C18 - Wednesday, August 25, 1982 - North Shore News

BE WAR Y AND BE WISE ; ;
Beating the depression on vacation

WHEN WE HIT
middle age, most of us
Spend some _ time
making plans for our
retirement. I notice
that we indulge in these
discussions just after
Ive shelled-out over
$80 for two pairs of
funny-looking running
shoes for the kids. Or
$40 for a pair of jeans
with the right name on
the backside.

You ask anyone what
they'd like to do when they
retire (or win the Loto) and
in 90% of all cases, travel is
tops on the list. What
worries me is the number of
people who may be
disappointed if our economy
continues its headlong dive
into decay.

What can we do to safe-
guard our future? Not a lot.
All homeowners’ with
families are resigning
themselves to the possibility
that our kids won't be able to
live anywhere else but with
us until after their 40th
birthdays. So much for
selling our houses and
buying cute little condos,
investing the difference.

Some people are quickly
buying timeshare
arrangements, where for a

chunky sum, you are
guaranteed (and I often
wonder about that!) a

certain period of time in a
condominium in some exotic
place. Most of these

Taste the many

love our

MICRO-WAVE
DEMONSTRATION

Talk to the Panasonic Micro-Wave Hostess
while she demonstrates the ease and ver
satility of panasonic GENIUS Il cooking
foods prepared with
Panasonic You'll like the cooking You'll
SPECIAL PRICES ON ALL
FEATURED PANASONIC OVENS.

schemes involve an option of
trading your box in Hawaii
for someone else’s box in
Mexico. Or, if you are
unable to use your ac-
commodation in any year,
you can loan it to your
Mother-in-law.

There are a number of
reasons why I wouldn't
touch one of these schemes

with a barge pole:
eThe imitial cost isn't
chickenfeed. Assuming I

had that much cash, I'd park
it in a savings certificate and
if nothing too drastic hap-
pens, it would earn enough
money each year to buy mea
place in the sun - of my own
choice.

Airfares aren't going to
go down. It’s quite likely that
we couldn't afford to buy a
yearly ticket.

eAlthough airfares aren't
getting cheaper, the cost of
accommodation IS. It’s a
simple matter of supply and
demand. Fewer tourists,
more vacancies. Better to
drop the price and fill the
place.

eI mistrust “lifetime
guarantees.” Try explaining
that term to anyone who
bought a time-share in
Lebanon. And, the only
person with more work than
he can handle today is a
“Receiver.” Where does that
leave the time-share owner if
the holding company takes a
dive?

What are some of the
alternatives?

One is to purchase a piece
of recreational property of
your own. The wisest

SATURDAY
AUGUST 28
11 AM-3 PM

COLONY |

HOME FURNISHINGS

purchasers are looking at
places on the
American continent. Why?
Well, if all else fails, you can

trayel-

Barba ra
McCreadie

drive your Rabbit instead of
using an airline. And, getting
some money out of Canada
isn'ta bad idea.

I firmly believe that the
day will come when
Canadians will be restricted
severely in the amount of
money that they will be able

. to take out of the country.

By owning property in the
USA, we can keep some of
our bucks where greedy

fingers can't grab them.
retirement
condos in

Furthermore,
or recreational

THIS

1860 LONSODALE AVENUE (AT 19TH) NORTH VANCOUVER

985-8738

(OPEN EVERY THURSDAY & FRIDAY NIGHT UNTIL 9)

places like Palm Springs or

Norifi® even Birch Bay are one

helluva lot cheaper than the
same item in Canada.

Allowing for the fact that
you probably won't want to
move permanently to your
place in the sun, you have
two options where rentals
are concemed.

Most condominium
complexes have a_ rental
pool arrangement where the

manager of the condo
handles the rentals. Some
places are better than

others. Some are downright
lousy - you get a royal
screwing both with main-
tenance charges and rental
commission.

