How much pumpkin pie did you eat over the holiday? A little too much sweet potato casserole or one (or several) too many buttery dinner rolls?

What a day to be talking about weight loss! But we have to commend the employees of >RCI timeshare at RCI’s Carmel, Indiana office, who have lost a combined total of more than 1,800 pounds. In a commitment to live healthier, by incorporating more fitness and a healthier diet into their lifestyles, the RCI timeshare team set out on a 12-week wellness contest.

In addition to the personal rewards gained through weight loss, exercise, and an improved diet, the efforts of the RCI “losers” served double duty. For every pound lost, RCI donated a pound of food to a not-for-profit food bank. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc, then redistributed the food through more than 400 charities.

Gordon Gurnik, president of RCI timeshare North America, says, “This contest has created a tremendously positive buzz among our associates. What started out as a fun idea among a few associates quickly grew to a contest involving more than 270 associates looking to incorporate healthier activities into their day-to-day lives. Because of the fantastic response, we’re planning to roll it out at other RCI offices in 2010.”

And you can’t be an RCI timeshare biggest loser without gaining the attention of a real “Biggest Loser”. Bill Germanakos, season four winner of NBC’s hit series, “The Biggest Loser,” visited the site to celebrate the RCI timeshare exchange employees’ success.

While others are out there battling the traffic, fighting crowds, and driving around in circles looking for a parking spot at the mall, why don’t you log on to www.SellMyTimeshareNOW.com and buy your loved ones a gift of a lifetime? The gift of a timeshare vacation is not only the gift of an amazing vacation, but it becomes the gift of relaxation, peace of mind vacation planning, and lasting precious memories.

Imagine how you will feel to tell your children, your spouse, your parents, or grandparents, “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, I am giving you a lifetime of vacations!” Such grand and meaningful gifts are not only possible; they are affordable, when you buy timeshare resales.

Great Deals in Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

Let’s face it, a lot of people are trying to sell timeshare they no longer use or can no longer afford. Timeshare deals on timeshare resales and timeshare rentals are outstanding right now. And if your budget doesn’t permit you to buy timeshare resales and give them away, why not buy one, that you share with several members of your family and friends? Maybe you can’t afford to give Grandma and Grandpa a timeshare every year, but how about a timeshare rental for this year? Or a week in a timeshare that you and your family also enjoy?

There are a lot of options and many affordable and practical ways to work out giving the gift of vacation memories … and Sell My Timeshare NOW is the perfect place to start.

Mark Twain wrote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”

At this time of year, when we all give pause to think about those things for which we are most thankful, I realize that I am as thankful for “possibilities” as I am for “realities”.

Yes, I am very thankful for family, friends, and good health. I am thankful for my co-workers and dedicated team at Sell My Timeshare NOW, who started out helping build my dream, but soon began to dream the dream themselves. It is not a dream to be wealthy or powerful, but instead, it is the dream of helping people realize their own dreams of special moments shared with family, adventures to new places, and the opportunity to relax more, learn more, and savor new experiences and new horizons.

Dreaming is great privilege and one for which we should all be thankful. Dreams fuel our passions. They give us inspiration, motivation, and a vision of what might be. Because of dreams, great things happen. Visionary men and women climb mountains, discover marvels, and blaze paths for other to follow.

We are almost to the end of the first decade of the “New Millennium.” It seems to have gone by in a flash. As you set sail into the next decade, don’t forget to keep dreaming. Wherever you are in your life, be thankful for those realities you treasure, and those possibilities of what is yet to come.

Happy Thanksgiving from Jason Tremblay, The Timeshare Authority, and All of the Team at Sell My Timeshare NOW!

Timeshare owners don’t take advantage of the fact that owning timeshare at the right location, (or exchanging timeshare for the right location) at the right time, can translate to a bargain deal on event accommodations. For example, Miami timeshare for the week of February 7, 2010 puts you in the right place at the right time for Super Bowl XLIV. Or Vancouver timeshare a few weeks later could put you in the midst of Winter Olympic excitement.

