Travel plan idea blog

Penang real estate on the rise thanks to MM2H

I wrote about MM2H once before but am still keeping track of it because my wife and I would love to have a vacation home in Malaysia at some point in the future.

Some Malaysians recently recommended buying property in KL. They think real estate there is going to rise sharply. This article talks about how real estate in Penang has risen sharply, thanks largely to foreigners buying property through MM2H.

Personally, I wasn't too impressed with Penang. The resort was nice but the beaches and the city weren't real special for me. And you can find a nice resort anywhere, like Plantation Bay.

But I'm not so sure about KL either. I could see buying there as an investment but I think I want my vacation home closer to the beach than the city. Or if not the beach, something natural.

MM2H = Malaysia My Second Home: good retirement or vacation home option?

A colleague of mine was telling me today about a program the Malaysian government runs that he might take advantage of. The MM2H program is designed to encourage foreigners to either buy a vacation home or retire in Malaysia.

This Malaysian article (it's a business article) says that many MM2H people are buying in Penang. I went to Penang and have no real desire to go back (though the hotel was very nice). Partly that was because the taxis stressed me out (they don't use the meter so taxis in Penang are always more expensive then in Kuala Lumpur (assuming you take the time in KL - different KL link - to find one who will use the meter).

In the article, people predict that real estate in both Penang and KL will go up. That's one possible reason to buy a vacation or retirement home in Malaysia but it's not enough.

This article lists some more reasons:

1. It's always hot. Obviously this won't thrill everyone but if you hate winter...
2. There is no language issue. Almost everyone speaks English, unlike in Charles de Gaulle Airport...
3. Good health care - Malaysia is a medical tourism destination.

Then the article gives you the basics of MM2H:

To attract affluent retirees, the Malay government operates the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme to allow foreigners to stay in Malaysia for extended periods. Participants over 50 must deposit a minimum of RM150,000 (or about $43,000) in a Malay bank account (yes, you get interest and you can withdraw part of it after a year) or have access to a monthly pension of at least RM10,000 ($2,900), as well as having at least RM350,000 ($102,000) in liquid assets back home. In return, you get a 10-year pass that allows you to come and go. The pass is renewable and you pay no tax on income derived outside of Malaysia. Property prices in Malaysia are reasonable: you could buy a three-bedroom, 100-sq-m condominium in Penang for RM300,000 to 330,000 ($86,000 to $94,000) or pay about RM1,000 to 2,000 ($285 to $570) per month to rent the same space.

So basically they want people who have money moving there. I guess you can't blame them for that. Most countries prefer people with money...

The other interesting thing is that the program is for people 50 and over. I don't have any idea why they would prefer people 50 and up. Isn't a 40-year-old with money just as good?

If you don't have money, maybe Long Beach would be good (no electricity bill).

Where would you buy a vacation home?

This article on Canadians buying vacation homes in the US got me looking for more articles on vacation homes.

According to this article, it's no surprise that foreigners are buying US property considering the weak dollar. Actually the other article also mentioned the relative strength of Canadian currency to the US dollar.

Apparently people from Winnipeg, Canada are especially fond of Arizona. Sunshine, golf, and a battered real estate market are making Arizona look good.

While Canadians want to go south, Americans are worried about the chimneys in their vacation homes which probably means they often buy in colder areas.

I would personally love to have a vacation home and was thinking somewhere cheap would be nice. For example, buying property in Brazil could be less of a financial stress than buying in the US. However, buying in a foreign country involves some red tape (see the first article I linked to). Also, when we were in Punta Cana, my wife and I say that you get condos by the beach for $60,000 or so.

Virginia's Natural Bridge for sale

Speaking of buying micronations, how about Natural Bridge, a 215-foot-high limestone arch in Virginia? Apparently it's only 39.5 million and just waiting to be developed.

Outdoor garden & living areas: worth the price of your next vacation?

A few weeks or so ago, I wrote about an article that talked about modeling your garden after what you see on vacation.

Well here's another similar article. They talk about "creating a 'chat pit' - the new buzzword for seating around a fire pit..." and various styles such as Spanish colonial or Japanese.

