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Have you been on a medical vacation?

In case you are not familiar with the term, a medical vacation is one where you combine vacation travel with medical treatment, typically surgery. Categorized under the broader topic of “medical tourism,” the idea of traveling to another country to have surgery, especially elective procedures, is growing in popularity.

Cost, of course, can be a driving factor in the decision by Americans to travel overseas for medical treatment. A November 2007 report (which appears below) prepared by Healthbase, identifies incredible savings, and cites the example of a hip surgery that costs $12,000 in India, but averages $48,000 in the US.

Other reasons often given for traveling abroad to receive medical treatment include: shorter wait times to schedule procedures; relaxed and private location for recovery; new or experimental procedures available that are not yet offered in the US; and the cost savings means you can bring family members along to enjoy the trip as a vacation while you spend your time recouping.

This week South Korea, a country seeking to cash in on medical tourism, announced the debut of the foreign medical tourist visa, designed to simplify the process of traveling to Korea for medical services. Thailand issued a press release, just this week, identifying that they are targeting Qatar, Japan, and England as sources for medical tourists. The release says that the government of Thailand seeks to become a, “medical tourism hub for high-quality, low cost health and medical services,” and goes on to explain that a breast augmentation, that in the US would cost between $3,000 and $8,000, in Thailand costs approximately $2,000.

CNNHealth.com identifies the following destinations as medical tourism hotspots:

• Brazil
• Singapore
• Central America (specifically Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica)
• South Africa (home to what has been dubbed, the scalpel “safari”)
• Malaysia
• South Korea
• Hungary
• India

Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals Fit in this Picture Perfectly

Since you aren’t likely to want to go directly from the hospital to a plane headed home, you will probably want a place to spend a few days before and after your surgery, as well as the fact that your travel companions will need accommodations during the time you are hospitalized. Where would you rather be, a hotel room or a spacious timeshare with kitchen facilities, perhaps separate bedrooms, internet access, and so many of the comforts of home?

That’s easy to answer. You will want space to quietly relax, and spend some down time before you return home. And since the whole idea of the trip was to save money, timeshare resales and timeshare rentals fit that plan perfectly.

Not only are there amazing options in timeshare resales, but if you decide to return for follow-up treatment or to have additional medical procedures performed in that same city, a timeshare makes the rescheduling of your accommodations especially easy.

Medical Tourism Guide

One of the reasons people are attracted to timeshare vacations is that timeshare vacation planning is streamlined. Easy to plan, easy to enjoy, and especially easy if you are scheduling a South Dakota timeshare vacation.

That’s because, there is only one timeshare resort in South Dakota … Barefoot Resort Timeshare in the old gold mining town of Lead.

South Dakota Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

If you are hoping to capture the rustic feel of a western ranch, with plenty of modern comforts and amenities, then Barefoot Resort timeshare is perfect for you. Located in the southwestern corner of the state, not far from the Wyoming state line and the city of Cheyenne, Barefoot Resort offers quiet relaxation and excellent proximity to Terry Peak Ski resort.

Averaging 150 inches of snow annually, Barefoot Resort attracts skiers, snowmobilers, and winter sports enthusiasts. Summers mean hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying the outdoor pools, hot tubs, and saunas. You are also only a short drive from Mount Rushmore, Presidents Park, Deadwood, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, Spearfish Canyon, Jewel Cave, Custer State Park, and Devils Tower.

Trading Places International recently has been awarded the Barefoot Resort timeshare management contract and will service all timeshare reservations, timeshare exchanges, and financial services of the resort. Perspective Magazine quotes Douglas L. Wilcox, vice president of Resort Management as saying. “This new vacation destination will be a wonderful addition to Trading Places’ growing mid-west family of resorts.”

There are 44 one, two, and three-bedroom timeshare units at Barefoot Resort timeshares. You can learn more about the opportunities in Barefoot Resort timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at Sell My Timeshare NOW.