So where do you wish you had timeshare tonight? How about a Mexico timeshare at the beautiful Moon Palace Resort? The temperature is comfortably in the 80′s there right now and the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean Atlantic producing endless ocean views of azure blue. Oh yes, and did I mention, you could also be courtside for some outstanding NCAA basketball?

The Cancun Challenge is being played there featuring the University of Kentucky, Cleveland State, Florida A&M, Oral Roberts, Rider, Sam Houston State, Stanford, and the University of Virginia. Admission to all eight games costs $300, if you are staying at the Moon Palace Resort or other Palace Resort. Basketball fans not staying at one of the Palace Resort timeshares pay an access fee to the property of $162 on top of the cost of the tickets.

Once you are there at your Moon Palace Resort timeshare, not only is there great basketball backed up by unlimited fun, surf, and sun, but because this Mexico timeshare is an all-inclusive resort, your food, drinks, and the amenities of the timeshare resort are unlimited.

Pre-scheduling your timeshare exchange (or booking a timeshare rental) to put you in the right place at the right time is an excellent use of timeshare and one too many timeshare owners overlook. So before you miss the “next big thing” here’s a suggestion. Get out your calendar and go online to find the dates and locations of concerts, sporting events, exhibits, meteor showers or whatever it is in life that you enjoy most, and then use your timeshare for timeshare exchange, or schedule a timeshare rental, so that next time, you are exactly where you dream of being, at a beautiful (right-priced) resort at the heart of the excitement.

The South Florida Business Journal reports that research from Deloitte has found, “45 percent of U.S. consumers planned to take a leisure trip involving an overnight stay at a hotel, motel or timeshare from the beginning of Thanksgiving week through March.”

photo credit: Michal Zacharzewski SXC

In the state of Florida alone, AAA estimates that 2.1 million Floridians will be traveling during this Thanksgiving holiday, marking a 3 percent increase over Thanksgiving travel last year. Across the country, as many as 38 million people will travel at least 50 miles (or more) this Thanksgiving holiday weekend—a nearly one and a half percent increase over 2008.

Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of AAA Auto Club South says, “We take the projected increase in travelers as a sign that economic recovery may finally be taking root and we believe many Americans certainly share the same hope.”

Your Drive-To Timeshare Resale or Timeshare Rental Destination

While many of us are traveling this Thanksgiving, more of us are driving vs. flying. With increasing costs to fly, add-on charges for luggage and other services, and fewer flights translating to more delays, only 6 percent of Thanksgiving travelers will fly, which is a drop of a staggering 62 percent since 2000.

Thank goodness, the flexibility of timeshare exchange and timeshare rentals makes it easy to plan a drive-to vacation. And if you don’t already own a timeshare that is conveniently located so that travel time doesn’t become the most important aspect of the flight, now’s a great time to be looking at the many opportunities in timeshare resales.

Yesterday marked the start of National Family Week in the United States. The event, organized by the Alliance for Children and Families, is dedicated to the building of strong families and this year coincides with Thanksgiving week. The association urges individuals, families, schools, corporations, communities and policymakers to get involved in activities and policies that support and nurture family bonds. Your efforts count, whether it is something as simple as writing a thank you note to someone who helps your family, or as broad reaching as changing corporate policy or state laws to better support the interests of the family unit.

Here on The Timeshare Authority blog, we frequently bring up the importance of family time shared together. Schedules are hectic in most households, jobs, school, and an overload of activities can all get in the way of parents spending time with their children, and couples spending time together.

As ARDA’s companion website, VacationBetter.org reminds us, “Today’s hyper-busy lifestyle can take its toll on relationships as evidenced by high divorce rates in the United States. According to a recent survey by VacationBetter.org, seventy-two percent of respondents listed time away with their spouse as one of the best ways to reconnect and rekindle romance within the marriage. The quality of leisure time with one’s partner is strongly related to marital satisfaction. Even more, satisfaction with leisure time is one of the most important factors in one’s overall quality of life. And regular vacations are an important part of a couple’s overall “leisure portfolio.”

Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals Make Vacationing Easier

Money is tight in millions of homes, but children have a way of growing up quickly and all too soon being out of our lives. Childhood is fleeting but precious family memories last a lifetime for both you and your children. Fun filled vacation days, are perfect for making memories and for leaving the distractions of the world far behind.