I guess the idea is that one vacation inspires you to create an outdoor living space modeled on whatever theme inspired you in the first place. Then you skip your next vacation paying for the expensive outdoor area. I hate the idea of skipping vacations, but it makes sense for some people considering that you use your home a lot more often than you travel. It's kind of like making your home a vacation spot.

Buying a vacation fome the financially responsible way

This is a very practical article in which the author writes about her experience buying a vacation home. She partnered up with some relatives to make it more affordable and chose a place where people want to rent year-round. When the family isn't using the vacation home, it's being rented out fully furnished.

There is some faulty thinking here:

The one advantage to the high cost is that, between the management company's fees and all the other expenses needed to run the house, no matter how often the house is rented, it will always operate at a loss. That should mean some big deductions come tax time.

Operating at a loss is never an advantage. Sure you're getting a tax deduction, but don't forget that you're losing money! Now you expect a vacation home to cost you money - all vacations cost money. There's nothing wrong with spending money on a vacation home but there is something wrong with looking for ways to lose money in order to get more tax deductions.

Despite the flaw, I do think this is a good article. The author made some errors we can learn from (especially with the insurance) and warns us of some potential problems.

Exchanging homes for vacation no matter where you live

I wouldn't have guessed it, but apparently people are anxious to vacation in Oklahoma - so anxious that one person is getting more offers to exchange homes for vacation than she can handle. Some advice for people who want to exchange homes but who live in the middle of nowhere:

Ed Kushins, president of HomeExchange.com, the Web site featured in last year's film "The Holiday," said people shouldn't be discouraged if they live in a place that isn't generally thought of as a vacation spot. They just might have to work a little harder.

You have to be a little more proactive in sending out inquiries, Kushins said. If you're enthusiastic and descriptive about the benefits and what there is to do where you live, you're going to get some responses.

Timeshare warnings - reasons not to buy

From broken promises about room quality to rising maintenance fees, to problems exchanging weeks through RCI, here's an article that outlines numerous problems with timeshare ownership. People complain about the big companies like Marriott as well as the little ones.

Here are a few blog entries about timeshares that got some interesting / useful comments:
St. Kitts Mariott Timeshare, reslae timeshare information, should I buy a Marriott timeshare?

Personally, I've been warned by enough people. Even though I know some people who love their Disney timeshare, I don't think I'll ever go timeshare shopping.

Home exchange websites and costs

First, the winter vacation writing contest is over. We didn't get many entries, but I did get a few last minute ones that I'll be publishing over the next few days.

I've written several blog entries about exchanging homes on vacation. You save money on the hotel and you get a home rather than a room. Of course there are a few risks, but the stories you hear in the news are positive ones. If people do have bad experiences they are being pretty quiet for the most part. Anyway, here's some info from an old article about different websites that do home exchanges:

Homelink.org lists one home for $80 a year. Additional listings cost $15 each.

Intervac.us offers a variety of membership options (Web only or catalogue and Web), starting at $78.88 a year.

HomeExchange.com is offering a special $59.95 for one year, and if you don't exchange your home during the first year you get a second year free.

Invented-City.com charges a fee of $50/year and allows you to conduct as many home exchanges during that time as you wish.

If anyone has used another site, please leave a comment!

St. Kitts Mariott timeshares

St. Kitts is a Caribbean island with good temperatures year-round, great beaches, lava formations, tropical forest, and lagoons. It's bot too crowded and has done well preserving its ecosystem, which makes nature treks on the island and scuba diving popular.

St. Kitts also has great Colonial architecture in Basseterre (the capital). A new Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) resort is being opened about 10 minutes away from Basseterre and the Saint Kitts Robert Bradshaw International Airport.

Royal St. Kitts Marriott Resort should not overcrowd the island, with 88 two and three bedroom villas ready for owners in January 2007. Marriott timeshares aren't cheap: 1 week will cost you from $16, 400 to $69, 500. I wonder how that compares with the new Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge timeshares. There are some good comments here on resale timshares and timshare ownership in general.

Disney timeshares at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Some friends of mine have a timeshare at one of the Disney Resorts. They go every year with their daughter and usually invite my parents. That's one nice thing about timeshares now that I think about it; you can invite your friends and offer them a place to stay (presuming your timeshare property has an extra bedroom or two).

