Now that you've cruised around this site, whetting your appetite for worldwide travel, you're probably wondering how to make overseas adventures fit into your budget and fit comfortably with your lifestyle. One economical way to secure accommodation wherever you travel is to buy timeshare.

A timeshare will allow individuals to share the cost of owning a vacation home between several owners. You'll each purchase a portion of time at the resort of your choice (be it one week per year or three weeks every other year) and you'll pay for only what you use. With so many owners pitching in, the cost will be reduced while the amenities and level of service will generally be higher than you'd find in a hotel room of similar pricing.

And once you own your property outright, timeshares only ever cost you an annual or biennial maintenance fee (respective to your usage) to secure vacations for you and your family. (Of course it is important, when deciding how many shares to purchase, to budget for these maintenance fees, because you'll still be responsible for their payment, even if the week goes unused.)

Another benefit of timeshares' flexibility? You can use your vacation home to travel all over the world. Purchase a timeshare that's affiliated with an exchange club like RCI in order to trade your time at your home resort for time anywhere within their large network, or buy timeshare with a vacation club. · When you buy timeshare with a vacation club like Worldmark by Wyndham, you'll generally be allotted a certain number of points annually or biennially. You can use these points to "purchase" time at any resort within the network.

If you won't be able to vacation one year, you can "bank" these points to put toward usage the next year. Because of this feature, these vacation clubs are especially attractive to travelers who don't want to be tied to a specific vacation schedule.

Some resorts will cost more points than others, and this will be based on their quality of service and amenities. Banking points will help you up for more luxurious or larger accommodations.

Finally, to save thousands on your timeshare purchase, you'll want to buy resale. Resellers sell timeshare for a fraction of the cost that you'd pay at the resort because they don't' have to account for the exorbitant marketing fees and salesmen commissions that resorts do. Timeshares can be your ticket to a lifetime of international travel.