The Addison Cafe

They are some of the most skilled salesmen and women you will ever run into, able to psychologically and emotionally woo even the toughest of skeptics. “Ah!” you scoff, “nobody could break my iron will!” But I am not talking about mere cellphones, cars, or jewelry. Oh no. I am talking about selling dreams. The ultimate experience. Unreal relaxation. Paradise. Heaven on earth. What are these people selling? Timeshares.

“All” you have to do is go listen to a 45 min presentation and you “get” a free breakfast! (By free breakfast they mean like the kind a cheesy motel sets out for you in the morning. Like green eggs and ham?) “What a great deal!” you think, as you walk into the dimly lit room repeating in your head the phrase that Nancy Reagan made famous: “Just say no. Just say no.” Leaving the room 6 hours later you dance towards the bathroom from the excitement over the sweet deal you just got. How did they do it?

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes timeshares are a great deal (like when your friend’s rich grandma has one she isn’t using and you get to go instead). Like everything for sale in this world, some things are of value and some aren’t.  Vacations are certainly no exception. Right now my wife and I are trying to figure out what to do next year and the more we think about it, the more overwhelming it becomes. Luckily we have the internet so I can sit surfing at my computer eating a Poptart instead of listening to a rhetoric-packed lecture over fake eggs.

We are still figuring things out, but it made me wonder what everyone else does. Can timeshares be a gold mind? Travel agents? A lot of people have a favorite spot they go back to year after year. Do you have one? Have a favorite website to get deals off of? Any money saving travel tips? Word of mouth is tried and true for passing around hot vacation spots and good deals. Anyone willing to share?