Anyway, Disney is adding timeshares to their Animal Kingdom Lodge. A commenter named Emily left an interesting blurb about Animal Kingdom Lodge on this post reviewing Disney resorts. Some of the new timeshares should be completed in fall 2007 and all should be done by spring 2009. At least some will have views of some of Disney's African animals. Disney is also adding a restaurant, a gym, and of course a giftshop.

All together, Walt Disney World plans to build 456 new Disney Vacation Club units. Here are some previous posts from this blog on Disney and timeshares:

Halloween in the Magic Kingdom, Some advice on going to Universal Studios during a Disney vacation, Disney resort experiences, and Disney hotel recommendations.

Some previous timeshare posts: Vacation clubs with points instead of weeks, floating condos (where you can buy a timeshare on a ship), timeshare trouble (when properties close down and raise maintenance fees), and resale timeshares (read the comments - much better than my original post).

Well there are more, but I've been blogging for a long time and you can't read it all in one day. Come back tomorrow!

What's your dream vacation home?

Here's an interesting New York Times article (registration required) on vacation homes and how the market is expanding from communities that offer golf to ones that offer outdoor stuff:

The 3 Creek Ranch in Jackson, Wyo., offers raptor rehabilitation and songbird banding. The Spring Island resort community in South Carolina organizes plant, bird identification and nocturnal wildlife walks and mountain biking trails. The 14,000-acre Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Mont., which is planned to accommodate 864 members in condos or single-family homes, has rope courses with long zip lines, as well as a permanent campsite complete with a cooking tent, a fire ring and tepees for members who want to saddle up for a four-hour horseback excursion, including wranglers trailing along with the supplies. And Mountain Air has its salamander hunts.

That's closer to what I want. I'm not a golfer and don't really want to pay for a golf course, but hiking trails are worth a few bucks to me.

Timeshare vacation clubs: points instead of weeks

The nice thing about timeshares and condotels is that you get a place to spend your vacation without the hassle of a vacation home (no insurance for example). However with timesahres and condotels you're kind of stuck vacationing in one place (although timeshare owners can pay to join something like RCI).

Now companies like Marriott Vacation Club International let members purchase points. At Mariott, the points can be used at 46 resorts worldwide. This article speaks very highly of the point system because it allows for greater flexibility than traditional timeshares:

In the last decade, the concept has expanded again and a growing number of companies now sell time-shares as memberships in vacation clubs, which give members access to resorts under a variety of plans.

Time-share vacation clubs sell consumers points, which can be redeemed for access to various types of accommodations and resorts. The number of points needed to stay at a resort varies according to the length of stay, size of the unit, location of the resort and time of year.

Points also can be used toward airfare, hotel stays, cruises, spa vacations and even rental cars.

A few old, related posts: Bahamas timeshare trouble, Learning about timeshare resales.

A reason not to do vacation home exchanges

It seems like a weak reason to me, but here's an article about how vacation home exchanges can only work in theory because many homes have lots of strange quirks. I don't see a hard-to-find light switch ruining my vacation but maybe I'm just a bit more easygoing than the author...

Then again, some people just love to complain. If you read this journal from an American and an Irish person who did a vacation home exchange, you'll probably laugh at Greg (the Irish guy) who must have had a really miserable vacation. I'm glad I didn't have to go on vacation with him...

The fact that the Americans went to Portadown (population about 33,000), about an hour away from Dublin reveals my biggest problem with a vacation home exchange; most homes are in the suburbs. When I'm in a foreign country I want to see the cities, not the suburbs.

Floating condos in cruise ship resort communities

Here's a long, interesting article on a new kind of vacation property, floating condos. Instead of a condo on the beach, you buy a condo on a cruise ship. Prices range from $250,000 to $44,000,000 and there are several projects that seem to be going strong according this article. One even includes timeshares, which should make this bit of luxury affordable to us regular folk, if only for a few weeks or months a year.

Bahamas timeshare trouble

In 2004, a hurricane hit the Bahamas and Tyne Beach Terrace was damaged. Timeshare owners there have a problem because the resort is still closed and "their annual fees went from $275 to over $700".

