When is the best time to plan a vacation?

United States
February 17, 2011 12:44pm CST
I know of some people that plan a year in advance to plan their vacations. I know some people wait until the last minute. Personally, it is just myself I don't have to worry about a husband or kids to make sure the time is right. I prefer to plan early so I know I will get the best deal and have a longer time to save and plan out the vacation. When I try to plan early with some of my friends they do not like the idea because they say it is too early and they do not know what they will be doing. How far in advance do you plan?
5 people like this
16 responses
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
20 Feb 11
I think you have a great advantage! As you're only planning for yourself. When you look at the travel websites, I think they have great last minute deals. It'll make you save money. And it wouldn't require long and tedious planning. I would like to be like that, sadly I can't.
• Mexico
18 Feb 11
Hi Flirty kumquat: I am single so it's easier for me to plan my vacations and I do this some months bedore I am actually taking them for the same reasons that you have expressed. If we decide to take vacations early we can take a look to the plans and decide what's the best place to visit, how much money we need, etc. I want to add also that I prefer to take my vacations when everybody is working because that's the best way to find pretty good prices and the beaches are empty :) ALVARO
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
18 Feb 11
Hi. Flirtykumquat. I would go during the spring or summer. I would plan for this trip at least 2 to 4 months. I would make sure that I have enough of money. I would also make sure that I have Identity Protection too. I would make sure that my bills at home are all paid up and on time. I would make sure that I take care of any necessary appointments that I may need to do. I would visit many relatives/friends before leaving out.
@katie0 (5203)
• Japan
18 Feb 11
at least 6 months before so we can be sure also to not have other things planned and it gives little time for savings
@daiweian06 (1405)
18 Feb 11
For me the best time to plan a vacation when its all getting tired of things. Like for example when all of you are all busy doing things at work. You also have to do a vacation. Its a good time to relax and to think nothing. Like what you said as early much better. You can prepare all those things that you need and you also can fix your schedule out of the busy and toxic job. Good day! God bless!
@drinylane (117)
• Philippines
18 Feb 11
today is the right time to plan your vacation. you thought of it today, why not plan it now?
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
18 Feb 11
Hi Flirtykumquat, I usually go on a local vacation with my husband and go on a foreign trip with my group of friends. A couple of my friends would plan a 8 days or so vacation earlier. We could get cheaper flight ticket during the offer season which usually held in March and April. We either book the ticket online or on the spot in case we visit the travel promotion fair. We could save quite a big amount of expenses if planning earlier My husband will plan a couple of months earlier where we are going on our vacation locally. He likes to spend our vacation during low peak season. The scenes are not that crowded as well as we would be served more hospitably for there are lesser visitors. Moreover the accommodation in resort as well as hotel is very much cheaper. The environment is tranquil and relaxed as well for less disturbance of noise, etc from big group of visitors. I'm glad that we will go on our three days vacation in the coming Sunday morning planed by my loved one Have a nice day
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
17 Feb 11
I travel with my disabled toddler son and baby daughter. I read travel guide books about the country that I plan to visit. I look at the Internet of information about the destinations I hope to go to on my trip. I think about the likely flight cost, the accommodations and the sights in each place I want to go to. I tend to book an expensive flight six months in advance. Sometimes I look on the Internet at flight costs and a particular month is cheapest so I book and the trip would be in two months time for example. Last year I booked my trip to Halifax in Canada. I had planned to visit Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. However one day I got an email saying due to the travel company closing down my flight had been canceled! It mentioned that I would get my money back. Well I was very disappointed and tried to find another flight to go on to the same destination. This proved impossible to do without spending a lot more money. So I decided to book a flight to Vancouver which I did do so. I got a check for the money I had spent on the flight to Halifax. The airline that I was going to Vancouver kept striking and I was scared that my trip might not happen. I only found out one week before departure that my flight would be fine. I hadn't read much about my destinations due to worrying about another missing out on trip.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
17 Feb 11
Most of my vacations were planned pretty spur of the moment. I have taken a couple of trips that I planned a month or so in advance in order to get a good price, but that was mostly because I was traveling to get to a job. It wasn't quite a vacation, but any time you go to a foreign country, it could be considered as such even if the purpose of the trip is to take a job. Last July, I had purchased a plane ticket about three weeks before I was to arrive at my new job and then I went to Chicago to get my visa and that night my passport was stolen so I had to reschedule my flight for some time after I got my new passport. That was all taken care of a couple of weeks later and I got to my destination about a month later than originally anticipated, but I did get there. I don't think it is too early to plan as long as you are on your own. If you have to work your schedule around other things, that is different.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
17 Feb 11
The best time to plan a vacatio will be when you can take annual leave and when you can afford it without worrying financial problem I am planning on going to visiit my family and will book ticket in advance so I could get the better seat with my baby.
• Hong Kong
18 Feb 11
for even if it is not time or not planned i go to a vacation if there is a happy friends out there and i'll spend my time again and again, we should always spend most of our time being happy..
@kirtricks (650)
• India
18 Feb 11
yess the summer vacations are really good time for having tours and other functions. other vacations are just too short..
@kukueye (1759)
• Malaysia
18 Feb 11
YEs some friends will made holiday plan from 1 year to 6months ahead if the holiday involve large sum and long travel.Especially those with family and children.Imagine the hubby and wife has to take holiday leave and children will need to have long term nanny or if take along will have to be in their long school holidays and such.Sometime there is travel tour exhibition where there is good discount aviable but have to book in advance from few months to 1 year and such.
• United States
17 Feb 11
my family tries to plan our vacations as far in advance as we can. we're just planning a vacation for this summer to Dublin at the moment and looking at apartments. Usually we try to plan earlier but this is considered last minute for us. the sooner you plan the better, better prices.
• United States
17 Feb 11
I think I'd start planning at least a year in advance-especially if I was vacationing abroad. I'd want to make sure everyone in the party gets to have fun--so that means checking out lots of different things to make sure everyone's interests are included. It's also a good idea to check into customs and laws to keep everyone safe. Then, there are such things as budget, wardrobe, medical thngs that need to be covered, etc. It takes some time and effort; but I'm sure the end results are going to be much better for everyone if you take enough time to plan properly. Save those hasty plans for "spur of the moment" outings close to home.
• United States
17 Feb 11
I plan all my cruises a year in advance as you already know. I do this to be able to pay it off in time before the deadline is and then i can save money from the time i pay it off till the time i go to have fun and be able to do some gambling, buy things in other countries and also to do some shore exercusions when im in port. You have to have fun when your on a cruise and to book last minute is not a good idea because you have to save money to have a fun time while in port or even on the cruise it self. There are other things like going to disney or universal or even to Miami that are last minute for me because i live so close to all of this so sometimes i plan that only a couple days or a week in advance and just go to have a get away from the town i live in. To excape from work and where i live in a great thing because i want to be stress free sometimes and not worry about things.