“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the ones you did.” -Mark Twain

Sam Clemens, a.k.a., Mark Twain loved to travel. He traveled by ship to South America at the age of 21 and later piloted a riverboat along the Mississippi River. He also traveled in some of the roughest territory of Nevada and California, as well as living in cities including San Francisco and New York. Some of his earliest travel writing included 4 months spent in Hawaii writing about the Sandwich Islands, and his great literary works that center around travel, like Innocents Abroad and Following the Equator. The point is, Mark Twain loved to travel and explore both the US and around the world.

Considering how much Mark Twain loved to travel, I can’t help but wonder if he had a piece of the $168-billion stimulus package coming back to him from the US Treasury, would he use some of it to take a vacation? Maybe he would buy a timeshare resale to make traveling easier and to lock-in the price of his accommodations. Perhaps he’d even become part of a timeshare vacation club, that included exchange privileges for a riverboat cruise.

We can only guess at how Twain would live his life in the modern world, but we don’t have to speculate on his philosophy of existence. He made that pretty clear: Live life without regrets.

Americans May Be Using Checks for Travel and Timeshares

Los Angeles Times staff writer, Hugo Martin, thinks that many people will be using all or part of their stimulus checks to take some much needed vacation time, and in his L A Times online post from May 11, he even suggests a few locations. But he brings up an interesting point:

While your stimulus check was meant to boost the economy, it wasn’t meant to boost a foreign economy. Martin points out that, in his opinion, it would be much more patriotic of Americans to spend their checks on American soil.

Sell My Timeshare NOW Hot Property List May Help You Decide

It is almost time for the Timeshare Owners Blog to began running the results of the Sell My Timeshare NOW Hot Property List. Watch the blog for the 2008 featured timeshare resort properties - we will begin posting them over the next few weeks.

Maybe, the profiles of some of these favorite timeshare resorts will be just what you need to start thinking about spending your “extra” money on timeshare resales or timeshare rentals and living that life of no regrets.

Here is some interesting silent film footage of Mark Twain, shot by Thomas Edison in 1909, courtesy of YouTube.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Travelocity, the online travel service, says Americans are booking shorter vacations, especially for overseas destinations. For summer trips planned by US travelers to destinations outside the US, the trip duration is more than 5 percent shorter in length than in past years.

Research from AIG Travel Guard (travel insurance) says that almost half of all clients who responded to a questionnaire say they plan to alter their summer vacation in order to save money. Some say they will eat in less expensive restaurants, (look for the crowds at McDonalds) while others say they will relax closer to home. And in anticipation of this trend, regional theme parks are gearing up for a very busy summer.

All-inclusive resorts are selling well this summer, and while the Travelocity research didn’t specifically address timeshares, one would assume that the eat-in kitchen and dining areas in timeshare condos are looking especially appealing to travelers.

Sell My Timeshare NOW is seeing a dramatic increase in timeshare rentals in 2008, compared to 2007. This increase reflects the ever-growing interest in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. It is also indicative of a whole new market of vacationers who may never buy timeshare, but have recognized the value in timeshare rentals for spacious vacation accommodations that offer room for the whole family and let you skip (or reduce) the cost of restaurant dining.

The Timeshare Rental Solution

This is the year to rent timeshare. It has never made more sense, than now. If the high price of gas or a mortgage that has over-adjusted will prevent you from taking a vacation, then go to a timeshare resales and timeshare rental advertising company and get them started marketing your timeshare rental now.

And if you are planning to enjoy a summer vacation, forget about a crowded room in a high priced hotel, and book a timeshare rental. Get more vacation, spend less money– a timeshare rental can solve a lot of problems.

If there is a theme park in your summer vacation plans, whet your appetite here with this YouTube video of the rollercoaster at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Although Sell My Timeshare NOW is a privately held company, and as such, does not report to stockholders, we do like to keep our timeshare buyers, timeshare sellers, and timeshare renters informed on a regular basis about the state of business in our company.