That's a big jump, but maybe timeshare owners are responsible for some of the rebuilding costs. However, since Tyne Beach Terrace was later condemned now the timeshare owners really want to know what they can do.

Is their only option to cintinue paying the very expensive maintenance fees and use RCI to go elswhere (RCI is another expense)? Or should the timeshare owners take legal action like owners have done at the Crowne Plaza Golf Resort and Casino at the Royal Oasis.

I've asked previously for timeshare advice and received some thoughtful comments. Knowing that the timeshare resort can hike up their maintenance fees like they did in the Bahamas is a big negative though.

Comments saved from the old blog

If you find legal help I'd sure like to know. My mother bought and paid for some building lots there before she died. For some reason she just had to walk away from the investment. My sister and I would like to know whether anything is recoverable. It seems like lots of funny dealings go on in the Bahamas.

Best Wishes,
Will Carlton
Posted by: Will Carlton at August 28, 2006 05:36 AM

I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:56 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:58 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:59 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:59 AM
If you keep paying your yearly maintenance fee for your resort and exchange your week with RCI, how long do you think it's going to be before RCI gets educated and refuses to exchange your week?
When they take your exchange, they are hoping that someone else will trade into your resort or they can rent it on their extra vacation site.
My advise is to cut bait and find another resort.
The timeshare business is pricing themselves out of the vacation market,
Steve Mills
Chico, Ca.

Posted by: Steve Mills at August 29, 2006 07:32 AM
If you keep paying your yearly maintenance fee for your resort and exchange your week with RCI, how long do you think it's going to be before RCI gets educated and refuses to exchange your week?
When they take your exchange, they are hoping that someone else will trade into your resort or they can rent it on their extra vacation site.
My advise is to cut bait and find another resort.
The timeshare business is pricing themselves out of the vacation market,
Steve Mills
Chico, Ca.

Posted by: Steve Mills at August 29, 2006 07:32 AM

Bahamas timeshare trouble

In 2004, a hurricane hit the Bahamas and Tyne Beach Terrace was damaged. Timeshare owners there have a problem because the resort is still closed and "their annual fees went from $275 to over $700".

That's a big jump, but maybe timeshare owners are responsible for some of the rebuilding costs. However, since Tyne Beach Terrace was later condemned now the timeshare owners really want to know what they can do.

Is their only option to cintinue paying the very expensive maintenance fees and use RCI to go elswhere (RCI is another expense)? Or should the timeshare owners take legal action like owners have done at the Crowne Plaza Golf Resort and Casino at the Royal Oasis.

I've asked previously for timeshare advice and received some thoughtful comments. Knowing that the timeshare resort can hike up their maintenance fees like they did in the Bahamas is a big negative though.

Comments saved from the old blog

If you find legal help I'd sure like to know. My mother bought and paid for some building lots there before she died. For some reason she just had to walk away from the investment. My sister and I would like to know whether anything is recoverable. It seems like lots of funny dealings go on in the Bahamas.

Best Wishes,
Will Carlton
Posted by: Will Carlton at August 28, 2006 05:36 AM

I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:53 AM
I know very well what you mean. My wife & I own several time share properties in the caribbean & it is our past experience that the only thing you can do is walk away, & just rent in the future. I had purchased a contract in St. Maarten for a five year car rental at one time, then a hurricane hit, the agency closed & I was out the money, not only that, but the guy who owned the resort also took off with all the maintance fee, nothing could be done accordinly to the Government. Closer to hme in the Bahamas they got wacked last year, & again up with the maintance fees, its always up,up & up, we just can not afford it any longer & we will just have to walk away from it all & leave the property to them. I can rent for a month what I am paying in maintance fees. You will find that the so called Governments will not or can not do anything to help you & it is very hard to find an honest attorney on the island to do anything for you.
Thats about the whole story in a nut shell, sorry.

Mike

Posted by: Michael Kovach at August 28, 2006 08:56 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:58 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:59 AM
I never trusted the island governments so Ithink the best thing is to buy in the us and travel thru RCI those other places.My exsperience with doing that has been great.

