Writers on timeshare seem to agree that one is lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar with a resale. Some, very cynical about the benefits, say that the chances of timeshare sales-personnel buying into their own product is almost nil. Most categorically claim it is 0%. Not sure if this is quite the case, but people are becoming very disillusioned; no mistake about that. It has become expensive and there is no guarantee of being able to just take off at your specified week; and trust me swapping doesn't always work. You seldom get what you really wanted in the first place, and even if you don't go, you still pay the monthly maintenance fees.

Visiting Youtube was also an eye-opener; people who were once in the timeshare industry, and selling this product, openly speak against it. I am sure that if you can afford around $50 000 for a top week, you will have all the advantage and will be able to book and swap weeks.

But remember that you will then be paying very high monthly maintenance fees, probably also a booking fee, and you are locked into one only week of the year. Of course if you are enormously wealthy and end up buying four or five or more weeks, that's okay. But who's got $100 000 for a couple of weeks?

Also, you will be locking into the resorts that particular company promotes; and only those. What if you wanted to visit a country not on their list? What if you wanted to send friends or family on a guest week somewhere? What if you simply could not afford the monthly maintenance fees or the annual fees? What if you didn't have the money up front, and were offered the finance option that comes with every single timeshare purchase, but then realised you would have to pay around 17 percent finance charges?

All of these are major obstacles. I remember going to a timeshare presentation in Cape Town, South Africa, some years ago. I was shocked at their hard-sell tactics; they got our backs up against the wall, and simply could not take no for an answer. Now I realise why they were so desperate. They know deep down that the product is expensive and not as flexible as they say it is.

What if you found an option that did away with all the above disadvantages. Would you take a look? A company offering a lifetime membership at a fraction of the cost, with unlimited access fifty-two weeks of the year to thousands of resorts in 55 countries around the world. With no monthly maintenance fees or levies.

I know there is an alternative. Check it out, and think twice before selecting the timeshare option: looking around at something like youtube/vontravel will give you a good indication that there are better options out there.