This week, we released our First Quarter 2008 Statistical Synopsis, as well as a statement to the media. Click here to read our media release and here to download the report in PDF format.

The good news of the report is that it is all good news. Sell My Timeshare NOW saw the number of offers to buy or rent timeshare increase in the first quarter of 2008 by 22 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2007. The dollar amount of the offers during this most recent business quarter was more than $90 million, also reflecting an increase over 2007 numbers.

Timeshare Rentals at Sell My Timeshare NOW

In 2007, Sell My Timeshare NOW started a new program, called Rental Assist. We are very proud of how that service helps timeshare owners who want to use their property as a timeshare rental connect with people who are interested in renting timeshare for their next vacation. Rental Assist is undoubtedly an effective tool for timeshare owners and timeshare renters, as evidenced by the fact that at Sell My Timeshare NOW, offers to rent timeshares rose 141 percent quarter-over-quarter 2007 to 2008.

The Obvious Solution When You Want to Sell Timeshare

When you look at our report, and I really hope you will, you will see that for timeshare owners who are ready to sell timeshare, there is no better choice than Sell My Timeshare NOW. In the first quarter of 2008 alone, offers to buy or rent timeshare totaled more than $90 million, while website traffic for the first quarter rose by 13 percent to nearly 7.4 million people.

In these days when the economy is shaky, I am proud to be able to report to our employees, our community, and all the customers who rely on us to help them with their timeshare resales transactions, that at least, in our little corner of the business world, business is booming!

Interval International has introduced the Dream Vacation Week certification program. With their affiliate, Worldwide Vacation & Travel Inc., II is using the program as an incentive package designed for timeshare developers. The idea is that the program will generate timeshare resort tours or can be used by timeshare developers to enhance the proposition of their non-buyer programs.

Not Limited to Timeshare Resort Developers

The Dream Vacation program is being put to use by other industries besides timeshare companies. Lending Tree, the Home Loan Center, and Match.com for example, are just a few of the businesses that are giving away Dream Vacation Week certificates as part of their loyalty and incentives programs.

Dream Vacations Weeks are not free. Even after you earn an incentive reward through one of the participating companies, you still must pay a timeshare rental fee. You can book timeshare rental stays for your Dream Vacation Week in 7-day intervals only, and you should expect the offerings during peak travel times and at high-demand locations to be limited.

But if you receive a Dream Vacation Week certificate as a benefit for taking out a home mortgage, or as part of your membership in Interval International, it is an opportunity to enjoy a timeshare vacation at a discount price. It is also is great way to gain a firsthand perspective on a timeshare resort before you buy timeshare resales there.

You Don’t Have to Buy a New House to Enjoy Good Deals on Timeshare Rentals

If you earn a Dream Vacation Week certificate, you have an opportunity to enjoy 7 days in a great timeshare rental at prices starting around $600 (and up), depending on the timeshare unit’s size and location. But you don’t have to refinance your home or sign up for an online dating service just to enjoy an excellent price on a timeshare rental.

Sell My Timeshare NOW has a huge inventory of timeshare rentals, at prices and locations that are just as good as those you will see though incentive programs. Timeshare owners sometimes rent timeshare just to cover or offset their annual timeshare ownership membership fees or taxes, which means that the opportunity to enjoy a seriously discounted timeshare stay in a Sell My Timeshare NOW timeshare rental are just amazing. You can take a timeshare vacation, for the number of days you prefer to rent, staying in a timeshare unit and vacation destination that fits your vacation wants and needs.

It’s not a dream. The great deals in timeshare rentals are very, very real and they are available every day at Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Last week ATA Airlines stopped flying. The week before, Aloha Airlines shut down. Air Bus is gone, Oasis Air liquidated, and Champion Air has announced it will cease operations on May 31. Sun Country Airlines says it will lay off 45 of its 156 pilots for the summer, cutting back by 30 percent. Other airlines talk about layoffs, cutbacks, and rising ticket prices.