Posted by: Henry James at August 29, 2006 04:59 AM
If you keep paying your yearly maintenance fee for your resort and exchange your week with RCI, how long do you think it's going to be before RCI gets educated and refuses to exchange your week?
When they take your exchange, they are hoping that someone else will trade into your resort or they can rent it on their extra vacation site.
My advise is to cut bait and find another resort.
The timeshare business is pricing themselves out of the vacation market,
Steve Mills
Chico, Ca.

Posted by: Steve Mills at August 29, 2006 07:32 AM
If you keep paying your yearly maintenance fee for your resort and exchange your week with RCI, how long do you think it's going to be before RCI gets educated and refuses to exchange your week?
When they take your exchange, they are hoping that someone else will trade into your resort or they can rent it on their extra vacation site.
My advise is to cut bait and find another resort.
The timeshare business is pricing themselves out of the vacation market,
Steve Mills
Chico, Ca.

Posted by: Steve Mills at August 29, 2006 07:32 AM

Condo Hotels: vacation property that can be rented

Here's an article on condotels, where you can own a vacation property and potentially break even on cash flow:

"If you buy a unit and expect it to pay for itself, it won't. We see these properties producing money to offset expenses like management and homeowner association fees, property taxes and liability coverage."

The article mentions some good areas for Condotels: "Las Vegas, New York, Chicago and San Diego, and emerging markets in cities like Boston and Washington, D.C., and '2½-hour, drive-to locations' such as the Napa Valley, Mexico and sites between N.J. and Maine."

Here's another blog mentioning condotels. One to check out in New York City is the Trump Soho Condotel.

Terrorrists arrested and fractional ownerships in Martha's Vineyard

Most of you have heard the big news, foiled bomb attacks and cancelled flights. There's not much I can say about that so the blog goes on.

Fractional ownerships sound like expensive timeshares. Very expensive with monthly fees similar to the annual fees you'd pay for a timeshare:

According to Director of Sales and Residence Club Manager Joanne Sardini, prices range from $90,000 to $290,000 depending upon size and desirability of the unit, as well as which fraction of the year is purchased. There are only 12 owners per unit, and owners buy at least four weeks of usage per year. Unbooked time can be added on a space-available basis. Owners also pay monthly fees of $290 for a one-bedroom residence and $450 for a two-bedroom residence. Fees cover real estate taxes, use of an automobile during occupancy, telephone, utilities, staff, and transportation to and from the ferry and airport.

Finally, I found a book review on a book I'd never heard of before (but now have to buy). Lonely Planet's ecotourism book, Code Green: Experiences of A Lifetime has some very unique travel ideas:

"Code Green" experiences range from visiting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda (book through Discovery Initiatives, which works with gorilla conservation groups); to studying yoga at an ashram in India; to an Aboriginal-led tour of Uluru Rock in Australia through Anangu Tours; to exploring Romania's Danube Delta, one of the last wildlife havens in Europe; to a stay in the Kapawi Ecolodge with the indigenous Achuar people in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

House swapping tips & safety

Here's a great article with some practical tips on how to protect yourself during a home exchange. Also interesting though is that protection probably isn't as big an issue as many people think it will be since few issues arrive.

It makes sense when you think about it. Say I exchanged my apartment in downtown Seoul for on in Rome or New York. Is the New Yorker coming here to steal my towels?

Actually towels may be at risk - When I'm in a hotel I seem to talk my wife out of taking a towel home as a souvenir. But I'm certain that neither of us would consider taking something from a person's home.

Exchanging homes for a vacation

Here's an interesting article on vacation home exchanges from the International Herald Tribune. Apparently, home exchanges depend largely on location as the author writes:

I recently completed a successful exchange of my tiny Paris apartment with a beautiful 70-square-meter, or 750- square-foot apartment in a medieval Tuscan castle - and at the end of the swap, both sides seemed to think they had got the better of the exchange.

In addition, a vacation home exchange can make you feel less like a tourist:

A benefit of the home exchange is that it gives you the possibility to live like a local for a week, in an area most likely not geared up for tourists. Another is that your fellow swappers will probably know the best restaurants, walks and shops in the area and be happy to share their knowledge with you - helping you to avoid ending up in overpriced tourist haunts.

