         Disney Vacation Club

·         El Cid Vacations Club

·         GeoHoliday Vacation Club

·         Global Exchange Vacation Club

·         Hilton Grand Vacations Club

·         Holiday Inn Club Vacations

·         Hyatt Vacation Club

·         ILX Premiere Vacation Club

·         Legacy Vacation Club (formerly Celebrity Resorts)

·         Marriott Vacation Club

·         Perennial Vacation Club

·         Raintree Vacation Club

·         Ritz-Carlton Club

·         Royal Aloha Vacation Club

·         Shell Vacations Club

·         Universal Vacation Club

·         World International Vacation Club

·         WorldMark, The Club

All major hotel chains offer either a Vacation Club or something called Timeshare.  There are also smaller groups who offer their multiple resort type of timeshare.
The main difference with a Vacation Club and a Timeshare is that you purchase a Timeshare like you purchase a property.  The difference is that you have use of the Timeshare based on how many weeks in the Timeshare you contracted for.  You also pay a yearly maintenance.  This is for upkeep of the property, cleaning, insurance and incidentals.  This fee is usually around 300.00 USD/year and can increase depending on what needs to be done to maintain the property.