According to The International Air Transport Association (IATA), between the soaring cost of fuel and consumers forced to cut back on spending, 2008 will be a very tough year for the airlines. In light of this, IATA has twice downgraded its industry profit expectations for 2008.

So what will these changes mean for timeshare owners and the way people use their timeshare weeks?

Timeshare Weeks and the Airline Cutbacks

Airline cutbacks could impact specific timeshare vacation destinations. Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines were only two of several airlines providing service to Hawaii, but they were both economy-priced providers. For people who were barely squeaking the cost of their annual vacation trip into their family budget, before the price of gas and groceries went through the roof, the shutdown of budget airlines could be the final straw.

Yet tourism experts are not predicting that Hawaii, or any other single destination, will be hit unduly by a decline in vacationers. People may vacation differently than they have in the past, staying closer to home, steering clear of high-priced restaurants, or vacationing for fewer days, but most people will still find a way to enjoy some much-needed R & R.

A Tight Economy May Lead to Timeshare Exchange or Timeshare Resales

With the price of fuel driving up the cost of transportation, many timeshare owners will no doubt opt to exchange their timeshare weeks for vacation time at a timeshare resort closer to home. Other timeshare owners may choose to bank their timeshare weeks, hoping that next year funds will be more readily available. Still other timeshare owners may seek to resell timeshare, just to be out from under the cost of maintenance fees and annual expenses.

Before You Sell Timeshare, Consider This Option

Before you do anything, check out your options. Just because this may be a tough year for you to vacation, don’t assume that everyone is dealing with the same issues. There are people in certain career fields who are actually benefitting from the US economy’s problems. In addition, there are some international tourists whose money has never been stronger against the US dollar.

You may find that renting your timeshare unit is a perfect solution. You can hold on to your timeshare resort property, yet typically receive enough money when you rent timeshare to pay your timeshare unit’s annual expenses. If your timeshare is already paid for, and you are not making monthly payments on it, then it really makes a lot of sense to use it as a timeshare rental until your personal budget or schedule loosens up and you can enjoy a timeshare vacation again. Even if you owe money on your timeshare unit, you may decide that it is worthwhile to rent timeshare, holding on to the timeshare unit you have already spent hard earned cash to own.

The bottom line is that you have options. And the timeshare resales and timeshare rentals specialists at Sell My Timeshare NOW can help you decide which options are right for you. Don’t be too quick to throw in the towel; just because some airlines, mortgage companies, or home owners who were already overextended have called it quits doesn’t necessarily mean that you are headed for your own financial crash and burn.

Easter is only slightly less than a week away, yet much of the US is still shoveling snow in their driveway and scraping ice from car windshields. With that in mind, it’s not hard to be enticed by the idea of packing your sunscreen and flip-flops and becoming a vacation property owner in the Maldives, the beautiful islands known as the pearls of the Indian Ocean.

Forty-four of the 200 inhabited islands in the chain of “pearls” are developed exclusively as resorts. Now the United Arab Emirates-based developer, Emerald Vacation Group, is about to add one more - this one, a timeshare resort. The new Turtle Cove Resort will be the first vacation ownership property in the Maldives.

On the private island of Mahadhdhoo, in an idyllic setting on the northern Huvadhu Atoll, the exclusive Turtle Cove Resort and Spa will offer unique timeshare vacation properties. Completion of the resort is scheduled for 2009, and when finished, the timeshare resort will offer 77 one-bedroom villas, with future plans for ten two-bedroom timeshare units. Thirty of the timeshare villas will be located on the water at the lagoon and each one will have a private swimming pool and personal concierge service.

The resort will include fine dining restaurants, a spa, shopping promenade, and a water sports center. According to Emerald Vacation Group’s general manager, Chris Jackson, “The launch of Turtle Cove Resort and Spa marks Emerald Vacation Group’s first foray into the international property arena. We have therefore chosen a unique and exclusive island in a highly sought after part of the world as our entry into an industry that looks set to soar in the coming years. As the first vacation ownership property in the Maldives, we anticipate that Turtle Cove will attract a great deal of interest.”

