Friday, November 19, 2010

Top 5 Reasons to Rent a Timeshare: Guest Post

Top 5 Reasons to Rent a Timeshare for your Vacation
by Joann Whetstine of Redweek


The best-kept secret to affording a vacation at a luxury resort is - rent a timeshare. Timeshare rentals are perfect for families, retirees, girlfriend getaways, mancations, and even honeymoons. Here are the top 5 reasons to rent a timeshare for your vacation:

1. Budget-friendly. The amazing thing about renting a timeshare is that on a per person basis it can actually cost up to 50% less than a hotel room. When you rent a timeshare directly from the owner you can get a great deal on your vacation accommodations, allowing you to plan for a wonderful vacation within your budget.

2. Space. Who likes being cooped up in a cramped hotel room? This is especially difficult if you have children. Even a suite at a hotel doesn't give the room that an entire timeshare unit does.
When you rent a timeshare you typically get separate bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, a patio or balcony, at least a couple of bathrooms, and a fully-equipped kitchen. It's like a home-away-from-home. The extra space allows everyone to spread out and relax.

3. Amenities. Timeshares are typically attached to resorts, and the cost of the timeshare rental includes the use of the resort's amenities. You'll be saving money and having fun at the same time. Instead of the one small pool and hot tub generally provided by a hotel, at the resort you'll have the choice of many different swimming pools, often with waterpark features. You'll also find kiddie pools and children's playgrounds. There might be tennis, golf, volleyball, bocci ball, and arcade game rooms.

4. Kitchen convenience. The fully-equipped kitchen can turn out to be one of your favorite features of a timeshare rental. First of all it allows you to save money on meals. You can prepare most meals in your timeshare thus preventing the high cost of eating out at restaurants three times a day. This is also a nice touch for families with food allergies. Eating in your own kitchen away from home means you don't have the worry of communicating food allergies to people in a strange city or country. You'll also enjoy the convenience. It's nice to be able to provide breakfast without having to get every one up, showered, dressed and out the door just for a bite to eat. And it's easy to prepare nutritious and filling snacks through out the day for those constantly hungry youngsters.

5. Availability. Timeshare rentals are available all over the U.S., the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Europe, and around the world. When you are planning your vacation, no matter where you intend to travel, you have a good chance of finding a reasonable timeshare rental.

Redweek.com is an online marketplace where owners list their  timeshares for rent. Anyone looking for great accommodations can get a budget-friendly deal. Take a look through the listings and see the incredible bargains that are available:   http://www.redweek.com/timeshare-rentals
.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Mickey Moms Club: Giveaway

Planning a trip to Disney? Never before have their been so many great tools to help you map out all of the details. When is the best time to go? Where should I stay? How long is the lineup for Soarin' at Epcot? Are there any special character meals I should plan for, and how far in advance do I need to book them? My child has a peanut allergy, where can we eat safely? How far am I from the nearest hospital should anything go wrong? Disney is one of my favourite destinations and companies. They do a lot of things really well. Their service is the best, top notch, the standard by which all other companies should measure themselves. One other thing they do amazingly well is social media. Disney has an on line team of Moms, a panel, always at the ready to respond to your questions. Their job as bloggers and team Mickey is to answer your questions. Visit Disney.ca  and click on Moms Panel. Many of these Moms are Disney experts, who travel there routinely and know all the ins and outs. Once a year Disney puts the call out for a Moms panel and they typically receive thousands of responses. This year Kelli from The Yummy Mummy Club reminded me it was time for Disney to put out the call for applications and so I applied. Last month I found out I hadn't made the cut. But that won't stop me from applying again in the future. I adore Disney for all that they do well. The new Disney Moms Panel is to be unveiled soon and in the mean time anyone who applied is a member of the MickeyMomsClub with special access to more tips, maps and other kid's activities on line. Next year, if you are a tried and true Mouseketeer apply to join the panel and add your expertise to the formidable group. (Tip: I think they run this contest every fall and they quiz you on Disney trivia, so be prepared. Also you need to have been to Disney within the past 12 months. The Disney company is very good to their panel and flies them at least once a year to the resort for a Moms media event.) In the mean time I am now a MickeyMomsClub member. I have a giveaway to share that I picked up at Type A Mom conference. (See the pink bag full of Mickey Mouse Mom's goodies above.) Included is a photo album brag book, some travel candles, and handy purse-sized hand gels and other goodies. It's a nice little travel bag kit.)

Open to Canada and U.S. I will draw for the winner Nov. 20th with random.org. Good luck!

To enter:
1. Follow me on twitter. @inkscrblr
2. Follow thriftymommagogo (see GFC on side here.)
3. Leave me your email so I can contact you when you win.

Good Luck!