Surprisingly, timeshare has been in existence as a concept since the 1960s. A ski resort owner in France decided that owning a set amount of time in a resort each year was a much more practical way to have a holiday than renting. Over time his idea became popular, and the timeshare concept has steadily grown in popularity ever since, particularly in the USA.

Why do people buy and use timeshares? When you buy a timeshare, you become owner a tiny part of the property, and for many people they like the feeling of security and ownership that gives them. Maintenance and other ownership costs are split among all the property owners, and generally the owners will combine to hire a professional manager to take care of the resort.

Once you own timeshare, you're guaranteed to have that amount of time in the resort each year, which can be a big plus if it's a very popular resort. When the resort's a little quiet, they may offer extra weeks to owners at a much cheaper rate than normal rental weeks. The biggest benefit for most people, however, is that you can exchange your own week at your resort for a week at an entirely different resort. This is great if you don't really want to vacation in the same place every year. You can exchange into resorts all over the world, which is an enormous range of places and climates to choose from. So it will take a long time to run out of places you'd like to visit.

Timeshares also offer a quality vacation. Many timeshare resorts are of the highest quality, incorporating luxury features within the accommodation itself, and many extra resort facilities such as tennis courts and swimming pools. The variety is astonishing, and I've always been impressed with the resorts I've visited, both in terms of quality and facilities. Even in the short time I've owned a week of timeshare, I've stayed in a luxury Hawaiian beachside apartment, a chalet in the Canadian Rockies, by a peaceful lake in New Zealand and beautiful Australian bush setting.

Sometimes, a timeshare resort will set up an agreement with other timeshares, which means you get access to cheap weeks at the other resorts as well. If you find you don't want to use your week one year, you can let family or friends use it. All you need to do is pay the annual maintenance fee. There are timeshare resorts available all over the USA, so you should be able to find one relatively close by. You can usually arrange a free tour, or even stay for the weekend at a reduced rate if you're thinking of buying a week at the resort. During your stay it's a good idea to talk to other owners and get their feedback. Timeshares can be a wonderful vacation option, so do your research and make sure you buy wisely, if you decide a timeshare is right for you.