The idea of jetting off on a spontaneous getaway may seem appealing, but leaving your holiday bookings till the last moment can mean that you miss out on the best in pricing and comfort, as well as leaving yourself open to all kinds of problems that can be easily avoided with a little forward planning.Read on for five great reasons to book in advance. (Photo "master roads 1" by danjaeger)
1. Manage Your Own Time
It may seem obvious, but knowing as far in advance as possible when you will be on holiday can save you headaches later. Instead of having a big, vague patch in your summer where you can't make commitments because you 'might be on holiday,' get the holiday planned early and get on with organizing your life around it.
On the other hand, if you leave it too late to book a holiday, you might find that your diary fills up, and by the time the summer rolls round you don't have any time to spare. It's much easier to prevent your boss from loading you down with commitments, or your friends from collaring you for events, if you can point to a definite, pre-planned time when you're unavailable. (Photo "calendar" by magurka)
2. Avoid Peak Times
School and bank holidays tend to be incredibly popular times for vacations, with prices as much as doubling as parents rush to take their children abroad. If you're not tied down by the school calendar, it's always best to plan well ahead to avoid these times and book your bargain holidays during the slack period or off peak season. If you do have children in school, a little forethought can still save you hundreds - dart in for a mini-break during a school inset day. Even if you do end up having to go during the school holidays, simply booking before the rush of parents drives prices up can get you a good deal.
3. Pick and Choose
The best-value holidays are the most attractive, so they're almost always the first to go when people start booking. If you leave it till the last minute, others will have snapped up all the cheapest offers, while those businesses left over know they can charge whatever they like to customers desperate not to miss out. Plus, if you're feeling rushed when you book, you may end up hastily choosing the first package that more-or-less matches your needs, instead of shopping around to find something better. Give yourself plenty of time to scan and compare options in advance, and find yourself the best possible price. If you've really done your research, you can even haggle your preferred destination's prices down by showing them their competition, while making it clear that you have plenty of time to look elsewhere if they don't make you a better offer.
4. Time is Money
Or so most holiday businesses think. Most are willing to offer you a cheaper rate simply for booking early and allowing them to plan in good time. They will also offer low prices to try and net themselves bookings, preferring the certainty of being fully booked early on to the possibility of waiting for higher prices. Costs tend to creep up as competition for rooms gets tighter.
5. Avoid the Last-Minute Panic
Who likes the frantic rush to pack cases, book taxis and get travel insurance sorted out? If you sort out when and where you're traveling several months in advance, you will have time to plan the details of your trip at your leisure. And, at the end of the day, what is a holiday about if not leisure?
