Do you know that there is no maximum speed limit for driving in Germany, but there is a minimum speed of 61 kph (roughly 38 miles per hour)? Are you aware that you are required by law to carry a reflective jacket and a red triangle in your car when driving in France? Or that in Bloomfield, Connecticut, it is illegal to eat while driving? The point is, motor vehicle regulations and driving laws vary worldwide, and a ticket or even worse, an automobile accident, is a fast way to take the fun out of your summer holiday or timeshare vacation.

Why British Travel Concerns are Elevated

Breaking Travel News reports that this year especially, Brits may be setting themselves up for traffic accidents and police tickets as they plan their summer travels. With the global economy still challenging and both unpredictable volcanic ash and workers strikes at British Airlines impacting air travel, many more British vacationers and timeshare owners than usual will be driving rather than flying for their summer holiday.

Research from AXA Insurance shows that an estimated 1.1 million Brits will take to the highways this summer as part of vacation travel. Craig Staniland, AXA Insurance director for motor explains, “…there are some very serious misunderstandings that could lead to breaking the law or a serious accident …we would advise any Brits taking their car abroad to spend some time making sure they understand any local regulations and checking they have adequate insurance in place should the worst happen.”

And the Brits are not alone in facing the perils of driving in unfamiliar territory. The World Health Organization cites over 300 traffic-accident related deaths annually to US citizens driving internationally along with thousands of injuries.

Here are 5 helpful tips for any vacationer behind the wheel:

• US citizens should check the website for the US embassy or consulate in every country in which they plan to drive.
• Recognize that many countries have zero tolerance for drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol with severe criminal penalties.
• Laws that regulate cell phone use while driving vary from country to country, state to state, and city to city.
• Most US auto insurance does not cover you when driving internationally and the policies sold as part of car rental in many countries offer only minimal coverage. Consider buying additional insurance.
• Some countries recognize a US driver license as valid for driving, but over 150 countries accept an International Driving Permit (IDP) which can be obtained from either the AAA (American Automobile Association) or the National Auto Club

No matter where you are in the world, don’t let your drive-to timeshare vacation, or your fly-and-then drive-to timeshare vacation be spoiled because you didn’t take a little extra time to familiarize yourself with the rules of the road.

Additional Vacation and Timeshare Resources:

• Europe timeshare resales and Europe timeshare rental
• United Kingdom timeshare resales and United Kingdom timeshare rental
• United States timeshare resales and United States timeshare rental
• Canada timeshare resales and Canada timeshare rental
• Mexico timeshare resales and Mexico timeshare rental

Orlando, Florida-based Sol Meliá Vacation Club offers beautiful timeshare resorts in popular vacation destinations including Mexico timeshare, Puerto Rico timeshares, Central America, the Canary Islands and Spain timeshare. Sol Meliá Vacation Club is part of the fifty-year old hospitality leader, Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, which is headquartered in Spain.

In what the timeshare and hotel company predicted last year would an “insipid” recovery, the company released its first quarter 2010 financials last week, with Sol Meliá showed a profit of one million Euros. This marks a 124 percent increase over the same period in 2009. EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) for the company also increased for the first time since the presentation of the annual results in 2007.

The company is hinging part of its optimism about future earnings on the economic recovery in the US, saying, “The economic recovery in the United States, our most important feeder market for Latin America and the Caribbean makes Sol Meliá confident, nevertheless, that results will improve overall for 2010 in the region; and in particular the reactivation of hotel occupancy from the US (60% of our total guests in the region) also points towards a recovery in Sol Meliá Vacation Club.”

Unpredictable Challenges for Mexico Timeshare, Dominican Republic Timeshares, Venezuela Timeshares, and Spain Timeshares

The company also acknowledges the impact of events additional to the poor economy on its business. These events include the effect the Influenza A virus in Mexico; of earthquakes in Haiti on bookings in neighboring Dominican Republic timeshares; the devaluation of the Bolivar in Venezuela; and the impact of volcanic ash fallout on Spain timeshare and other resorts in Europe.

Sol Meliá currently employs more than 33,000 people worldwide and was one of a select number of RCI timeshare exchange affiliates to meet RCI’s standards of recognition as a top-performing partner. Sol Meliá Vacation Club received the award based on the company’s volume of business.

At the risk of sounding as if I am saying, “I told you so,” Welk Resort timeshare’s press release this week is one of the many good news timeshare stories that I keep writing about.

2009 has proven to be, for Welk Resorts timeshare, a year of record-high numbers. Jonathan Fredricks, Welk Resorts President explains, “Despite a rough economic year for many in the timeshare resort industry, we found that adhering to our core competency in providing an excellent product at affordable prices helped us achieve over $72 million in net revenue with strong sales efficiencies, beating our budget by over 15 percent.”

Welk Resorts timeshares has over 40,000 member-owner families that enjoy beautiful Welk California timeshare resorts located in San Diego and Palm Springs; Branson timeshares, and the company’s new Mexico timeshares in Cabo San Lucas, overlooking the Sea of Cortez.

Hotel Interactive online quotes Don Dubin, director of Welk Resort timeshare’s sales and marketing activities, as saying, “We believe our focus on remaining profitable in our sales and marketing departments, rather than developing a dependence on earnings from the finance side of the business, is a principle reason for our success.” Translation: Welk Resorts is a timeshare company that creates revenue by selling timeshare, not by depending on timeshare financing as its main stream of income.

I think the company’s founder and namesake, the late Lawrence Welk, would be proud of Welk Resorts timeshare’s sound business strategy, which is underpinned by the company’s reputation for providing honest, reliable service, delivered by well-trained employees, many of whom have worked for Welk Resorts for over 20 years.

Early this year, The Timeshare Authority rolled out its Blog Roll. We listed blogs that we follow and that we think are helpful, useful, or entertaining to our readers. Some are blogs with multiple contributors and large followings; others are small, newly started, or simply so quirky that their niche of readership is limited. All are worth your time to check out.

Over the next few months, we will profile the blogs on the list, giving you more insight about each one. As time goes by, we will be adding new blogs to our list, and dropping blogs if activity falls off there and the blogger stops posting regularly.

Today we are directing your attention to the Absurd Adventurers blog, written by Kathryn and Caitlin. These two young adventurers have made their bucket list and have taken on the pursuit of accomplishing it, (even though they’d rather call it by some name other than a bucket list, just to ensure that no one confuses them with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.)

Their merged list of 27 items (and still growing) is a good one. And we were struck by how many of their goals could realistically involve a timeshare. So we’ve taken a small part of their list and matched it with timeshare destinations. Our results are very interesting and just prove that owning timeshare and the opportunities of timeshare exchange can come in very hand in life, no matter your age and no matter what is on your personal bucket list:

Want to live out your own bucket list? Consider a timeshare exchange as a way for making this happen, providing you locked in accommodation prices at the most exciting destinations worldwide and wherever you personal bucket list may take you.

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.

Cry wolf enough times and people start to ignore you. Let’s hope that’s not what is happening with regard to the new US passport laws. For several years now, the US government has been saying that American travelers to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean will need valid passports to re-enter the country. They have set deadlines, only to delay their enforcement repeatedly because they could not handle the processing overload the new laws created. But June 1, 2009 looks like the ‘real’ deadline.

Unless the rules are delayed yet again (which does not seem likely), beginning next month, US citizens will not be allowed to leave the country without a valid US passport to use when they re-enter the country. So just because your timeshare ownership gives you great exchange privileges at a Mexico timeshare, a Canada timeshare ski resort, or a Caribbean timeshare for sun and surf, doesn’t mean you can take advantage of this unless you have a passport. And the rules apply whether you walk across the border, arrive by plane, or via cruise ship.

Marriott Timeshare Alerting Timeshare Vacationers

Marriott timeshare officials (as well as other timeshare resorts, cruise lines, and hoteliers) have been trying to alert their timeshare owners and timeshare renters, reminding them of the new passport laws.

