Travel

Why is it when I have lots of stuff happening in my life I feel as though there is nothing to blog about?

We "won" a $40 gas voucher, a digital camera, a four day royal Caribbean cruise for 2 with meals, and a five day, four night holiday to Aruba, Hawaii, Jamaica or Puerto Rico. These were bribes to visit Silverleaf Resorts. There just happens to be one on Lake Conroe, minutes away from us. But guess what? Ownership gets you into all fourteen resorts, including resorts in Flint, Holly Lake Ranch, Canyon Lake and Galveston, Texas, (plus Florida, Missouri, Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado and Illinois). Included is a deed for a one week stay in a cabin per year at any Resort. We also get a 2 bedroom 2 bath stay at any destination anywhere for around $200 a week. We pay travel expenses, but get the accommodations for that amount. Sunday through Thursday we can stay in a cabin (with everything, including dishes, pots and pans, cable TV and maid service) for free, up to 3 days in a row. Weekends, it is $40/night. Day trips are included, and they offer swimming- beach, indoor and outdoor pool, horseback riding, miniature golf, archery, game room stuff, PlayStation, movie theatre and daily activities for the kids. The one in Flint (Lake Palestine) has an indoor water park! Long story short, we did it. Now we have something for the kids to do over the next 3 weeks that they are out of school! If all y'all want details or an invite (we get $50 for referrals) let me know!

The down side? We just joined TAN! It is Travelers Advantage Network, or Southern Journeys. I have found some websites saying it is a scam, but all there proof leads back to only one website, with some pissed off customers. It isn't a scam, because you get what you pay for. If it was a "scam" you would get nothing for your money. People might not like the idea that they are bribed to come in, but it works. Unlike Silverleaf, which recruits via word of mouth, TAN uses something a little different. Ever been to a mall or someplace that has a beautiful car with a box to enter to win? That is how they do it- read the fine print, it says they will be contacting you. So a few days later you will get a call, saying you won a trip, but you have to listen to a presentation to get it. We went, and of the ten or so couples only 2 signed up. We were the first! What it is: prepaid vacation accommodations. For $7000 you get 14 8 day, 7 night vacations in villas, suites, or condos for 4. If you have extra people, for $30 a night you get an extra room for 2. It comes out to $500/week. It is financed, so you don't have to pay up front, and the monthly balance is affordable. The weeks can be used whenever we want, no major blackout dates except Christmas. We stay home for Christmas. Bonus features includes unlimited access to the overbooked places for only $200 a week. This would be nice in conjunction with Silverleaf because that is only available one week a year. We like to drive everywhere we go, so this would work great when we got to Orlando for Disney world. Their condos are right at Disney!!!

Together, these two clubs are giving my family freedom to travel and do wonderful things we would not normally be able to afford. The Silverleaf Resorts package we are purchasing is upgradable to different packages, including staying in lodges rather than cabins. The second bedrooms in the lodges have private access with a kitchenette and full bath, so we could go with another couple, or have family stay with us or near us. Personally, C and I prefer the cabins tucked into the woods over the lodges we viewed. Right now we are set to only use our overnight stays in the winter months, but that is fine. We will upgrade later on to use it all year round. Did I mention it has been in the upper 70s and lower 80s lately? Winter in Texas suits me just fine.