Timeshares are marketed as the most commonsense and practical way to vacation.  Salespeople proclaim it as an investment in all your future vacations. That may be true under certain circumstances, but for someone who doesn't know exactly what they are getting into, timeshares may become more of a financial burden than investment. Get your money out of your timeshare by using it every year. 

Timeshare salespeople will tell you that purchasing a timeshare will save you money in the long run and you will be able to vacation places that normal circumstances would deem impossible.  Realistically, most people simply break even, and pay for their vacations in advance via the timeshare. When you pay for a timeshare, you are purchasing a space of time (usually a week) in a specific location every year indefinitely. You pay an upfront fee and then an annual fee for maintenance and various other upkeep fees.  While the initial price is set for the entire time you own the timeshare, fees are mandatory and may be increased at the resorts discretion.

So, if you paid $20,000 in upfront costs for your timeshare, and you stayed there every year for the next twenty years, you would be paying $1,000 a vacation, not including fees. This is great, especially if you normally spend more than that paying for hotel rooms and such. This also works well for people who enjoy vacationing in the same area ever year.  The problem happens when timeshare owner begin missing years.  Suddenly the yearly estimate for your $20,000 piece of property jumps to $1200 or $1800 a year, again not including fees. 

In the long run, timeshares can  be a good investment.  But before you buy, consider your family's vacationing habits now.  Will you really use your timeshare enough to break even or even save money on your vacations?  Do you have a location in mind that you would like to visit frequently over the next few years of your life? If you use your plot every year, you are far more likely to get your money's worth out of your timeshare. By using your timeshare as often as you can, you can make your timeshare purchase worth your while while creating memories with your family that will last a lifetime.