Timeshare, Anyone?

Jan. 28, 2009 — Now that we have catapulted into a new year and a new Administration, the mood seems to be cautiously hopeful. Hopeful, because we are all fervently wishing that things will get better sometime soon. Cautious, because we suspect they won’t. Hope, after all, is not a strategy.

But strategies do abound for maximizing the value of what little money we might still possess, some of these more coherent than others. I’m sure that you are bombarded with financial advice from multiple sources, as am I. It’s impossible to watch TV, read a newspaper or log onto your employer’s intranet without encountering features that tell you how to pinch every penny, redecorate on a shoestring, whip up delicious food on next to nothing, negotiate lower interest rates from creditors, and the first four things to do if you lose your job.

But has anyone suggested to you lately the long-term wisdom of buying or upgrading an existing timeshare? I didn’t think so.

I hadn’t thought about it either until our annual vacation in Mexico two weeks ago. Anyone who knows me well knows that I take vacations seriously and wouldn’t think of foregoing this particular work-life necessity, no matter how bad things get. Fortunately, I’ll never have to. Let me explain how this works.

My husband and I have owned a timeshare in a primo Mexican resort company for a dozen years, which we consistently use and enjoy immensely, as have an increasing number of friends and family who love to accompany us. This winter trip was the most poignant and appreciated ever because the two couples with us opined more than once (over margaritas and massages) that this was likely to be the last five-star, luxury vacation they would take in the foreseeable future due to financial duress. My husband and I suddenly realized by contrast that we don’t find ourselves in that situation, not because our overall finances are any stronger than theirs, but because our vacation investment was deliberately expended up-front, in the past, when we could afford it. Now the cost of up to a month of the most luxurious vacation any of us can collectively imagine is fixed and affordable, even in lean times. In the case of our particular timeshare, an added bonus will be the end to all maintenance fees once one of us reaches a certain age. So, our current vacation challenge isn’t expense; it centers on the struggle to find enough time to take off from work to enjoy all the time we have accrued in paradise.

Timeshare, anyone?

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of WorldatWork and its affiliate, Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP).