Do you go timesharing with family or friends or both?

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

We generally travel as a couple and if some friends seem interested in the area where we will be heading, we might invite them for all or part of the trip...friends who can be low-maintenance (i.e. don't rely on us to entertain them or keep them "busy") are the only ones we ever consider inviting.

We have only taken a few trips that included family members, but we found that was too hard to coordinate as our tastes and activity levels are too different. We like to prepare and eat most of our meals in the TS unit for the most part, and are not into "sightseeing" restaurants...so folks who want to dine out are really not interested in doing the timeshare thing with us.

What is your usual travel group?

[schiff1997 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close schiff1997]

We generally timeshare with family and/or friends. My DH and our 15 yr old DD always try and get the biggest unit available where we want to go, then the invitation to others goes out. This has actually convinced other family members and friends to buy resale timeshares as we did off ebay. Last year we travelled to our home resort Silver Lake and it was as if the good old Ottawa Valley has decended on the resort Ah!!! Great time, great conversations, great drinks!!!

But every fall has become quiet time for my DH and I, we usually take a four day weekend and take off by ourselves.

[eal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eal]

We generally book multi-bedroom units and invite friends and family to join us for a week or just for a few days. So far it has always added to our enjoyment of the vacation.

However in March we had a studio/sleeps 6 unit at Scottsdale Camelback Resort and ended up hosting a double birthday bash with 5 additional guests! It all worked out, one couple stayed at the Motel 6 up the street and another couple ran into friends at the resort who had a 2-bedroom with one bedroom empty. But we ended up eating and socializing in our little studio, it was VERY cozy...

[thetaxqueen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close thetaxqueen]

It's all good. Friends, family and significant others.

I usually use one week with my girlfriends right after my busy season to unwind. Last year - Aruba. This year - the FLA Keys. Next year Cabo.

Another week I go with my family (we all get along great). Last year both of my sisters, my mother and all of our kids went to Big Cedar and had a BLAST. This year My younger sister & I plus 5 kids are going to Oceanside CA in August.

I take my kids (16 & 23)(I am a single mom) to the dells a couple of times a year (once in the summer for waterparks and once in the winter for skiing) since we live in the Chicago area.

If I happen to have a boyfriend, I go with him somewhere nice for a week. He usually picks up the rental car so it works well for me. Last year the Smokeys, this year Hawaii.

I LOVE IT ALL

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Mostly just the 2 of us and Dear Mom. We do a major trip with our adult children every 12-18 months reserving several 2 bedroom units so everyone has plenty of space. We do a lot of sight-seeing together and spend meal times together, sharing the prep and clean-up.

Traveling with friends is rare anymore. Like Katiemack, we prepare our own meals 90% of the time and, although we enjoy seeing the local sights, we aren't into zip lining or swimming with sharks. We spend as much time relaxing and enjoying the resort as we do out and about.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

About half the time we timeshare with either friends or family. We just returned from Grand Cayman, where we shared a two-bedroom unit with two of our adult sons, while our daughter and SIL had a one-bedroom unit two doors down from us. We taken two vacations in Hawaii with my brother and SIL.

One of the reasons I love timeshare is the ability to vacation with family and friends. Sharing a condo is a lot like sharing a home; it's totally different from having rooms in the same hotel or nearby hotels.

Of course, the key is sharing your space with whom you really don't mind sharing space.

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

Sometimes, we've traveled with another family (various friends or relatives) and we've always gotten separate 2BRs for each family, except for once in a huge lock-off 3BR+ with DH's parents. We've also had the kids bring along friends on most trips. It's always worked out well. We're recently started taking trips alone as a couple again and that's great!!!

When with a group, we'll generally spend a part of each day together - maybe just a meal or pool time, a hike or some local sightseeing, depending on what we all want to do in common. But we tend to have some differing interests too so it's not all togetherness and that seems to make the vacations more relaxing for everyone. We tell them up front that we don't take it personally if they want to do separate things and we hope they'll understand if we want that sometimes as well. We usually eat in the condo (unless we're out sightseeing at mealtime), simply prepared meals. With several hungry, grown teens around, we usually make enough to have dinner leftovers for the next day's lunch anyway so if others happen to be around at dinner, it's casual and they usually join us.

We hope to continue having the kids join us for vacations (in separate condos, of course) every other year or so, once they're on their own. They've expressed this interest as well. It's been fun to share travel experiences together.

[StressCadet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StressCadet]

Of course, the key is sharing your space with whom you really don't mind sharing space.

And sometimes you have vacation amnesia and you invite them again anyway!!

We travel with family. Large groups are fun but it can be challenging. We're getting better at making them understand that not every one wants to eat out every night or do all the activities. As previously stated-it works well when you have that communicated upfront.

I have learned that obtaining an additional unit(s) works wonders-each family can go back to their "own" place and be themselves and rejuvenate the way they prefer before the next "togetherness"

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Over the years, we have shared many timeshare and driving vacations with both our families from Europe and with our best friends too but this year we decided to travel alone to our timeshares and we enjoyed it. We got up late and relaxed a lot as we have seen the scenery so many times already.

We may go alone next year too but we may also change our mind. We don't know yet.

[Dori Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dori]

When our children were young, just the four of us would go on vacation. As they get a bit older, they would each bring a friend, upping the number to six. I would cook just like home, as it was too expensive to take everyone out to restaurants to eat. Those were wonderful trips.

As the kids got older, and either couldn't come because of job restraints, or just didn't want to hang out with Mom and Dad, we started to travel with SIL and her hubby. Now we either go by ourselves, or invite friends.

Our DD now has a baby (our first grandchild! ), so now she, her hubby and the baby are starting to accompany us. They joined us for a week in Florida this past February. The baby was 11 weeks old at the time. It was such fun! They are hoping to come again next year, for 2 weeks.

Dori

[JoAnn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoAnn]

We've spent quite a few t/s vacations with our now adult kids (many other vacations with the kids when they were growing up) and only one with friends...That was the biggest mistake we ever made. I said NEVER again. No adventures with them. They said they had quite enough of Cabo and had seen all of Mexico they wanted!!!

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

We are taking our first 'solo' trip since 2005 next week. We almost always travel with family and many times with family and friends if the unit is big enough or we can get more than 1 at the same place.

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

I always do at least one week per year with my brother (the one you met in Sedona, Katiemack). The rest of the trips are divided between DH and my girlfriends. What is really good is that DH and DB get along famously and have vacationed as a huge family.

We did, only once, vacation with a married cousin and her husband; we went to Greece and it was the most horrid vacation of my life. The female cousin whined the entire two weeks. I'd prefer a root canal over another trip with her.

Joy

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

We've tried to take family along for several years and they never take us up on the offer. However, some very close friends so come along almost every year. We get two units, so they don't have to tag along and can make their own plans. We get together for drinks or a dinner at each other's unit at least once. Next year, we are planning on a bigger get-together with more friends.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

Usually just me + DH, but I have taken several trips with "The Girls" and some family members - my brother, my mother. Would like to get a group trip to Cabo for friends and family in the next couple years. I think it would be a ton of fun with a large group.