In an interview with NYDailyNews.com Ed Kinney, vice president at Marriott Vacation Club International, said, “Our Aruba properties are visited by timeshare owners who are typically avid world travelers and who already have their passports. However, we also open our properties to non-owners interested in staying at one of our timeshare properties instead of booking a traditional hotel. When these less-savvy travelers make their reservations, we’ve been alerting them of the new passport regulations to avoid any last-minute problems.”

Kinney adds that he does not anticipate that the new laws will have too much impact on Marriott timeshare owners, explaining, “The people who will be impacted the most are US citizens who don’t currently have a valid passport and who will need to acquire one prior to their next trip. The new rules will help bring consistency and less confusion to international travel.”

Your Mexico Timeshare, Caribbean Timeshare, or Canada Timeshare Vacation

With all the excellent opportunities in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada, don’t be caught off guard over this new passport law. Remember that the price of applying for a US passport also increases on June 1, so if you plan to travel outside the US, now is the time to get your application submitted. And if you get caught in a bind, or find that Caribbean timeshare rental or maybe Mexico timeshare resale that you just can’t resist, there are companies that, for an additional fee, will speed the processing of your passport documents.

As we are wrapping up this past year’s HOT 100 timeshare resorts, let’s look at two very popular Mexico timeshare resorts and four Orlando timeshare favorites.

The Mayan Palace Riviera Maya Cancun is the HOT 100 timeshare favorite number 18, while the Pueblo Bonito Rose Spa and Resort is number 19.

The Mayan Palace Riviera timeshare offers so many exceptional features, including the world’s largest swimming pool, the Brio spa, and a Jack Nicklaus designed 18-hole golf course. It’s all located in a setting that boasts the white sands and clear turquoise waters of the Mexican Riviera.You can also visit ancient Mayan ruins, including Chichen Itza (now one of the Seven Wonders of the World), tropical vegetation, caves to explore, and even a crocodile farm.

The Mayan Palace Riviera Mexico timeshare features studio timeshares, and one and two-bedroom timeshares as well as larger two bedroom lockouts, which sleep up to six people.

Or enjoy the Pueblo Bonito Rose Spa and Resort timeshare on El Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas. Just minutes away from the shopping, boutiques, arts, crafts, and restaurants of Cabo San Lucas, Pueblo Bonito Rose Spa and Resort also boasts a state-of-the-art, high tech exercise room, along with spa and health club facilities.

This Mexico timeshare is a resort for those who long to be pampered. From turndown service each night to a full service concierge, your wish is their command. And with timeshare units that range from junior suite to a four-bedroom, five-bathroom luxury penthouse, there are amazing opportunities available in Pueblo Bonito Rose timeshare resales and timeshare rentals to fit every vacation need and budget.

HOT 100 Timeshare Opportunities in Orlando Timeshares

However, with all the great Orlando timeshares, US vacationers can head for sunny destinations and never have to leave the country. Orlando has more timeshare resorts and more timeshare units than anywhere else in the world, so it is no surprise that so many Orlando timeshares show up on the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 list.

Favorite Orlando timeshares include Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club (number 17); Westgate Vacation Villas (number 20); Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa Phase I (number 22); and Summer Bay Orlando timeshare (number 23).

Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club timeshare is located near Celebration, Florida, just south of Orlando, and less than 2 miles from Walt Disney Vacation World. Mystic Dunes, well known for its excellent 18-hole golf course, (par 71, and 7012 yards) offers a peaceful vacation retreat near all the Central Florida attractions and fun.

On-property at Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club timeshare, you will find:

• The 18-hole championship golf course
• An 18-hole miniature golf course
• Four pools, including Dunes Lagoon with a two-story water slide and private cabanas
• Restaurant, bar, and room service
• Tennis and basketball courts
• High-speed internet

And many other features to help make your Orlando timeshare vacation relaxing and memorable.

Westgate Vacation Villas and Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa Phase I are both high-demand options within the Westgate Resorts family of timeshares. Westgate Vacation Villas is located in Kissimmee, Florida, convenient to the Orlando International Airport and to the theme parks of the Orlando-Kissimmee vacation area.

Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa timeshare is in Orlando, close to golf, shopping, and of course the theme parks and attractions. At both resorts, the timeshare units range from one-bedroom/two-bath units to two, three, and even four-bedroom timeshares. Known as Grand Villas, Westgate Resort’s four-bedroom timeshares sleep up to 16 people, making them a perfect place for a corporate retreat, a family reunion, or just a vacation destination so spacious even the largest families can spread out and truly relax.

Westgate Vacation Villas timeshares offer 11 swimming pools, basketball and tennis courts, volleyball courts, a weight room, and a game room. Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa provides a beautiful lakefront setting, pools, water sports, biking areas, basketball and tennis courts, and a full range of children’s program.

Summer Bay Resort is an Orlando timeshare vacation destination you could enjoy so much, you would never have to leave the resort, so it makes perfect sense to wrap up today’s list by looking at the features and benefits Summer Bay timeshare has to offer.

Summer Bay Orlando timeshare is located on a private lake, in a quiet and almost secluded setting west of Orlando, near Clermont, yet is still within a short drive of the popular activities in Orlando. The large lake permits boating, skiing, pontooning, and other water sports, and there are smaller lakes, pools, and hot tubs throughout the resort. Enjoy a sandy beach, heated kiddie pools, mini golf, nighttime entertainment, a game room, crafts, basketball court, beach volleyball court, tennis court, fitness and games rooms, store, children’s playground, and a poolside bar and grill.

Timeshares at Summer Bay include one and two-bedroom timeshare units and larger, two-bedroom timeshare condos. As with all the timeshares and vacation ownership properties on the HOT 100 list, Summer Bay has ranked because of the high number of offers to buy or rent timeshare there, through Sell My Timeshare NOW.

If you are looking to sell timeshare at any of these resorts, then clearly Sell My Timeshare NOW has a demonstrated history of attracting offers to buy or rent these timeshares. And if you are looking for the best deal around in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals, we invite you to shop the large online inventory of resort properties at www.sellmytimesharenow.com

Too much timeshare news! The past twelve months have been an active time for the timeshare and vacation ownership industries. There has been a lot that has happened in areas from timeshare development, new timeshare publications, and then the news that is not so upbeat, such as lay-offs at timeshare companies, cutbacks, and other challenges of the economic environment.

Even with all this activity, there is no excuse for the situation we find ourselves in at The Timeshare Authority. We realized that in covering the HOT 100 List for 2008 for timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at Sell My Timeshare NOW, even though it is almost time to release the new list, we have been remiss in our quest to tell you about all 100 timeshare resorts on the current list. Most notably, we have yet to cover the top 30 timeshare resorts on the list! So with our apologies we are jumping back into it with a deluxe edition of today’s blog.

HOT 100 Timeshares at Sell My Timeshare NOW

Let’s look at the timeshare resorts that ranked 26 through 30 …

• Villa del Palmar timeshare resort in Cabo San Lucas, HOT 100 resort timeshare number 30.
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaii Village, HOT 100 timeshare resort number 29.
• Hacienda Del Mar Resort timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, HOT 100 timeshare resort number 28.
• Marriott’s Grand Chateau timeshare resort (Las Vegas) HOT 100 timeshare resort number 27.
• Palace Resorts at Moon Palace Golf and Spa timeshare resort, (Cancun, Mexico) HOT 100 timeshare resort number 26.

Three Hot Mexico Timeshare Resorts

Starting with the three Mexico timeshare HOT properties first; two are Cabo San Lucas timeshare resorts and one is on the Mexican Riviera in Cancun.

Villa del Palmar timeshare resort in Cabo San Lucas is a Cabo San Lucas timeshare designed to give almost unlimited ways to relax and relax and relax …

Located on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, near both San Jose Del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, this beautiful timeshare resort is designed to help you recapture your serenity or build your passion—and hopefully do both! Pamper yourself in Villa del Palmar’s European Day Spa, relax at the timeshare resort’s swimming pools, stroll Medano beach, or soak in a two-person jetted bathtub. This seaside timeshare resort is the right backdrop whether you are there for the golf, sport fishing, or your own romantic wedding.

