When to Start Planning Your Perfect Trip
Few topics produce such passionate tips and insider gossip as “the best time to book a trip”. Everything from the best day of the week (Tuesday! Wait, no, it’s Sunday!) or date (the day after Thanksgiving!) or even time (3:33PM in the afternoon)…even those with real access to flight data disagree.
The reason? Trips have way too many factors to have an exact best time. We’ve seen people get all down in the details on trying to calculate the exact right moment for purchase, and totally miss major booking deadlines that would have helped them get their trip set up properly.
Given that more people are traveling than ever before, destinations sell out faster than ever before. Starting early is advised for nearly everywhere around the globe, but especially for areas that are known hot spots. Some of those include:
- The Maldives, Bali, or Tahiti
- London, Paris, Barcelona, or any major city in Europe
- Disney World
- Israel
- Many resorts on Maui or Kauai in Hawaii
- Special types of rooms at most resorts in the Caribbean: swim up suites, honeymoon suites, over-the-water bungalows, villas, private pools, rooftop access, club level
- Just to name a few.
Dates can have a large impact as well.
Traveling over a major US holiday?
- Christmas/New Year
- Thanksgiving
- Easter
- Spring Break
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Labor Day
- Fall Break
Don’t forget to include any major festivals, holidays, or peak season attractions in your destination. Chinese New Year, the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival, the running of the bulls, or even a conference can result in sold-out inventory for an entire city or skyrocketing flight prices.
So, what’s the bottom line?
For trips that will be to a known hot spot or over sensitive dates, you need to be planning at least 12 months in advance, if at all possible. Allow 9 months for any major international trips and 6-9 months for an average trip.
For travel professionals, the new year starts in September. That’s when we help our clients make their next year’s travel plans so we can be sure they get everything they need. With great options that have low deposits, trips can be secured in advance and paid for closer to travel…but all the benefits get locked in.
Sometimes it’s helpful to a have plan so you can start early. We’ve included an infographic here that helps our honeymooners plan in advance so their dream trip doesn’t get lost in the wedding planning hurricane.
You may have read this and realized you are behind schedule. No worries. As we like to say, “the best time to start planning your trip is NOW”. Contact us today to make sure you don’t miss out.
About The Traveling Compass:
The Traveling Compass is a full-service luxury travel agency. Our success is built on a foundation of unmatched expertise and outstanding customer service. Our travel agents specialize in international travel, corporate incentive trips, destination weddings & honeymoons, multigenerational travel, luxury leisure, and family travel. We are also Authorized Disney Vacation Planners with experience assisting families that have children with special needs or large families or groups with complicated dining reservations for over 20 guests. Our personalized travel itineraries are designed to help discerning, time-pressed travelers plan the most elaborate vacations, down to the smallest detail. As luxury travel agents, we are dedicated to creating and facilitating travel experiences that expand awareness and give each person a real sense of the country and culture they are visiting. It is our mission to make sure you have the travel experience of a lifetime, every time.