In a recently published online article, BabyBoomer-Magazine.com says for seniors who like to travel, a timeshare may be a better option than an expensive hotel room. And just in case that sounds to you like old people on the road, remember that baby boomers include anyone born between 1964 and 1946, and that the typical adventure traveler in the US today is a 47-year-old female.

And here are some of the reasons BabyBoomer-Magazine.com recommends timeshare resorts:

• Timeshares offer worldwide locations.
• Membership (or timeshare exchange company membership) allows access to many different resorts.
• Timeshares give you the flexibility to choose the size unit that fits your needs.
• Variety, variety, variety. As the article says, “There are condominiums on the beach, upscale suites overlooking an award winning golf course, villas secluded by tropical foliage, or a home next to a private lagoon, complete with a private boat dock and swimming beach.”
• Costs are more reasonable for a timeshare (especially if you buy on the timeshare resale market or rent timeshare) than staying in a hotel, and it becomes more cost efficient the longer you stay.
• Timeshare resort tours offer you a great low-cost way to check out the property before you buy.

Timeshare Vacations a Multi-Generational Solution

You’ve read these same facts here on The Timeshare Authority blog many times before, and with the growth of ‘multi-generational’ travel, timeshares seem a better choice than ever. The Family Travel Forum explains that the advent of the sandwich generation (all those families who are caring for aging parents and growing children simultaneously) is one of the factors giving rise to the rapid increases in multi-generational travel.

In 1999, 21 percent of all travel involved grandparents, but that included trips made to visit the grandparents. By 2005, more than 35 percent of all grandparents were taking at least one annual trip that included their grandchildren. And as Tourism ROI tells us, by November 2008, 50 percent of all baby boomers traveling, were traveling with a grandchild.

Multi-generational travel can also ease the cost of the family vacation. When more adults are vacationing together, often the cost per person is reduced as both the parents and the grandparents may be contributing.

Timeshare resales and timeshare rentals have always been a good deal in vacation travel, but consider the possibilities if you share the cost between the parents and the grandparents. It’s another way to keep family vacations affordable and may be the perfect idea if you are already planning to vacation together anyway.

Spain is always a popular destination for vacationers from the US and the UK, and Spain timeshare is typically some of the most beautiful in the world. This year, Spain timeshare is looking more attractive than ever.

At last week’s Loving Andalucía British Tourist Trade Forum, held in the beautiful port city of Malaga in southern Spain, Spanish Tourist Board Director, Ignacio Vasallo, said that the region, including the Costa del Sol, welcomed nearly half a million British vacationers in the first quarter of 2009. This represents an 18 percent decline over last year and tourism officials think it reflects how the pound is struggling against the Euro. Overall, UK visitors to Spain have declined by 17.7 percent over last year.

During the conference, officials urged some 100 Spanish hoteliers in attendance not to raise prices to compensate for the decline in bookings, but instead to lower them to help balance the challenges of exchange rates. Logical advice, but often hard to follow when hotel management must find a way to pay bills, just like everyone else.

Travel Weekly UK reports that travel and tourism industry experts including the Association of Independent Tour Operators’ Derek Moore says, “Spanish hoteliers had already been too slow to react to the economic crisis, which took off last autumn by refusing to reduce prices then. ‘The damage has already been done’.“

Monarch Group’s overseas director and head of purchasing, Hugh Morgan agreed: “A lot of hoteliers have been really complacent, they take the view that the British will come. They’ve taken us for granted.“

Spain Timeshares are an Obvious Consumer Solution, Especially Spain Timeshare Resales

When the big picture deals with economic recession on a global level and the challenges of exchange rates, you are dealing with problems that are not quickly resolved. As corporations, economists, and political leaders struggle to find solutions, an immediate answer for helping the consumer is already available and waiting.

Spain timeshare resales and Spain timeshare for rent are an attractive, affordable vacation accommodation option. The prices are competitive, the resorts are elegant, and the charm of a vacation to Spain can be too tempting to pass up.

Whether hotel rooms in Spain hold their price or hoteliers are forced to bring prices down in order to continue to fill beds, hotels are not likely to ever be genuinely comparable with the opportunities in Spain timeshare resales and Spain timeshare for rent.