Staying in a Timeshare Might Be Your Best Travel Hack Yet

Yes, timeshares are still a thing — a big thing, at that. And they’re even increasing in popularity among younger generations, thanks to benefits like flexible booking options for owners, a diversity of locations, enviable amenities, and the fact that anyone can rent a stay at a timeshare resort. As you start planning your holiday travel (and thinking about all of the stress that can come with it) here's our advice: Consider booking a timeshare for a post-holiday reset, a trip to unwind and welcome in the new year with some real TLC and relaxation.

A timeshare is the ideal option for a post-holiday reset trip, thanks to the home-like comforts that make it a truly relaxing experience. Instead of putting up hundreds of dollars every night for a hotel that glows blindingly under UV light, you're in a home away from home, managed by some of the biggest hospitality brands in the world. 

Timesharing can also help anchor your packed schedule and cut down on planning time: With a timeshare, you can take the all-important step of committing to your vacation dates far in advance. It beats burning a week of evenings researching flight and hotel deals with "flexible dates" that never line up, before finally clicking in frustration on whichever vacation package won't have you buying airport espressos at 2 a.m. With a timeshare, you can even adjust your dates of stay (and the trip length) for what actually fits your life. And now here's the cool part: With modern timeshare products, you're not bound to the same place year after year, thanks to a flexible, points-based system that allows you to book new destinations.

So what’s your timeshare style? Contrary to our collective pop culture impression, timeshares are everywhere, with nearly 1,500 resorts located throughout the United States alone. So, no matter what kind of post-holiday vacation is calling to you, there's probably a timeshare option. To help you find your perfect post-holiday reset, ARDA (the trade association for the timesharing industry) has crafted a quiz to identify the reset vibe you need to unwind and reconnect with loved ones in the new year. Here are their six types of timesharing adventurers — which one are you?

Trailblazers seek one thing on vacation, and it's whatever is hiding on the other side of that mountain. They seek elevation and inroads, whether it's the deep pine forest or a snowy skiing escape (to keep those holiday vibes going). Lucky for you, this whole country is cliffs and crevices. (Well… mostly.) Trailblazers can connect with nature in a rustic resort such as WorldMark West Yellowstone, which sits at the actual foot of the treasured national park, or go glamping-adjacent at Gatlinburg's Westgate Smoky Mountain (waterpark included) in Tennessee. Or do a bit of both at Virginia's Massanutten, with skiing options and great shopping besides. (You might just need some trail tools, after all.)

Congratulations! You’ve been claimed by Neptune, god of the sea. If you’re looking for surfing and sailing this winter, the warm breezes of Southern California and the Club Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort have got you covered. Just want to kick back and gaze on the ocean's majesty? The Holiday Inn Club Vacations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is calling your name. South as south gets, Florida sweeps the scene with timeshare fun all around its extensive coastline. But why not go full Florida? Visit Key West's Hyatt Vacation Club at Beach House.

If you've spent the holidays devoid of nature, get in touch with our nation’s gorgeous deserts — maybe try soaking in the sunlight at the Hyatt Vacation Club in Sedona? Or, a little south of the granola vibes found in Taos, New Mexico, you'll find the way to the WorldMark Santa Fe, where the requisite Old Santa Fe Style architecture shows off just how beautiful adobe can be. While Arizona options abound, we'd like to point your gaze west to Marriott’s Shadow Ridge in California, because not enough people think of palms and greenery when they hear the word desert.

Did you think this was heading for a post-holiday girls' trip? It could, but bros can take care of bros, too. Really, we can imagine anything we want. Go ahead and picture a mixed gender, aromantic friendscursion — there are no laws about who gets to wear pink or de-stress constructively. Smart thinking, then, booking this pool and spa luxury getaway in a party-group tourism destination, like the Club Wyndham Grand Desert in Las Vegas, or its sister stay, Orlando, Florida's Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Or maybe go full self-care at Utah's Westgate Park City.

It's wine o'clock somewhere — check that, we're receiving reports now that it's wine o'clock all day, specifically in the many vineyard options available to the oenophiles who book visits with Go Timesharing's Grape Escape Artist recommendations. It won't surprise you to learn that NorCal dominates this list with spots like Napa Valley's Vino Bello Resort, the WorldMark Solvang, and the San Luis Bay Inn. But you could just as easily end up in the southern half of the state, at the WorldMark in Indio, a city with its own culture of wineries. 

If you like visiting huge urban areas to explain why they don't make certain foods as well as the signature dishes in your hometown, boy, have we got a plan for you. Whether you prefer the warmer climate of cities like New Orleans — home to both the Club Wyndham Avenue Plaza and Holiday Inn Club Vacations New Orleans Resort — or the cool and wet PNW, with Worldmark destinations in Seattle at The Camlin and Portland Waterfront Park in Oregon, there are options for the city lovers. From Boston (Marriott Vacation Club at Custom House) to Las Vegas (Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club) to San Francisco (Marriott Vacation Club San Francisco) to Chicago (Chicago Magnificent Mile, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club), there's a timeshare waiting for you in a city that will welcome you for the new year, no matter what you call a grinder/hero/hoagie.

Take the quiz for yourself here.