Interval International

With so many financial gurus quick to criticize timeshare, it is both refreshing and reassuring to read the words of a respected financial planner who understands the why and how of timeshare vacations and actually recommends timeshares and timeshare rentals.

Irvin G. Schorsch III, founder and president of Pennsylvania Capital Management, Inc., has an excellent article in today’s issue (May 25, 2012) of the Huffington Post Money Section. In his article, “The Don’t-Defer-Your-Life Approach to Financial Planning,” Schorsch doesn’t encourage consumers to be reckless, extravagant, or foolish with money, but he does point out that if you are always waiting until some future date when your life/finances/etc. are in better shape to do the things you really want to do … well, you run a high risk of never being able to do them at all.

Suggesting ways people can affordably enjoy life now, Schorsch recommends that opera or theater lovers volunteer to work as a theater usher in order experience the arts they love without the cost or that those who dream of getting a PhD. audit courses, typically free at the prestigious universities they have dreamed of attending. Recommending strategies to live better for less, from bartering to using group discount coupons, Schorsch explains that he encourages his clients, “… to abandon the “deferred-life” plan and live life now, rather than in some uncertain, idealized “later” timeline.”

Timeshares, Timeshare Rentals, and Vacation Ownership, Affordable Ways to Live Your Life Now

And for all of us whose vacation and travel dreams exceed our current budgets, Financial Planner Irvin Schorsch says:

“Can’t afford a summer home or ski condo? Rent or buy a timeshare with a family member or friend. While I don’t recommend a timeshare as an investment, it can be a great way for frequent travelers to save on accommodations in their favorite vacation spots. If you tire of going to one place year after year, timeshare networks like Marriott, Disney Vacation Homes, RCI and Interval International allow trades that will give you access to accommodations in those faraway places you’ve fantasized about.”

Finally, a financial planner who understands that timeshares and vacation ownership are not an investment one makes for financial gain. Instead, timeshare resales and timeshare rentals are an “investment” in a lifestyle that makes great vacations and travel possible for millions and millions of consumers.

As Mr. Schorsch says, “An exciting, well-lived life does not necessarily require a lot of money.”

And a timeshare resale or timeshare rental doesn’t require a lot of money, but it certainly can go a long way to helping you enjoy an exciting, well-life right now, instead of waiting for a future that may never come.

Follow this link to read the full text of, “The Don’t-Defer-Your-Life Approach to Financial Planning.”

Even if you think you know a lot about timeshares and vacation ownership, you might not be able to answer the question: Who is the largest timeshare resort manager?

The surprise answer is Interval International; surprising to many because people tend to think of II as one of the largest names in timeshare exchange and a provider of other types of vacation and travel services, but not as provider of resort management services. However, Interval International’s interest as a timeshare resort manager is growing at a remarkable pace; not by leaps and bounds but by leaps and acquisitions.

In February 2012, II purchased VRI, Vacation Resorts International.  As Craig Nash, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Interval Leisure Group explains, “With the acquisition of VRI and ILG’s (Interval Leisure Group) existing management interests, Interval Leisure Group becomes the largest independent provider of resort and homeowner association management services to the shared ownership industry. ILG companies now deliver these services to more than 180 timeshare resort and club locations and 325,000 owner families.”

Slightly more than a year earlier, in November of 2010, Interval International announced it had acquired all of the equity in Trading Places International. At that time, TPI was a California-based provider of timeshare exchange and leisure services to more than 300,000 vacation owners, including providing onsite property management at over 20 United States timeshare resorts located throughout the US mainland and Hawaii, as well as in Mexico.

If you can’t take a full week of vacation, is it really worth taking any time off at all?

This question plagues busy workers—especially American workers—who struggle with the challenge of fitting vacation time into their overloaded schedules. Most people find that between the demands of their job, perhaps those of their spouse’s job, too; their children’s schedules; and all the details of their daily grind; taking vacation time becomes harder and harder for them to do.

Timeshares Used to Be Part of the Problem

With the limitations on timeshare stays having previously been restricted to one- or two-week intervals only, timeshares used to be part of the problem, actually making this aspect of vacationing harder rather than easier for timeshare owners. But this is no longer the case.

Gone are the days when your timeshare vacation could only be enjoyed  in week-long intervals. Today most resorts permit a timeshare owner to break up his interval or points into vacations as brief as one night at a time. And timeshare exchange companies, like Interval International, that offer ShortStay Exchange® for its Interval Gold, Club Interval Gold, and Interval Platinum members, have added the single night option.

According to the article, “One-Day ShortStay, When Less is More,” published in Vacation Industry Review, “Study after study shows that vacationers—especially those in the United States—are increasingly taking days off one and two days at a time … Interval members, too, struggle with ‘time famine.’ ShortStay Exchange allows upgraded members to break their travel down into one-night increments.”

The more flexible timeshare ownership becomes, the stronger and more popular a product it will be. Because the simple truth is this: any time off any of us can work into our lives—even if it’s only for 24 hours at a time—is  better than taking no vacation at all.

Last month, Interval International timeshare exchange and vacation services provider launched Interval HD, an online video channel featuring some 50 timeshare vacation destination and resort videos.

Available to Interval International members, this dynamic vacation planning tool makes it easier than ever for II members to visualize vacation settings, understand the types of accommodations available at each resort, and make their vacation planning decisions.

Interval International Timeshare Destinations

Interval HD videos currently include Interval International resort destinations in Cancun, Orlando, and Las Vegas—some of timeshare’s most popular vacation venues. Each video is one to three minutes in length and is available through the Interval International member landing page of Interval’s website. Members can choose the destination overviews the wish to see or view the Resort Directory for an overview. By year end, Interval International timeshare exchange plans to have added at least an additional 30 videos to the collection.

Interval’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Sharon Freed, explains, “We’ve created this enhanced content to assist our members in making vacation plans when using any of our programs. But we also feel it will help resort clients using multimedia presentations at their sales tables to bring to life the benefits of exchanging to a broad range of locations.”

As Interval understands, “When making their vacation plans, Interval members want as much information about the resort and destination as they can find.” And why not? Vacation time is precious and hard to come by for most busy families.

You want your vacation days to be the best they can possibly be and suit the way you and your family like to vacation. Knowing more details, having them readily available to you via quality, high definition video, makes that easier.

Interval International calls this taking information access to the next level. Clearly it’s one more effort by Interval to make your vacation ownership experience the best it can possibly be.