How Far in Advance?

My wife and I typically plan 2 - 14 DAYS in advance. No further. In 2007, our 25 day trip to Europe was with 3 days advance.

The more time to plan the better, but for a real experience just go.

Pete

Thank you for your help! Your replies have been very helpful!

Pete, do you have time already booked off work and then wait till last minute to book, or do you get last minute time off, or, are you retired or self employed?? It would be impossible for us to leave it that late, but then , husband has a job that requires him booking time off at least 6 months in advance, and we have other interests that have to be attended to , so need notice before we can leave the country suddenly..

lucky you!

Plan months, even years in advance, don't actually make arrangements until you are certain or even leave some arrangements until you get there. There is still plenty of time for April. Tickets should be seeing decent deals now, maybe even into February. I personally would prefer April, Airfare will be several hundred dollars cheaper, Hotels more available, and Spring is a great time to travel.

I don't think it makes a lot of difference. We have done trips with a month/six weeks of planning and as much as a year. With the internet you can plan and reserve literally within an hour or so. The planning for our recent 10 days to Spain did not get underway until mid-November and we left the day after Christmas with a lot of planning done on the way over. Also both are in education and early Dec was too rushed for much planning. We try to pin down the airline along with first and last night. This year we didn't even get the last night planned. Obviously the airline is critical and needs the most lead time. We like having reservations for the first night simply because we don't want to deal with finding a hotel and jet lag. After that it is pretty loose.

If you are planning for April 2009, now is a good time to plan. Airfares are down. Late April is usually nice in France and Italy and probably the rest of Western Europe. Typically, I start planning a few months in advance. I shop around for airfares, decide on my travel dates, buy my plane ticket, then start lining up hotels. I'll be in Paris this April and have reserved apartments and a hotel for all but one week. I will wait until I get there to decide on that one week which falls later in the month. Some flexibility is important to me. I may decide to spend a week in Provence or?

I don't think it is "too late" for April, but I would have started planning months ago for it myself.

I like staying at smaller hotels, well recommended,well located, but budget to moderate properties. I find those type through the interet forums( not just this one)and I find that there are hundreds , likely thousands of other people who do the same! So , of course they tend to fill quickly. I usually travel to Europe in summer, and have found that what was available when I start looking in Dec. and Jan. has been gone or filled by March or April.

So now I book as soon as I have my airfares. I do not have the ability to book last minute anyways, so the last minute airfare sales don't really work for me.I also double check cancellation policies , I have found most places have reasonable policies that allow me to "save" my spot at one place while still looking for others. I have cancelled and rebooked when I have found better price or place.

I love the planning phase almost as much as the trip( I said "almost")

Pat,

Not retired, just a typical early 30's working stiff. I usually don't take time off until the last minute and we don't decide where to go until we hit the web a few days before. My wife is pretty flexible so it helps.

I find that the last minute decisions make for better trips. The more we can wander and explore, the happier I am.

Pete

Leslie; would you be interested in sharing your itinerary or thoughts? We may be able to help.

I would travel in April. There are less crowds and hotels and flights will cost less.

Pete, lucky you in a way.. I love the planning and research,, sort of a treasure hunt to me.. but, I would love to also be able to take advantage of last minute whims and deals. Few more years and then we will have that freedom too!

Traveling in April will be nice, if a little wet depending on where you visit. The only good thing about summer would be having more time to travel but prices will be higher and crowds thicker.

It's not too late to plan. I tend to have ongoing planning for several trips then take them when a good opportunity arises (airfare sale, special occasion or able to attach to a business trip). Even then I don't travel with anything more than a flexible itenerary.

For buying tickets, airlines have been doing a lot of canceling lately - so buying four to six weeks in advance may be better than purchasing far ahead of time anyway.

Have a great trip.

If you are planning a trip for this April, I would say make all your plans and reservations now. If you are aiming for this summer, you may already be too late to get your first choice of some things.
With FF miles, we usually make our place resers as soon as the airline will allow (329 days on American) so about a year ahead of time. I make hotel resers as soon as the hotel will allow. I'm very particular about where I'm staying so I like to know I won't miss out.
Some people just like to take their chances and wait until later and don't have any problems at all.

I am traveling at the end of May. I purchased my airline tickets in Sept and all hotels have been reserved for over a month now. As another poster stated, I am very particular about where I stay. I would be too nervous holding out hoping for airline tickets to drop then try to find hotels. My parents are retired school teachers from Temecula, so I understand traveling during the high season only. Sure was nice traveling for months at a time. Ahhh..the good ol' days.