? wk ? How did you get bitten by

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

the travel bug. As I am getting ready to leave on my next journey I was thinking what inspired us to want to travel and see the world? For me it was the excitement of something new and seeing all the different wonders of nature. I can't say it was my parents as we only went to MB and to Lake Placid to see her folks. My first ts exchange was to Utah and I was a greenhorn, didn't do any research and thought Utah was flat like the desert. Little did I dream I would see the most incredible cliffs, colors, and textures. I think that was it for me. I couldn't wait for my next adventure. shaggy

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Always like travel. See different town, different people, feel the nature do its work, or just drive around to feel I am still alive. Probably because I was single for too long, and happen to sell some stock at 2000 and just want to spend it. Went to a sale presentation, sounds good. So ask a friend what TS he has, and jump in to buy FF in retail that year. Of course then get married at end of year (did not expect this soon), so suddenly realize I probably should let my money work harder. But from time to time I have those impluse to buy something (bad habbit from signle days), so resell TS become good place.

Jya-Ning

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

With me, I think it all began with a desire to escape the New York winters. As a teenager, I can remember being totally intrigued by pictures of the many beautiful beaches, and palm trees I would see in travel advertisements.

I always envisioned myself lying on the beach with a tropical drink, and a big smile.......

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

I can only remember two "real" vacations growing up. The first was a Greyhound bus trip with my Great Aunt. We went from Chicago to Detroit, they Canada into Niagara Falls, into NYC, and back thru the northern states in about 10 days (some hotel stays)...guess that did it for me as I remember counting the states I had been through. The second vacation was with my Dad and Step Mom & sister from IL to NOLA to FL and back home. But in my HS Senior year I took Geography (do they still teach that subject?) and as we studied I really became interested in what the other states and countries looked like and how the people lived there. I remember learning about Key West and thinking...some day I'm going to go there....and now we have a daughter who has lived in Key West since she graduated from the U. of WI/Whitewater in '77.

After getting married, we always took our kids to housekeeping cottages on lakes in Wisconsin & Minnesota. But the timeshares took us (and our kids) to far off places. We have been to all 50 states, Mexico, Canada, South America (3 countries), Costa Rica, but, alas, never Europe.

[hope54 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hope54]

I grew up being a world traveler because my family worked in West Africa. We would come 'home' to Canada or the States every four years for a respite. We would travel through Europe on our journey to North America. I settled in Seattle 36 years ago but married a "Seattlite" who wanted to visit the world. In our marriage we have lived in India and Europe for brief times. I have raised my children to love travel and I am happy about that.

Even our business incorporates travel. We get work in Hawaii so "have" to go there. And we are an international site for craftsmen from the French Mastercraftsman Guild, so now we have young European come here regularly; another reason to spend time in Europe.

We are new in the timeshare world - still trying to make it work for us.

Hope

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

We also went nowhere

the one big trip we made was when Disneyworld first opened in 1971. We drove down I-95. Those were the days of AM top 40 radio stations. To this day I can't hear America's "Horse with no name" or Neal Young's "Heart of Gold" without vividly recalling that trip.

Our game was being the first to spot and read the South of the Border signs.

We usually spent summers driving back and forth from Queens to Long Beach, Long Island, NY and later at the Atlantic Beach Club.

My first husband had spent a lot of time traveling prior to dating me so not much travel there either. Although I learned to ski and we went to ski out west in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. But mostly lots of camping, which I grew to hate.

After the divorce I went with my stepfather and my sister to Puerto Rico and my love of the caribbean began. Current husband also loves caribbean and it's beaches and peoples. Our first vacation together 16 years ago was using my sister's timeshare to visit St Maarten ( Royal Palm ). We visited the Greek Islands together with a friend and her husband who is a Greek National. Then we used it another time to go to Club Cala in Palmas del Mar.

Those were the beginning days of ebay and we bought our first timeshare foreclosure. Two years later we added another. Then we found TUG. The rest is, as they say, is history.

I only wonder if our son will keep traveling as he reaches adulthood or goes back to the "been there done that and want to stay home" state.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Lawren, I smiled when I read yours. I was at Disneyworld opening day. There weren't many tourists, mostly media.

I loved reading all those South of the Border signs. Couldn't wait to get there. Even tho I think it is the biggest tourist trap I still have to stop and take pics , Will be stopping there Sat on the way Sort of like all those signs that said See Rock City. ( Never saw it tho, it's on my list. shaggy

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

The call of the Islands ........

When DH & I were married, we didn't have much of a honeymoon as he was in the Army. We spent our first year, (a very memorable one.......), in Germany, and TRIED to do a bit of traveling then. Unfortunately, our & the military's idea of importance differ....... After we came home, children quickly followed, and dreams were put on hold. We always kidded that the kids would send us to Hawaii for our 25th. In 1994, DH was hospitalized, and to make a long story short, we decided that we weren't postponing anything anymore. In November of 1995, we went to Hawaii for our 25th. This was a very expensive trip, as it was before we bought our timeshare. The following summer, we had gone on a tour down Newport ~ and saw how we could go back to the Islands for a third of what we paid. That did it ~~ only trouble is that we've been having so much fun going to other places, that we haven't been back to Hawaii yet!!