Vital Travel Timeline Tips

The travel industry is roaring back as people cooped up in their homes for the past year are venturing out. Travelers are planning multiple trips to make up for the lost time.

That is great for the travel industry as a whole, but it means hotels, resorts, museums, and other popular tourist destinations are booked up for weeks, months, even years in advance. In this new era of travel, it is vital to plan if you want to book the accommodations and activities of your choice successfully.

How do you keep all of your upcoming travel plans straight?

First, map out a timeline of each one of your trips over the next five years. Where are you going and why? For example, do you have a heritage tour in the fall, a graduation trip in the spring, and a two-week family reunion trip in the summer?

This is where working with a travel advisor is critical. We can help you choose destinations that will complement each other without repeating or overlapping.

When should you start planning specific types of vacations and experiences?

Two Years in Advance

It is best to start booking travel two years in advance when you want to travel to destinations for time-specific events: visiting Europe in winter to experience the Christmas Markets, traveling to Japan during spring for cherry blossom season, or visiting Rio de Janeiro in February for Carnival.

You will also need this much time for destinations with limited capacity or permitting issues like visiting Peru to hike Machu Picchu or Uganda for gorilla tracking.

One Year in Advance

Traditionally, it is ideal to book safaris and cruises six months to a year in advance. But, we’ve found that it is best to book them a full year in advance. The best safari camps fill quickly, especially during the high season (July through October) and around the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Gone are the days when you could wait until the last minute to book a discounted rate on a cruise. With a limited number of cruises scheduled for the upcoming year and many people ready to get back to sea, cruises will likely sell out quickly.

Six Months in Advance

You can wait until six months to book accommodations at most beach and ski destinations; however, you may need to book up to 18 months in advance if it is an exclusive location. Imagine condo-style suites with everything you need to enjoy a relaxing vacation.

Keep in mind, reservations for restaurants, nighttime shows, museum tickets, and car rentals should all be made at least six months in advance.

In this new era of travel, it is vital to plan your vacations far in advance.