For vacation properties and stuff, it’s sometimes far from worth it. Some timeshares work for people, though. For example, it’s common for aspiring pilots to own a timeshare on an airplane so they can fly on their own and log hours without actually owning a plane of their own. If it’s something you’re actually going to use, it can be ok. I went on a trip with a family who owned a timeshare on a giant houseboat in Lake Powell. It was pretty freaking awesome, actually. Each year, the family members pitch in to help pay for the trip, and you can fit a lot of people on a houseboat. Nobody wants to actually own a houseboat and deal with all the bullshit that comes with something like that. A boat is a money pit to begin with, so a timeshare on one actually looks much more desirable to some people.

That being said, the sales tactics some companies use are designed to fool people into buying something they won’t get the value out of. They don’t care. I’ve always imagined that those little seminars they give to get you to buy one have another table right out the back door when you’re leaving that will sell you help to get rid of it. There’s NO WAY there’s not people covertly playing both sides of that.