Cheap Family Travel, at what cost?

Before owning the agency, I wanted my children to experience seeing the world, but as a single mom my dreams were bigger than my wallet! I stumbled across time share opportunities in Mexico - you know the ones that look too good to be true! We decided to try this out and I want you to know the good and bad.

Some of these offers go for as little as $400 USD for 5 days, two people all inclusive. The only stipulation is that you attend what is suppose to be a 90 minute presentation with no obligation to purchase. I can tell you from experience 90 minutes quickly turns to 3 to 4 hours! First thing in the morning on day 1 they run you around a sister resort to see how the other half lives, treat you to breakfast, show you what you too can have. The price quickly slides from tens of thousands of dollars to mere thousands. That was the first tip off for me that something was terribly wrong. If you are firm (like me!) and simply wanted your cheap vacation without purchase, they will shuffle you from person to person and the sales tactics are more direct. They keep you waiting and all you want is to go back and enjoy your stay. Im not saying that these opportunities aren't worthwhile, but I saw no value in it for myself. Hey - if I could do a timeshare presentation twice a year for this price, why would I want the hassle of committing to a condo in another country, being responsibile for maintenance fees, which amounted to the same price as my stay?! Nope... it wasn't for me!

First, its a little tricky to arrange since there seemed to be emails back and forth with different documents that needed to be signed within a time frame. Pay attention to these details! Second, you need to arrange your own flights and airport transfers to the resort. You are left on the internet browsing for a deal that will correlate to your stay at the resort which can be frustrating! All who have traveled know that when you purchase a vacation package through a big box company, both hotel and flight have been reduced, so already you are at a disadvantage financially. Keep in mind that Wi-fi is never included and comes at a cost of $30 USD per day per device.

I came back and did the math on my little trip, I was surprised to see that my 5 days ended up costing more than an all inclusive would have for 7 days in the same area. Plus, I wouldn't have had the hassle of arranging it all on my own.