Title: The Problem With Timeshares And Vacation Rentals Word Count: 516 Summary: There are more disadvantages to purchasing and renting timeshares than there are advantages. Due to high front end costs, annual fees and inflexibility, timeshares are steadily decreasing in popularity. Consumers are trying to find better ways in which to travel Keywords: timeshare, vacation, vacation rental, cheap trips, travel advice, prroblem with timeshares, timeshare advice, leisure, family travel Article Body: Timeshares are becoming obsolete. As more people want to get away to exotic locations around the world, the demand for timeshares purchases and rentals have gone up. Because of this, prices have also skyrocketed. It is not uncommon to see timeshares going for over $10,000. This high front end cost, plus an annual maintenance fee which can range from several hundred to several thousands, can really do damage to a person's wallet. A timeshare is a bad investment for several reasons. Not only is the cost enormous, they also depreciate in value. Unless you have a timeshare in a very desirable, exotic location, you can never regain the initial capital that was needed to invest in the first place. Many other vacationers decide that perhaps renting is the better choice and when it comes down to price, it most definately is. However, due to high demands, it is near impossible to get your specific resort, in the location that you prefer. Many timeshare owner's, trying to recover their initial fees, charge high rental prices. This has been very discouraging for travelers, as they try to find the best deal for the time that they desire. If you look at the various wanted ads online, you will see that there are people who are posting many months ahead of when they need the resort because of this frustrating circumstance. In this day and age, people are looking for convenience at low cost. No one is interested in paying high fee's and staying at sub-par resorts anymore. There has to be a balance between quality and cost. Up until now, there has not been an alternative to all of this. Throughout the years, many different memberships and clubs have invaded the market, trying to snatch up the customers who are not willing to pay ridiculous sums of money for one week of vacation. Unfortunately, many vacation clubs and memberships operate in the same way. An upfront cost with continuing membership fees, not to mention having to pay for the vacation, saving perhaps only a few dollars here and there. They receive more variety, but the cost is still out of sync. Searching for the perfect vacation can be extremely difficult, especially when you are on a budget. Travel agents can be very helpful in locating a resort at decent prices, but you still have to pay for their commission. Unfortunately, some businesses will take advantage of a customer, if they see that they are less inclined to object to high prices. Fortunately, there are new businesses that allow people to travel for less, at high quality resorts. These full service operations ensure that the customer has every need filled and every question answered. As these alternative choices for travel increase in popularity, the purchasing of timeshares and the need for travel agents will decline at the same time. Why spend thousands of dollars to pay out the profit and commissions, when wholesale prices are available for all aspects of travel? Sometime's it just takes awhile to find the best resource, but when you find it, it is worth it.