Love of Travel
Jeff and Courtney Neely of Amarillo, Texas have always loved to travel, making time each year for skiing, family vacations, an annual fly-fishing trip, and getaways with friends. And now that their five kids are grown and out of the house, finding ways to connect and spend time together through travel is more important to them than ever.
Since joining Equity Estates in 2019, the Neely’s have taken over a dozen fabulous trips. Whether alongside their children or with their closest friends, they loved visiting Vail and Aspen, Lake Tahoe and Big Sky, Maui, Turks and Caicos, and other dream vacation spots.
Though skiing and beach vacations top their list of favorite getaways, they both say they’re happy with any destination that offers “great outdoor activities, time to rest and relax, and opportunities to explore, see new sights, and try new foods.”
The Right Investment
Jeff’s parents had a timeshare home in Colorado for many years that the family used for their annual ski vacations. When the home was sold, Jeff and Courtney began looking for a vacation property or timeshare alternative of their own, and Equity Estates was one of the first companies they came across.
After researching and learning more about Equity Estates’ business model and portfolio, the couple decided to invest.
“We liked that we’d be able to travel to different places, stay in beautiful homes, and have an off-ramp at the end with a potential return on the investment,” says Jeff. “The model just worked for us.”
The family’s first Equity Estates trip was to Telluride in March 2020, with their daughter and youngest son and two of their daughter’s high school friends.
“As soon as we walked into the home, we knew we’d made the right decision,” says Courtney.
Looking back, they both recall how much fun everyone had during the trip, talking, spending time together, getting outdoors, laughing and happy in their vacation bubble… just before the pandemic caused shutdowns across the country.
“The memories from that trip are even more special because of what happened in the weeks after,” says Courtney. “To be able to have spent that time with our kids in a beautiful home, in a beautiful destination, enjoying our time together before everything shifted, was a gift.”
The Empty-Nesters Club
While family vacations are always a priority, they’re not always easy to arrange. Even though they were able to organize a grand vacation in Turks and Caicos with four of their five kids and the spouses in 2023, most of Courtney and Jeff’s travels are with one or two kids at a time or with longtime friends.
They’ve formed a self-described “empty-nesters club” with those other travel-loving couples, regularly vacationing together in favorite spots like Aspen, Tahoe, and Park City. And just last year, the group also enjoyed an unforgettable stay in the beautiful Equity Estates home in Puerto Los Cabos.
“We do travel more with friends than family these days,” explains Courtney. “With five kids and ten grandkids, the schedules can be harder to work out. It’s difficult to get the timing right for the whole family to come together.”
While vacationing in Cabo, the Neely’s and friends spent time on the beach together or by the pool, but also split into smaller groups at times to pursue different activities.
“On our first morning there, our Local Host had arranged a half-day, deep-sea fishing trip for us with transportation to and from the house,” says Jeff. “We headed out before sunrise, spent a good four or five hours on the water, and caught several fish, including mahi-mahi, marlin, and tuna. It was amazing.”
“The men went fishing and the women had massages,” Courtney smiles. “Everything was pre-arranged for us. We had masseuses come to the house, so all the women could enjoy a relaxing spa day while the men were away. It was a real treat.”
VIP Service and Private Chefs
“Being able to enjoy activities together, but also have opportunities to do our own things is one of the perks of being an Equity Estates investor,” says Jeff. “It’s easy to plan for a variety of activities and outings, knowing that the Equity Estates team will handle all of the arrangements, and we can just relax and enjoy our vacation.”
Courtney agrees. “The entire team is wonderful. We’ve gotten to know some of them personally and have had dinners or gone skiing with them. We’ve also met the Local Hosts at every destination we’ve visited, and they are phenomenal. They know a lot about the area and are great at helping with in-person details and arrangements.”
They both say that in addition to the excellent service and beautiful homes, one of their favorite aspects about vacationing through Equity Estates is the option to have a private chef come in to prepare meals.
During their Cabo trip, they had daily chef service, which turned out to be one of the highlights of an already amazing trip. They asked for traditional Mexican cuisine the first night, something the chef was happy to prepare using family recipes from his own abuela, resulting in deliciously authentic meals and a mole dish that the Neely’s still rave about.
“We only went out to eat one night while we were there,” Jeff recalls. “It was good, the restaurant was nice. But it couldn’t compare to what the chef prepared for us at home.”
“Having a private chef took the trip to the next level,” says Courtney. “It was so over-the-top wonderful, it felt like being spoiled. Next time, we’ll not even bother going out to eat while we’re there.”
Looking at the costs, Jeff points out that having a chef wasn’t much more expensive than dining out, but the service was unparalleled.
“We didn’t have to worry about stocking the kitchen, cooking, going out to eat every night, or cleaning up afterwards,” he says. “They even made cocktails for all of us while dinner was being prepared. If you stay someplace where private chef service is available, you should definitely take advantage of it.”
Future Trips
Though the Neely’s have yet to make definite vacation plans for 2024, they are looking at booking a trip to Miami with their daughter and some of her friends from school this summer.
After that, it will be fly fishing in Colorado in late August or early September. “Though whether that will be in Aspen, Snowmass, or Steamboat is yet to be determined,” Jeff says.
One thing they’d both like to do is take a bucket-list trip to Italy at some point in the future. They had planned to go to celebrate their daughter’s high school graduation but had to put it on hold when things shut down and travel was limited. Now they’ve started thinking about it again, excited by the possibility of making it happen sometime soon.
They’d also like to organize a special trip for the entire family—kids, spouses, and grandkids included—by booking two Equity Estates homes together at the same time to accommodate everyone.
“St. John and Big Sky both have homes that are close to each other, so they’re on our list of possibilities,” says Jeff.
In the meantime, the Neely’s are happy with smaller family trips and travels to sunny beaches, snow-covered mountain towns, and new-to-them destinations closer to home.
“The diversity of the locations is one of the best things about being part of Equity Estates,” says Courtney. “It’s wonderful that we can just look on the list of destinations, see how many days we have, and decide where we want to go next.”