This week’s going to be a busy one for most people. Yet somewhere after the turkey and football, why not spend some time perusing the excellent deals available in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals? You can start planning that very special (and affordable) family vacation now.

The website InvestorWords.com gives us these definitions of the word, “investment”:

• Definition 1
  In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
• Definition 2
  In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.

Over the past six years, since Sell My Timeshare NOW was first founded, I have written, stated, tweeted, and probably shouted from a few rooftops, “timeshares are not an investment.”

Timeshares are a fabulous way to vacation, offering ease of vacation planning, spacious accommodations, and amenities to suit every member of the family. But you should not buy timeshare because you expect to be able to resell it at a higher price. And our legal system, including the Securities and Exchange Commission takes a dim view of people who try to tell you otherwise.

Case in point from this week’s Legal Newsline:

This story comes packed with lots of lessons.

• Don’t take tax advice from anyone who is not certified to provide it.
• Don’t transfer your timeshare to anyone or any company on a promise.
• And most importantly, if it seems too good to be true… don’t believe the hype!

Yes, you can resell your timeshare. You can also donate your timeshare, give it away, or use it as a timeshare rental, and these are all strategies for offsetting or eliminating the cost of continuing to pay annual fees on a timeshare you no longer use. But before you take any of these actions, make sure you are dealing with a reputable timeshare resales advertising company or timeshare brokers who are giving you a reasonable and accurate picture about timeshare resales.

In The Timeshare Authority blog yesterday, we shared the announcement of Sell My Timeshare NOW’s working partnership with InnSeason Resorts®. This teamwork relationship was established to help timeshare owners resell timeshare that no longer fits their lifestyle.

William E. “Billy” Curran, the Chief Executive Officer for InnSeason Resorts®, explains, “Life changes and a family’s vacation needs change, too. Timeshare owners are looking for a secure way to resell timeshare. Sell My Timeshare NOW listens to timeshare owners and offers them realistic ways to sell timeshare that no longer fits their lifestyle.”

What Does this Mean for Timeshare Owners at InnSeason Resorts®?

InnSeason Resorts® timeshare owners who want to resell timeshare benefit because their timeshare company has established a special working relationship with Sell My Timeshare NOW, making it easier for them to resale timeshare. Which also means that for timeshare owners who want to buy timeshare resales, or vacationers who are eager to take advantage of vacation ownership, there has never been a better time to buy InnSeason Resorts timeshare resales. Here are some of the reasons InnSeason Resorts® timeshares are so special:

Branded as the “Creator of the Northeast Experience® InnSeason Resorts®, timeshare resales and timeshare rentals are available at all the locations that truly capture the magic of a New England timeshare vacation. You can experience the beach at Cape Cod, a snowy mountain retreat, a quaint harbor town, or a woodsy destination ideal for enjoying autumn’s spectacular colors. With seven popular timeshare resorts, InnSeason Resorts® lets you choose a New Hampshire timeshare, Maine timeshare, or a Massachusetts timeshare holiday.

Working together, Sell My Timeshare NOW and InnSeason Resorts® are filling the gap and strengthening both the timeshare industry for the development and sale of new timeshare and for timeshare resales—a move that ultimately benefits timeshare owners most of all.

Follow this link to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW media release.

Opportunities in InnSeason Resorts® New England timeshare:

• InnSeason Resorts Captain’s Quarters
• InnSeason Resorts HarborWalk
• InnSeason Resorts Mountain View
• InnSeason Resorts Pollard Brook
• InnSeason Resorts South Mountain
• InnSeason Resorts Surfside
• InnSeason Resorts The Falls at Ogunquit
• InnSeason Vacation Club – Multi-Destinations

Sell My Timeshare NOW and InnSeason Resorts® have teamed up to provide timeshare resale solutions for timeshare owners who want to resell timeshare they no longer use. InnSeason Resorts® is the popular New England timeshare resort brand, known as the creators of The Northeast Experience®. They have seven outstanding timeshare resorts and more than 30,000 timeshare owners.