Opportunities in Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

Here’s a YouTube video that will help you get a better picture of just how beautiful life is in the Maldives. And once you watch this video, you will be so ready to head to your own island paradise vacation, you will need this list of timeshare resales in areas near the Maldives, that are ready, waiting, and are currently available at excellent resale pricing from Sell My Timeshare NOW.

• Malaysia Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals
• Indonesia Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals
• United Arab Emirates Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

The Upgrade: Travel Better Blog recently wrote about a topic we’ve discussed here before in the Timeshare Owners Blog…the dreaded mini-bar.

The luxurious Wynn hotel in Las Vegas has apparently taken mini bar insanity to a whole new level. As many of you know, and we have talked about before here in the Timeshare Owners Blog, some hotel mini bars have motion detectors that charge you for mini bar items that you don’t consume, but just touch or slightly move within the fridge.

The Wynn however, (according to the Upgrade: Travel Better Blog), now employs the same strategy with regard to items that are located outside the mini bar. Snacks are offered on a tray in the hotel guest’s room. There is a written warning that the food sits on an electronic scale and that moving it means you bought it. Unfortunately that apparently also applies to accidently bumping it or casually picking up the snack to inspect it. And what happens if you do intend to pick up one snack to purchase, but in the process cause movement of other items on the tray? Well, apparently you have bought those too, whether or not you really want them. But don’t take my word for it, click here to see the actual photo of cookies at the Wynn.

Crazy? Sounds that way to me. So my suggestion is this: when you travel, rent timeshare or use timeshare weeks you own so that you can enjoy the benefits of a full and functional in-suite kitchen, without trying to pull off a balancing act every time you get near the mini bar.

Previous posts in the Sell My Timeshare NOW Timeshare Owners Blog on the topic of mini bars:

• Timeshare Vacationers Don’t Face “Mini-Bar Pressure”

A weakened US dollar may be creating a tighter economy here at home, but international travelers are enjoying the benefits.

According to a recent article in Hotels Magazine, titled, “Weak Dollar Becomes US Welcome Mat,” not long after Saks Fifth Avenue opened its all-shoe floor last summer, one hundred European women chartered a plane to New York for the sole purpose of shopping - shoe shopping!

International consumers spent almost $3 billion in New York City stores in 2007, insulating many NYC merchants against the economic slump felt by other retailers across the US. Recognizing the value of the foreign shopper, many New York merchants are directing their advertising dollars toward an international clientele.

Historically, New York City is the number one destination for foreign travelers to the US but other cities, such as Miami and Los Angeles, also benefit from international tourist dollars. “According to NYC & Co.,” 46 million people visited the city in 2007, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. And of those visitors, 8.5 million were non-American, a whopping 20 percent increase for the same time period.” (source: Hotels Magazine ©2008 international herald tribune, February 6, 2008, Special Report; pg. 11. Katie Weisman, The New York Times Media Group, New York)

Saks has partnered with The Daily Telegraph in London, offering four day excursions to New York City this spring. Bloomingdale’s has long maintained an international marketing department in addition to their marketing and sales promotion division, because they recognize the importance of the foreign dollar in their New York stores. Bloomingdale’s also cultivates their foreign consumer at their stores in Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco. At their New York City store, where the employees collectively speak more than 40 different languages, Bloomingdales saw an increase of 35 percent in the number of foreign shoppers for 2007.

As the Hotel Magazine article points out, “No one expects revenues from international shoppers to totally compensate potentially flat or declining sales due to continued economic woes of the American economy.” Yet the reality for timeshare owners is that you do not have to depend on the US economy alone if you are looking to sell timeshare or rent timeshare; but you do have to advertise and market your timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in a place that provides vast global exposure. Look for a timeshare advertising and marketing website with a strong and leading presence on the World Wide Web; look for Sell My Timeshare NOW.

