LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN

I just realized that we’re into July and have already clocked six months in 2012. While that might seem like a lot of time gone past, there are some of us who have planned a vacation in the second half - which gives us something exciting to look forward to.

If you’re interested in timeshare, it’s really useful to plan your holiday around the time that you can take a break with the entire family. Having said that, it’s not really easy to get the kind of holiday weeks that you’re really interested in – especially with the larger, more popular resort locations.

Eventually, it means you have to plan around what’s available and how efficiently you can free up the calendars of the entire family. It’s usually tricky with children in school because, schools have a clear, pre-assigned vacation time - there’s absolutely no leeway here. From my observations, it is easier for working couples to get their offices to free up time, than get kids to take a break outside their vacation slots. So it makes sense to start with the kids and work around other members of the family.

But wait, all is not lost.

Check out the exchange options with your resort helpdesk or the new avenues possible with RCI. This way you really get to widen the horizon on the holiday destinations open to you.

Here are some questions you could keep in mind when you’re planning or choosing your holiday destination for the year. Some of these are not directly related to the facilities and offerings of the resort in question, but relate to a wider canvas of holiday experiences, in and around the location.

• Are there other tourist locations nearby that will extend your holiday experience?
  
  
• Will your holiday experience open a new page in history and culture?
  
  
• Does the location give you a refreshing change from the tried & tested, to new & undiscovered.
  
  
• Will your vacation let you do something that figures in your “never before” list?
  
  
• Does the resort have activities for different age groups in your family?
  
  
• Will it give your parents the kind of peace and tranquility they look forward to?

Well, you might not get all this in one basket, but it is useful to look at your annual vacation from more than one perspective. I would also advise resort owners to sometimes look beyond facilities and features – to help identify interesting peripheral experiences around your project locations.

Sometimes they are out there, and waiting to be discovered.

B. S. Rathor
Chairman, AIRDA