Travel clubs come in all shapes and sizes.
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There are hyper-luxury travel clubs like Inspirato and Exclusive Resorts, the latter of which has fewer than five thousand members globally. Most travelers stick to more mid-range travel clubs like Disney Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, and global brands like GEOSTAR. Even AAA can be listed as a travel club thanks to its travel-related benefits.
But are they actually worth it when it comes to money, planning, and general headaches? After all, even working through the fine print on a vacation club contract can take hours—and some contracts prevent you from speaking with a lawyer until after you sign.
Surely, that’s a red flag, right?
While there are many examples of vacation clubs offering value to travelers, especially if they’re on the road frequently and have specific travel tastes (like Disney, for example), that’s not always the case. Terms, tiers, and other fine print can be confusing, to put it simply.
So, are travel clubs worth it? If you’re on the fence about signing a contract and forking over thousands for your first year of membership, then look for these signs that vacation clubs might not be for you.
To clarify: I’m not suggesting you write off travel clubs—I’m recommending that you dig deep before you limit your travel horizons with a multi-year vacation club sign-up. Maybe a travel club is great for you, but just not the one you’re eyeing at the moment.
Are travel clubs worth it? 8 signs it’s not the right time
Sign #1: If you only love a few properties in the vacation club
Are you tempted to join a travel club based on a great experience you had at one of their properties? While enjoying a stay is a great reason to look into joining a travel club, consider looking into (and staying at) other properties before you finalize your decision. Unfortunately, some brands offer one-hit wonders.
Additionally, look into whether or not your club membership gives you access to newly opened resorts. Some travel clubs make you pay more to jump up a tier to access new properties.
Sign #2: If you just want savings
Here’s the rub on travel clubs: they aren’t solely focused on giving members discounts. Instead, they give you access to a chain of properties and, overall, a more tailored travel experience. They aren’t designed to hand out hefty discounts—and you might be able to find better deals on third-party booking sites, especially for bundled hotel-flight deals.
Some travel clubs simply hand out room discounts—but they never actually tell you what the original room rate was. In short, if you just want savings, travel clubs don’t automatically hand you the best deal. You can usually find a better one sleuthing for yourself.
Sign #3: If you love the perks more than the brand
Travel clubs come with all types of unique amenities. Some offer exclusive dining opportunities, while others offer tailored, private tours. These are alluring perks that draw in travelers—but you should also be in love with the overall ‘brand’ of the travel club.
Disney Vacation Club is, once again, an excellent example. It’s designed for die-hard Disney fans who want more flexibility and savings on their trips to Disney properties. Many of their perks are tied to their overall branding, creating a seamless and perfectly curated experience for travel club members.
In short, you should be at least slightly in love with the travel company in question—not solely its flashiest offers.
Sign #4: If the vacation club is new, or long-time members are leaving
Unfortunately, the travel club that you sign up with might not stand the test of time. In other words, changes can happen, and they might drastically alter your experience at the travel club. This is common for newer clubs that are still growing; they could cut certain resorts in order to add others, for example.
Alternatively, if you’ve read reviews in which long-time travel club members are cancelling their memberships, that’s another sign that the travel club might be taking a turn for the worse. Some chains don’t maintain properties as well as others over time, which is the last thing you want to notice as a travel club member.
Sign #5: If there are too many tiers
Travel clubs usually give you the option to scale up at any time, meaning you can start out with a basic membership and then jump up, if you want. That being said, you need to pay to join the next tier—you won’t earn your way there just by booking at the travel club’s properties. On top of that, every tier has unique offers that can be dramatically different.
Look for travel clubs with fewer tiers and straightforward benefits. If you’re getting confused just by reading through offers for different tiers, take a moment to reconsider. Room categories, for example, are a particular pain point. They can be changed arbitrarily, meaning that the junior suite is no longer available for members in your tier.
Sign #6: If you’re being pitched with a financing offer
Many travel clubs sweeten their hefty sign-on fees with the offer of financing. However, travel club financing interest is notoriously high, sometimes between 10-12%.
Are travel clubs worth it if the only way that you can join is by financing your plan? In most cases, it’s a no. Interest will add up over the year, and incur high hidden fees.
Sign #7: If you don’t see a reasonable cancellation policy
Cancelling a travel club membership probably won’t be very straightforward, regardless of who you sign up with. You’ll be bombarded with questions about the reason for your departure, and offers designed to keep you on. That being said, you should be able to read through the cancellation policy before signing up.
As with tiers, you shouldn’t feel turned around when you read about the travel club’s cancellation policy. Or, even if the rules are straightforward, it’s not uncommon to feel that they’re unreasonable. For example, you might only have three days to cancel your policy after signing up, or require you to pay up to 50% of the membership fee to cancel.
Sign #8: If you’re being pitched while on vacation
As with time-share hawks, travel club salespeople are known to loiter around popular vacation destinations. Their goal is to encourage travelers in the throes of a wonderful vacation to sign up for more experiences like the one they’re having. In reality, you could sign up for a contract that’s full of the red flags listed above.
Don’t sign anything while you’re on vacation. There will be plenty of time to learn more when you return home.
