Short answer: 9 – 12 months. We like to say that planning a vacation is like having a baby.
Before the pandemic, it was more lucrative to be spontaneous, there was plenty of availability and you could walk up to popular attractions to buy the ticket the day of. Post pandemic, that has changed. It is not for the extreme spontaneous travelers anymore. If you don’t book well in advance, you risk not booking anything at all. I went to Puerto Vallarta this year. There was a lot up in the air for the last day so I waited to book an excursion. All of the excursions I was looking at had been booked up. I knew I was running that risk by waiting (it let me explore the resort more so I made the best of it; check out my blog about Marival Armony). So book as much as you can well in advance.
The long answer depends on a lot of factors.
1. Dates
If you are planning on traveling during the busiest seasons it would be beneficial to start the planning process closer to a year in advance. This way we have more availability and options than if you want to start the planning process. Availability goes quickly, especially during the busy season. The busy season is typically Christmas/New Years, Spring Break and June-August. This can vary on location.
2. Location
Depending on how secluded a location is or how many options are available in that area, the earlier you start planning the better. Again it all comes down to availability. There are only so many rooms, so many seats on the plane and so many spots on the tour. The early bird gets the worm.
*Photo courtesy of Taverna Island Resort
3. How Many Travelers
A vacation with only two travelers, will typically have an easier time finding accommodations, flights, space on excursions etc than a group of travelers. Group travel can be better financially however if you wait too long the group may be on different flights, in different hotels and doing different excursions. There are a lot of benefits to group travel and it is best when done with plenty of time!
4. Specific Hotel / Resort
Popular resorts or hotels will fill up faster than other hotels. If you have your eye on a luxury property that keeps coming up as sold out when you are looking at dates, you may be looking too late. An example would be the Award Seaside Butler Bungalow with Private Pool at Sandals Curacao. There are only 5 of these bungalows and they go quickly because they are so unique plus there is very little inventory of them. To give you perspective, the resort has 350 total rooms and suites.
*Photo courtesy of Sandals Curacao
5. Specific Excursions / Tours
Excursions and tours only have so many dates and spots available. In very certain situations, if there are enough people, I have a supplier that in certain locations can add a bus for additional travelers however this is not guaranteed. In my opinion, the best part about vacationing is seeing and doing all the new things that location has to offer. Each place is unique in its’ own way.
Let’s book your next vacation! Message me to start planning!
