Should I Go to a Travel Presentation for a Free Trip?

Is Sitting Through a Timeshare Presentation Worth it?

You've heard of people getting free trips for sitting through travel presentations, right? A 2-hour sales pitch asking you to buy a timeshare, and no matter your decision, they promise to give you a free trip. So... should you do it?

I just sat through a 2 hour sales pitch hosted by a company called Great Resort Vacations. They wanted me to pay $20,000 for the opportunity to book stays with them at a discounted rate for life. In exchange for sitting through their presentation about the deal, they promise a free trip of some kind. But you don't get the free trip until they have exhausted all their sales-pitch options.

I am all about finding a deal on travel. And they know how to get you. Show you luxury hotels, tell you the un-discounted cost per night, and then they tell you how much they can get the deal for. They give you points to spend. The company buys time shares, so they basically pay for the time shares and then list what they have for their clients.

So... Is It Worth It?

You're an adult. You make your own decisions. But I'm going to give my 2 cents. The deal they're offering is not worth it. I know I don't know the details, but I can say that with confidence.

They'll say it's a great deal. It will take the stress out of planning. You'll have the best trips of your life.

There's a reason they try so hard to get you to commit right there. They know if you leave, you'll start to realize it's really not as wonderful as they made it out to be.

In my case they were making it sound like a 2-week Italian vacation will cost $400? No. They don't tell you that that's only the hotel. What about airfare? Transportation? Food? Day trips and sight seeing? Souvenirs?

Even if the only thing you care about on a trip is staying in a luxury hotel... there are other (cheaper) ways you can find these deals.

But if you know you're not going to commit, is it worth it sitting through the presentation?

Know What You're Signing Up For

Here are the tips if you think it's worth it to sit through the presentation for a free trip:

You should be aware of what they're asking. What's the time commitment? Are you sacrificing anything by being there? There's always an opportunity cost. 2 hours you could spend doing something else.

Also, are you good at saying 'no' over and over again? Saying it once won't work. You might have to get pushy yourself.

My experience today, they sat me and my friend down at a table with the sales rep. He repeatedly told us "we're not pushy, this deal is so good we don't have to be." They were definitely pushy. 'We'll give you a deal', 'I'll get the guy from corporate to come over, he has more power than I do to cut you a deal'. It felt like the last time I bought a car, I knew there was a nationwide sale going on but they made it seem like they were doing me a favor by giving me the deal mentioned the sale.

This is what Francis Bacon meant by 'Knowledge is Power' friends.

Don't give them your reasons for saying 'no', they've done their homework on the best rebuttals for all the reasons. Even the "I can't afford it" they really told us "this is good debt." If they can keep you there longer, they will. They don't have your best interests in mind.

Our sales rep told us that right out of high school he got into a timeshare. He paid $20,000 plus maintenance fees and he was locked into a 10 year contract. I did wonder about his life choices that he paid for the deal he was selling us and 4 years later he signed up to work for them. $20,000 plus $200 annually to get access to good deals? That's not a good deal.

He also told us when he was traveling in Mexico he agreed to sit through a presentation to get discount tickets to tourist sites near where he was staying. He told us they picked him up from his hotel and drove him about an hour south to a nice luxury resort for their presentation. After a couple hours, he said no to their offer and they gave him the free gift for listening and told him he had to pay for his own ride back. Know what you're getting into.

I'm no financial advisor, but it's never a good idea to spend thousands of dollars on an impulse. But maybe I'm just not that kind of rich.

Is the 'Free Trip' Really Free?

You should also be aware of what the 'free trip' is that they promised. Are there fees? Does it include airfare? They might not be willing to answer these questions during the presentation, but get as many details as you can before committing.

The offer they offered us was initially a 'Disney Vacation for 4! Airfare & accommodation included!'

Turns out 2 of those 4 have to be kids.

The airfare might be a red eye. And it only departs from certain airports.

The accommodation is an 'economy' hotel or motel.

There is a $100 refundable fee and a $240 deposit for taxes and fees ($60 per person).

There are blackout dates, you can't request a trip within 7 days of any holiday.

You have to leave on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.

You have to send a letter, wait for a letter to have the phone call you need to call, and then have 3 different options all 60 days before you want to travel.

You have to wait for a confirmation letter, sign it, then send it back.

So there are a lot of hoops.

Your trip may or may not have all of these hoops, but be aware, it might not be what it seems.

View from the Miradouro da Graça

Consider This Instead...

I mentioned there are better ways to get deals. First of all, if you don't really care about staying in a luxury hotel, you can get decent accommodation in most places for less than $100 a night per person.

But if you do want all of the travel deals, what I would say?

Become a travel agent.

Really though.

You don't have to plan on selling to anyone, you just pay a host agency to get the certifications. If they're Disney certified, do the training and you get 50% off park tickets and resorts.

And if you book vacations through yourself, you can make commission on your own booking.

Usually a host agency will charge you to work with them, I paid less than $200 for a year membership.

I'm not a hosting agency. I'm not getting paid to say any of this, I really just want to share what I've learned as I've dipped my toe into the travel industry and found, I don't always love the way they treat people to make money. As someone who has gone this route- paid a hosting agency for training and got a few great deals on travel... I would say if you want to pay someone to get deals on travel- this way seems like the best way. I'm not sure I'll pay for it every year, but I'm not mad I tried it out.

If you want to ask me questions about my experience, I'd love to share! You can find my contact information below.

About the Author

Hi, I'm Tara-

I want to be a different kind of travel advisor.

One who shares information and education and empowers you, rather than one who is motivated to make money off of you.

I want to share what I've learned. What I believe makes the best trip, how to get deals, travel on a budget, I would definitely consider myself an expert in that department.

You can read a lot of my tips and tricks for free online through my blog. If you want to consult with me about a trip, I'll charge a fee to help you plan, but I'll leave the actual booking up to you. That way you know the advice I give is not motivated by commission.

Follow along for my stories, tips, and tricks!