As a customer service-savvy timeshare company, InnSeason Resorts® recognizes that needs change; the timeshare that was once ideal for a couple or a family may no longer be the right fit. Perhaps a family has grown or maybe they are empty nesters. Sometimes the climate or recreation activities a timeshare owner once loved may no longer be his or her favorite. And then there are all those other lifestyle reasons to want to resell timeshare. Marriage, divorce, relocation, job loss, illness, and any number of other events can lead a timeshare owner to want to sell timeshare. It all adds up to a need for strong and reliable timeshare resale services.

Sell My Timeshare NOW and InnSeason Resorts® are Working Together to Help Timeshare Owners

A reliable and vibrant timeshare resale market is critical to the overall health of the timeshare industry. As I said in Sell My Timeshare NOW‘s media release today, “Imagine where automobile dealers would be without a secondary marketplace to resell cars and you can see why timeshare owners, developers, and buyers of timeshare resales all win when Sell My Timeshare NOW works in partnership with great timeshare companies, such as InnSeason Resorts®.”

Reselling timeshare shouldn’t be a scary or shady proposition. Instead, timeshare owners deserve professional timeshare resales services. InnSeason Resorts® is making this easier for their timeshare owners to do by co-partnering with Sell My Timeshare NOW as their exclusive authorized timeshare reseller. Timeshare owners at InnSeason Resorts® can turn to Sell My Timeshare, knowing they will receive personalized attention to help them resell their InnSeason Resorts® timeshare.

Yes, there are pet friendly timeshares and they certainly make vacationing or traveling easier and more enjoyable for pet lovers who hate to holiday without their favorite furry companions.

Although a pet friendly timeshare resale or timeshare rental is not right for all animals, (some pets don’t travel well no matter what you do) for pets that can handle the change and additional stimulation of traveling, taking your pet along can be both personally rewarding and a great savings, too. The cost of boarding a pet quickly adds up, as does a pet sitter, or the payback you know is coming when you impose on a friend to care for your animal(s) during your absence.

Taking your pet along for the vacation and enjoying the benefits of a pet friendly timeshare means you don’t have to worry about the care you pet is receiving back home. Some pet friendly timeshare resorts offer services such as pet walking or pet grooming. These special benefits may be provided on site at the timeshare resort, or in conjunction with a nearby business. Resorts may also provide pet perks, such as feeding dishes, beds, or doggie treats, however many pet owners find that their animals adjust more quickly if they bring along these types of familiar items from home.

Even with Pet Friendly Timeshares, You Should Plan Ahead

While a number of resorts offer pet friendly timeshare accommodations, not all timeshare units at these resorts are designated for pet owner use. This means, even when you are planning a vacation at a pet friendly timeshare resort, you should be sure to notify the resort in advance and confirm that they have a pet owner’s unit available for you.

A few other tips to keep in mind are:

• Bring along your pet’s favorite food if he or she is a picky eater. You don’t want to spend valuable timeshare vacation days searching grocery stores for a specific brand of pet food.
• Bring a recent photo of your pet with you when you travel. In the unfortunate circumstance that your pet should get lost, you do want to be able to post some quick “lost pet” flyers that include his or her image.
• Remember that your beloved pet can be a source of fear, anxiety, or allergy to other people and be respectful of “their space”.
• If you travel by car, keep your pet on a leash every time you open the door. Even a mellow pet may act differently under the stress of travel. An open car door can be interpreted as an invitation to run.

Following these few simple tips can make your vacation at a pet friendly timeshare more enjoyable for your family including your four-footed family members. And in case you’ve ever wondered if other pet owners are as devoted to their pets as you are, here’s some interesting statistics from Forbes Magazine online:

“According to the National Pet Owners Survey, about 71 million U.S. households, or 62 percent, owned at least one pet in 2008, up from just 56 percent in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted. Money lavished on pets has increased at a far faster clip, to an estimated $45 billion this year (more than a third of which goes to food), nearly double the $23 billion spent just a decade ago.”

For a list of pet friendly timeshare resorts, go to:

http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/timeshares/index/content/pet-friendly-timeshares/