12/02/2024
Let's start thinking about our future travels before all the new year resolution work hits! Here are some important timelines to consider for your travel planning:
Traditional timeline: 6-9 months is fairly safe for most custom trips. 3 months or less is generally considered last-minute in the travel industry.
Flight timeline: Flights come out 330 days in advance and more routes can be added or changed after that. If your trip or budget is highly dependent on flights, it can be helpful to wait until this 11-month mark if you aren't doing an experience that gets quickly sold out.
Cruise planning timeline: People often book cruises over a year in advance if not 2 years in advance. Many people will go into their cruise booking with a specific route, time of year, and room preference in mind. Balcony rooms and suites sell out quickly. Cruises also have short seasons, so availability is limited. Cruises for special events like Christmas markets are really competitive!
Safari planning timeline: Similar to cruises, safari lodge rooms open up years in advance and many people plan well ahead of their trip. Safari lodges are small and intimate and even though there are a lot of options, many fill up quickly.
Specific accommodation timeline: If you are wanting to stay in an iconic location, like Ashford Castle in Ireland, you'll also need to plan ahead! Certain luxury stays, especially smaller accommodations in rural destinations, book up well in advance!
Time of year: Depending on the destination and time of year, you may also want to plan at least a year ahead. Some considerations for this: major holidays, tournaments, and festivals, Christmas and New Years in both large cities and in tropical destinations, summer in the Mediterranean (and every European hot spot), summer in Canada and Alaska....etc, etc!
Let's chat about the planning timeline for your next bucket list trip!
