Angus Wood, an Owner since December 2018, owns two second homes, both in the UK, and understands the costs that come with second-home ownership.

"Everyone who owns properties knows that essentially, property means work, certainly if you want a place where you have space and can entertain," he says.

Wood had been aware of The Hideaways Club for a few years before a business sale meant he was looking at a period of semi-retirement. Keen to spend more time in Europe, he signed up as a Classic Collection Owner and has already visited Sardinia, Chamonix and Mallorca.

"I imagine if you own a home abroad inevitably the first few days of any visit are spent on jobs and admin. I certainly wasn't looking for any more jobs and mentally I ascribe the ongoing cost with Hideaways as a small price to pay for swerving all the hassle," says Wood.

For Wood, that hassle can lead to sleepless nights. With properties in London and Yorkshire, it's the events that unfold when absent - weather, alarms tripping, leaks - that generate his stress, and he finds it only compounded by distance. "I regularly wake in the night in bad weather wondering how the other house is bearing up!''

"For anyone considering either second-home ownership or The Hideaways Club membership, I'd advise them to cost it out and work out your likely usage. Both represent a long-term commitment but The Hideaways Club offers considerable variety and less ongoing hassle."

"Millions of second homes all over the world sit vacant for most of the year, while costing money to clean and repair. Indeed, they can become a burden and a source of guilt, obliging the owners always to go on holiday to the same place, even if they are bored with it," he says.

"The key benefits are the predictable quality and the local teams you can rely on. You can predict with a pretty high level of certainty that your expectations will be met, and it's hard to put a price on that!"

And as a neat way of marrying up his various holiday aspirations, Wood is planning to incorporate short stays in a couple of The Hideaways Club properties into his upcoming European road trip.

"We don't have children and both work for ourselves. This means we can really get some bang for our buck off-peak and take some longer breaks with The Hideaways Club. All I need to do is get organised and decide where we want to go!"