This Timeshare Owners Blog post is for college sports fans everywhere-

While you may root for the Tigers, Wildcats, Jay Hawks, Blue Devils, Gators, Huskies, or other high profile college sports team, there are many fans cheering on the Geo Ducks, Banana Slugs, and Boll Weevils.

…Until this week, I’d never heard of any of these teams.

The Geo Ducks is the official team name for Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. These ducks, however, don’t quack. Geo Duck, pronounced gooey-duck, is the name of the largest burrowing clam in the world. “Go Clams Go!”

The student athletes of the University of California at Santa Cruz are known by the name Banana Slugs, while the men’s sports teams at the University of Arkansas at Monticello go by the name of Boll Weevils.

But the interesting team names don’t stop here. In the ranks of US universities and colleges, you will also find: Trolls, Stormy Petrels (a type of bird), Keel haulers, Ichabods, Cobbers, Gorlocks (even after Googling the word, I am not sure what a gorlock is), Lemmings, Poets, Moundbuilders, White Mules, and Squirrels. All of which suddenly make those names we are accustomed to, like the Trojans, Bruins, and Cardinals, seem downright boring.

And if you will be attending sporting events, art exhibits, plays, concerts, or any other activity at these uniquely-named universities and colleges, you can skip the motels and hotels, and schedule to stay in timeshare rentals or timeshare resales. There are great opportunities in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at all of these locations, which means you never have to miss any of the Geo Duck and Banana Slug excitement.

Credit for the sports team information in this blog posting goes to Josh Pahigian, who wrote the original article for ESPN Travel. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Timeshare resales that make it easy to take in home games for Geo Ducks:

• Washington Timeshare Resales
• WorldMark Marina Dunes Timeshare Resales

For Banana Slugs fans:

• San Francisco Timeshare Resales

And for supporters of the Boll Weevils:

• Arkansas Timeshare Resales

And here is YouTube substantiation of the GeoDuck mascot in action:

Saturday’s Timeshare Owners Blog reported on several factors that could strengthen the interest in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in the Bahamas, including two US airlines that are adding more flights to Grand Bahama.

The Weekend Edition of England’s Travel Mole reported that British Airways increased their number of flights from Gatwick to St Lucia and will offer a non-stop flight rather than flying via Antigua, which creates a two-hour layover. Caribbean Airways’ codeshare flight with British Airways to the Port of Spain route will incorporate the new flights via St Lucia as well as four weekly Barbados flights.

Also according to The Travel Mole, despite the fact that over 60 percent of Bahamas hoteliers who participated in an economic survey reported a net loss for 2007, the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA) continues to be optimistic about the tourism sector’s performance in 2008. President of the Bahamas Hotel Association Russell Miller says that hoteliers do blame the week US economy for the 2007 downturn.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has predicted a record year for 2008 with 10.5 million passengers originating from North America and 2.3 million from international markets, but they say they fear that the Caribbean will not be a hot destination for 2008. According to the Special Features News of the Travel Mole, “We anticipate that the unparalleled diversity of cruise experiences offered by our members will result in another record year for the industry.”

Yet they quickly follow this quote by explaining that, “…climbing US unemployment might soften demand in the Caribbean which offers the most affordable offerings. Low income consumers tend to lean towards Caribbean cruises based on pricing, said Robert Simonson of William Blair & Co.”

Like so many other things about the potential economic ups and downs of 2008, only time and hindsight will tell us precisely what the year will mean for Bahamas tourism and Bahamas timeshares. But as the Timeshare Owner’s Blog said yesterday, “logic says, the more the Bahamas develop into a highly desired tourist destination, the easier it could be to sell your Bahamas timeshare resale or use it as a Bahamas timeshare rental.”

Here are only a few of the opportunities in Bahamas timeshare resales and Bahamas timeshare rentals available through Sell My Timeshare NOW:

• Viva Vacation Club at Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach
• Sandyport Beaches Resort
• Island Seas Resort
• Freeport Resort and Club