At Villa del Palmar Cabo San Lucas timeshare, you can choose a studio unit, one-bedroom timeshare, two-bedroom timeshare, two-bedroom deluxe, or three-bedroom, three-bath timeshare unit. All offer additional queen-size sofa beds, and both the two-bedroom deluxe and the three-bedroom timeshare unit feature the private in-room Jacuzzi tubs.

Hacienda Del Mar Resort timeshare is another great Cabo San Lucas timeshare resort. The resort describes itself as being, “between the shadows of the mountains and the endless expanse of a sapphire sea in beautiful Cabo San Lucas.” It’s hard to capture Hacienda Del Mar timeshare any better than that.

The resort includes 234 low-rise timeshare villas all designed in the style of old-world Mexican haciendas. With choices of ocean, golf, and garden views, every villa includes a patio or balcony. The Hacienda Del Mar timeshare villas are classified as: Junior, Luxury, Master, Executive, Presidential, and Penthouse and offer fine Cabo San Lucas timeshare accommodations ranging from studio to spacious three-bedrooms.

Heading from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, you find a distinctively different but equally beautiful coastline for Mexico timeshares in Cancun on the Mexican Riviera. Discover the amazing Palace Resorts at Moon Palace Golf and Spa timeshare resort.

The Palace Resorts at Moon Palace Golf and Spa timeshare welcomes you to an all-inclusive timeshare resort. With elegant accommodations, outstanding dining, complimentary transportation, and full service concierge staff, you can feel like you are really getting your money’s worth, all for one pre-paid flat price.

Mexico timeshares are among the few timeshare destinations to offer all-inclusive timeshares and for many vacationers, one-price dining and entertainment makes a lot of sense.

Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort timeshare is located only a convenient 5 miles from the airport in Cancun, yet its peaceful south shore setting makes you feel like you are miles away from it all. Situated between 120-plus acres of lush tropical foliage and a secluded white sand beach, you can’t do a better job in your search for relaxation than Moon Palace Golf and Spa.

The timeshare resort offers 2,103 units, all with either ocean or garden views. And while this may seem like the perfect Mexico timeshare for your romantic getaway, with a kid’s club and lots of onsite activities, it makes just as much sense for your favorite family vacation.

Heading for a Favorite Hawaii Timeshare

Honolulu’s Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaii Village is HOT 100 timeshare resort number 29.

Grab your ukulele, this Hilton timeshare resort means classic Hawaii vacation fun. Located on Waikiki Beach, the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaii Village is an all suite resort on 20 acres of prime Honolulu real estate with one of the best beach areas around. The expansive resort offers you a place to scuba, snorkel, or tour undersea on the Atlantis submarines.

With four swimming pools, including a super pool with a lazy river, a salt-water lagoon, the fabulous Mandara Spa and Holistica Hawaii Health Center, and a children’s program, you and your family can experience a vacation of a lifetime, that you have the opportunity to experience year after year.

Viva Las Vegas Timeshare

Marriott’s Grand Chateau timeshare resort in Las Vegas takes us to an inland destination at a primo location on the vibrant Las Vegas strip.

The Grand Chateau timeshare offers master timeshare villas with fully equipped kitchens, separate living and dining area, and a washer and dryer. All units include a 42-inch flat-screen TV, DVD player, and they range from Deluxe Guest suites to one, two, and three-bedroom timeshare villas, with the three-bedroom units designed to accommodate up to ten of your best buddies or family members.

Favorite nearby locations to Marriott’s Grand Chateau timeshare include all the gaming, dining, and shows of the Strip, Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, and the Cirque de Soleil. And while Las Vegas timeshare was once seen primarily as a grown up vacation spot, with all of the fun of places like the Secret Garden at the Mirage, the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef, it has clearly become a vacation favorite for ‘children’ of every age.

Okay, that’s a whirlwind tour of five HOT timeshare resort destinations for timeshare resales and timeshare rentals and great evidence that timeshares are as diverse as the people who enjoy them. In view of all the opportunities in today’s resale market, you can find a timeshare that not only fits your vacation dreams, but fits your vacation budget as well.