Now I've never done a home exchange so I can't recommend it, but it does seem like a neat way to travel. If you did do it, I'm sure you would want to take some precautions and I don't know exactly what those would be. The article does talk about that a little bit by saying that you might make 5-15 inquiries before finding a good exchange. Thaey also recommend having a friend meet the people you're exchanging with when they arrive.

How to buy real estate in Italy

I've been doing some research as I plan for my retirement in Italy and I've found what I think is reliable information on buying real estate in Italy. If you don't have any interest in buying property in Italy I understand. Here's a traveler's account of his vacation in Rome with pictures and historical information thrown in. You can read that and skip my notes on buying Italian real estate. That site is on a free web page, and sometimes so many people visit the sites I link to that they shut down. If that link goes down, it's because too many people tried to visit...

Buying real estate in Italy all starts with a proposal of purchase or proposta. This is a firm offer on the property and the buyer puts 1% of the purchase price into escrow (deposito fiduciario). The estate agent is responsible for this deposit (assuming the offer is accepted).

Then comes the preliminary purchase contract or preliminare

This is the contract, a promise to buy. 10 - 20 percent of the purchase price is deposited.

Then the notary checks the paperwork and after about a month, the final contract, rogito notarile, is signed in the notary's office. The seller gets all the money and the buyer gets the deeds and keys to the property.

Finally, there are some taxes which I don't quite understand. I think they are 3 or 4 percent depending on the seller. Then there are the real estate agent's fees (3 percent + the tax) and the notary's fees.

Sorry if this one was boring for you. It means a lot to me, so I hope you don't mind too much.

Retiring in Riviera Maya, Mexico

So I've blogged about Riviera Maya and Playa Carmen's Ikal Del Mar and Shangri-la Caribe. Now the same area is making the news as a retirement area for Americans who want to go somewhere warmer and cheaper.

The article does mention that foregners can easily run into difficulty buying Mexican land. You'll need certain documents, a good lawyer, and a trust or fideicomiso.

For an indication of property prices:

Austin developer Greg Schnurr recently launched Los Arboles, the first big master-planned community in Tulúm, where he's carving 250 five-acre sites out of the jungle. (Though it isn´t near the beach and lacks some permits, he has pre-sold 31 of the lots, which go for US$50,000 each, mostly to Americans and Europeans.)

The idea of wrecking jungle so that Americans can retire in Mexico bothers me but I do understand the attraction of the fairly inexpensive lots. I wonder how much it will cost to build on them if they ever get the permits...

Resale timeshare investigation

When I wrote about vacation timeshares a few days ago, some people warned me against buying a timeshare and more people told me it would be a great idea.

The most specific advice I received was to buy a resale timeshare that was a member of RCI. Resale timeshares are less expensive than new ones and RCI timeshares can be exchanged.

So I found some very cheap timeshares in Puerto Vallarta, from 500 (studio floating May - October) to 1,600 dollars (1 bedroom Gold - Even or Gold Odd). Annual fees range from 500 to 630 dollars.

Of course, ideally I'd like to find a cheap place somewhere I actually want to go. Puerto Vallarta is not high on my list (it's famous for shark fishing and golfing, two things I don't really want to do).

Marriott Grand Chateau Las Vegas timeshare

I'm trying to learn more about timeshares and condo hotels so this article on the Marriott Grand Chateau in Las Vegas was an interesting read for me. A one-bedroom condo goes for $16,000, earning you one week/year, while $75,000 puts you in a three-bedroom for one week/year. The maintenance fee isn't given in this article, but 500-1,000/year seems typical to me.

I haven't decided what I think about timesahres yet. I'm not sure there is one place where I want to spend one week of every year vacationing unless it's Rome where I want to spend most of my life. It's true that you can use your Las vegas timeshare to go to some other resort, as in this case: "purchasers not only gain access to the entire Marriott portfolio of vacation clubs, but also all similar properties repped by Interval Travel, which handles more than 75 international markets."

I suppose if the annual upkeep fee is significantly lower than a nice room in a resort would cost you over a week, then purchasing a timesahre would be worth it.