A lot of people do their
own renting. Have a look at
the ads in the classified
section - see what I mean?
Unless you're pretty diligent,
that property will hang idle
for many months.

Can you handle the head-
aches?

Being a suspicious soul,
I'd be mighty careful about
who lived in any condo that I
owned. Its very hard to
control damage and “skip-
outs” from three or more
thousand miles distance.

I'd never let anyone use
the place until I had the

LOW
RETURN
AIR FARES

VANCOUVER DEPARTURES

TORONTO
MONTREAL
WINNIPEG
CALGARY
HONOLULU
LOS ANGELES
LAS VEGAS
LONDON
GLASGOW
MANCHESTER

Call us for detalls:

986-1377

Venture Travel

110 14th Se., Ean
North Vancouver

Each office independentty
owned and Operated

fe

whole rent plus a refundable
damage deposit. And, Id
use one of our club af-
filiations to find someone
who lived close by who
would, for a fee, check the
place regularly.

Isn't it infuriating? Just
when we think that we've
earned the right to a
comfortable future, along
comes a depression to
depress the hell out of us.

I'd be very interested to
hear from everyone who has
been giving the matter some
thought. Let's share our
ideas and see what we can
come up with. Maybe house

trading is the answer.

How about forming a
“hui” (a neat Hawaiian word
for a group of investors) and
buy one place to share? If
you and your friends have
successfully put something
together, let’s hear about it.

WAIKIKI

Air Only

WAIKIK: $499
14 Days, 13 Nights
Air § Hote!

LAS VEGAS $249

5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hotel

"RENO $199

5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hotel

TORONTO $249

Air Only

MAPLE LEAF

$399,

Sees

are sin See Ses
Video Games

Choice of

7 games.

Each has 4

features clock, alarm, built-in stand,

multiple — skill

tevels, LCD, Mini T.V.

screen Batteries included.

$4995

Don't torget to ask any travel agent tor
Gulliver's Vacation Checklist Or drop in to
Gulliver's We have over 500 hard to find and
unique travel accessories tn stock!

922-9650
844 Park Royal North, West Van.

K< CP Air Holidays

(a

Announces a new tour program from Vancouver specially designed
tor Senior Citizens. Prices, including return air fare.
trom $1589 per person tor 14 days (12 nights). double occupancy.

“VACATIONS FOR SENIORS-BRITAIN”

Check this list of services and amenities you'll receive
eCP A Holidays return charter efour tull day tours with lunch
fight Vancouver to London 1 To Stratford on Avon and Oatond
«Complimentary in-fight meals ¢ To Canterbury and leeds Castte
and bar service § To Stonehenge and Bath
«Transters Airport to/from Hotel 4 To Boghton
*Accommoadation in London at the sitalf day panorama tour of t ondon
Rogont Crest Hotel with Tv raco etait day tour lo Windsor and Elon
private Dath and showor room sar s Afternoon Tea during full-day trips
vice *All hotel service charges local

roseway travel

AVOID THE COMING
EUROPE FARE INCREASE

by purchasing your atrine tickets
September Sth, 1982

* Welcome to Londan’ Wine and
Chease Party

«Continental breakfasts

eSughtaceing vie luaury motor Coach

at apenenced Tout Guides

taxes and tips to staff
eModicaland holiday Cancellation
INBULANCO Coverage Included

prior to

A unique, new CP Air Holidays tour service A Resi-
dent Host living In your hotel and at your service each
day to provide local information and hetp you pian

CP Air

PLUS:

Even if you have booked directly with a major

artine, ROSEWAY TRAVEL can issue your
tckets Well also book hotets Car rentals of tours
at your destination at the most favourable rates

around! ATA
(2 ace T IA or < - (el
Save money and a trip downtown! = 4 trave gen f Holidays =
CALL 926-8616 (el | y

(Orr en «= 266-1241 5

oN eM
Elite Hender (1
Manayeor

a (Me

#106 100 Park Royal West Vancouver