I am a champion of self-care, professionally and personally, and travel is one of the ways that I practice self-care. That is why I’m a proud Hilton Grand Vacations Owner.
My journey to vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations has taken two decades. Let me explain by starting from the beginning.
I inherited my love of travel from my father. I remember my family traveling on the road a lot. One of my favorite travel memories is from when my entire family took a road trip from Louisiana to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for my sister’s graduation from Army basic training. As a child, I was enthralled by how the landscape changed from state to state. Even the people seemed different from place to place.
By the time I left to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., my love for travel expanded. I wanted to live a life that allowed me to travel to new places, meet new people and broaden my understanding of the world and the diversity of humanity that inhabited it.
There was one issue: I was a poor, 17-year-old freshman in college. So I researched ways to travel on a budget, which is how I learned about timeshare.
Of course, I couldn’t afford a timeshare. But I could afford the deals that enticed travelers to buy into a timeshare. I stayed at luxury resorts for only $99 and attended a 90-minute timeshare presentation.
Even though I was using the offers for affordable vacations with timeshare companies, I don’t think I would have ever purchased a traditional timeshare. It didn’t make sense to me to buy a sliver of a stake in a property I could use once a week every year.
But then, two things changed: I met my now-fiancé and the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the many things I first loved about my fiancé was his love of travel. He had already traveled to destinations that were on my bucket list, and he already owned timeshare. We used many of the perks of his timeshare during the pandemic. After isolating at home together for several months, we began feeling antsy. We used some of his available “weeks” to travel to different locations within driving distance of home.
By the end of 2020, my partner and I stayed in Williamsburg, Virginia; the Shenandoah Valley; Orlando and Ocean City, Maryland. Though they may not have been our top choices for travel under “normal” circumstances, those trips turned out to be unexpectedly rewarding experiences.
Eventually, other destinations opened to travelers, and we felt more comfortable flying. My fiancé and I traveled to the Hilton Waikoloa Village® on the Big Island in Hawaii. The experience was transformative. I don’t know if it was Hawaii’s lush and unadorned natural beauty or because I was experiencing the tropical splendor with the man I was falling deeper in love with. I had to find a way to maintain that vacation feeling.
Before we left Hawaii to return home, I became a Hilton Grand Vacations Owner.
Prior to my Waikoloa experience, I couldn’t make financial sense of purchasing a timeshare — despite all the travel I have experienced in adulthood. I have been a Hilton Honors™ member for nearly two decades. It seems like a no-brainer to me now, but if I were ever going to purchase another timeshare, it would be with Hilton Grand Vacations.
One of the aspects of ownership I appreciate the most is the ClubPoints allotments. I customized my ownership to include an oceanfront Studio for one week at Waikoloa every other year.
My fiancé and I aren’t likely to return to Hawaii that often because we enjoy exploring new places. Vacation ownership actually supports our desire to do that. With ClubPoints, I can take the Points I receive every other year for Waikoloa and apply them to the other Hilton Grand Vacations properties. I can spend a week every other year in Hawaii or use those same points for one week at three different resort properties within the portfolio.
There are many ways to enjoy travel without depleting your financial resources. “Do more while paying less” is my motto for travel, and I can do so with Hilton Grand Vacations.
Read “3 Tips To Maximize Ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations” for Owner-recommended ways to make the most of vacation ownership.