Affordable Family Vacations - Review

       I'm always looking for affordable vacations for my family. I search all the big name travel websites,  subscribe to all the last minute deals, and spend hours reading reviews and comparing prices. I weigh the pros and cons of locations, amenities, and accommodations.  I considered myself a "thrifty" traveler.  I shamefully admit that I have never considered timeshare rentals until now.

       I believe RedWeek.com is the answer to affordable family vacations. At RedWeek.com, timeshare owners post their units for rent or sale directly to its members (and over 1.5 million registered users). Travelers come to RedWeek.com to rent or buy timeshares units directly from the owner, often at tremendous savings compared with hotels or dealing with the resort itself. A RedWeek.com membership gives access to all of the information on timeshare rental listings on its website, including reviews, and the ability to engage in rental agreements with great budget-friendly offerings.

Traveling can be stressful enough.  Here are some of the "problems" my family usually faces when traveling:

Problem: Everyone and everything crowded into one small hotel room.

Think about all of the baby gear, snacks, toys, toiletries, and clothes you and your family will need for a one week trip. Cram that all into a 400 sf. room with two queen beds and only one bathroom, and you will be doing anything but relaxing in there.

Solution: Timeshares are spacious and most resemble a two bedroom/ two bath condo or apartment. Unit sizes vary from studios to four bedrooms, perfect for families. The kids can have their own bedroom which means the parents can stay up late in the living room while the kids go to bed early. Also perfect for nap time.

Problem: It is expensive eating out for every meal or you need a refrigerator and microwave for the baby's bottles.

Solution: Most timeshares rentals come with a kitchen so you can save money on the cost of meals and snacks.

Problem: Trying to stick to a budget can be difficult.

Solution: Since RedWeek.com offers timeshare rental options to just about anywhere, consider vacationing somewhere that you can drive to. You'll find a timeshare that will accommodate everyone so you can also split the timeshare rental with friends or family.  

The Fountain, Orlando Florida

My Own "Test":

       I really wanted to do my own comparison shopping so I chose Orlando, Florida as the "vacation destination". On RedWeek.com I found a two bedroom/ two bathroom timeshare villa with a queen bed and whirlpool bath in the master suite, and two twin beds in the guest bedroom. The villa which sleeps 6 comfortably is equipped with a full kitchen, stereo, TV with DVD player, and washer/dryer. The price for 7 nights is $1,149 or $164 per night (before taxes) at The Fountains, a Bluegreen Resort . Situated on Lake Eve, this 3-star Orlando resort is within 3 miles of both Discovery Cove and SeaWorld. Wet N' Wild is 4 miles from the resort, and Walt Disney World Resort is 8 miles away.

        I also checked online travels sites and found that they offered the exact same property. For a 2 Bedroom Suite the rate, for the same 7 nights in July, averaged $269 a night totaling $1883.00 (before taxes) for two adults and two children (under the age of 6). The two bedroom suite did not have a washer and dryer, is smaller than the villa, can only sleep four people, and is more expensive than booking the villa with RedWeeek.com.

My conclusion: 

       After toughly exploring and researching RedWeek.com I highly recommend it for all of your vacation needs. I found that their prices and the timeshare value beat big name travel sites when compared to each other. I was also impressed to find how user friendly RedWeek.com is. Members are able to search by multiple options such as Find a Timeshare, Rent or Sell, Timeshare Exchange, RedWishs (want ads), Forums, Resources, and more. You can even search by "Pet Friendly" or specialty destination that include golf courses or beaches. My next vacation will be booked with RedWeek.com. How about yours?

       Now, anyone can login and see this information when logged in as a guest, however, should you decide to take advantage of a great deal, you will need to be a member. 

       RedWeek would like to offer one off my readers the chance to win a Free 2 Year Membership to RedWeek.com! That's a $30 value! The winner will have the opportunity to plan super budget friendly vacations for the next 2 years.

Please use the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win this fantastic prize!

Mandatory Entries: 
Use Rafflecopter form for all entries to this giveaway.
Visit RedWeek.com and leave a blog comment stating something that was learned while visiting their site with your email address. This email address will be used to contact the winner. "Like" Facebook pages of RedWeek's facebook page and Time Share Ambassador. If you don't have a facebook account follow both via Twitter: @redweektravel and @timeshareambass.
The winner will be contacted via email with in 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner has 24 hours to reply by that email or a new winner will be chosen. Any additional questions please email me at loveitor (at)live(dot) com.

Contest is over- please click here for my current giveaways. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.