Hello all! First time poster here but looking for some advice. My boyfriend and I are planning a 21 day trip to Italy next year in April/May. I know COVID has messed with stuff but wondering when we should start booking hotels and such? Is it too early??
Thanks everyone!!!
NO - we booked our B&B in Venice almost 10mo out. Just be sure there is a refund policy and get TripInsurance. The more popular, better location places book up quickly.
We’re going in late September, and started (refundable/cancelable) booking in early February, but the vaccinations were just beginning for many of us, and we wanted to get our flights and rooms booked before prices soared and availability lessened. If you’re ready, and have the money and a destination determined, now’s certainly not too soon.
I've booked our flights and all but one hotel for our 16 day trip to Italy in April-May 2022 - everything refundable of course. I am expecting a "land rush" of people wanting to travel as the Pandemic wanes.
Seems a little early to me but the other posters may be right, especially with the pent-up demand we have to expect. If you're sure you'll be making this trip at some point, I'd say go ahead and book flights, especially if the airline offers no-fee changes through 2022, as some are doing now. As for hotels, get refundable bookings because your plans and/or local conditions may change. And you might find that some hotels just don't accept bookings that far in advance. If a hotel website shows no vacancies anywhere around your time frame, see if they have vacancies 4-6 months from now. That probably tells you to wait for their booking window to open later this year -- or look for a hotel that will take your reservation now if it's otherwise OK with you.
Apart from flights and hotels, I can't imagine needing to book anything else more than a few weeks ahead. Check a good guidebook for sights you want to see that require advance booking (like various Vatican tours or the Borghese Gallery in Rome). If you'll want a car you could explore a site like Auto Europe, but you have plenty of time to nail that down. Likewise train tickets etc. Have fun planning a wonderful trip!
We have booked our hotels for Italy for April/May 2022. The hotels for Scotland and Ireland for August/September 2022 are not open for booking yet. Book the hotels now for April/May and make sure they are fully refundable.
Welcome to the forum! You will get lots of great information and ideas here but that doesn't prevent you from doing lots of investigating on your own. Make planning a source of excitement and prioritizing. Of course, any choices (especially hotels and flights) need to be things you can cancel without penalty. Once you make the reservation, you can still keep looking. The more you study about the sites, specific cities/towns, attractions, number of days/nights in each location, etc. etc., the more you may change your mind. You can make reservations for specific museums or tours later when your plans solidify. But above all: enjoy the planning. You won't be able to do everything so make a list for your NEXT trip!
Depends on the exact dates and where. Popular art city destinations (Rome, Florence, and Venice) will be particularly popular on these dates, especially around the weekends:
Easter week (Sat. April 9-Mon Apr 18, 2022)
Week encompassing Liberation Day (25 Apr) and International Workers day (May 1). So basically from Sat 23 Apr to Sun 1 May).
You will be able to find places even at the last minute, but choices will be few in those periods in those 3 major city destinations.
