January is still the month in which most holidays are sold. People are desperately trying to beat the winter blues and cheer themselves up by booking their summer holidays and tour operators are trying to tempt them with discounts and special offers. But does that mean this is the best time to book? That's a different question and the answer depends on where and when you want to travel. Here's my guide to what you really need to book next.
What to book now
Family vacations
The choice of packages, hotels and departure airports for high-season travel will only decrease from now on. So it would be wise to consider securing the holidays you plan to take during any of the school and half-yearly holidays in 2024.
Starting with the next February half term and the Easter holidays, it's getting late in the day to book ski or sun and beach holidays. The pressure on airline tickets is increasing. Peak departures with easyJet from Geneva to Gatwick on the Saturday in February, with a return journey a week later, now cost £324, while the cheapest Ryanair flights from Manchester to Tenerife South on the same weekends start at £250. Both examples include checked baggage.
Other priorities should be the high season weeks for villas in prime locations in the summer (and the flights and car hire that come with that - see below). Flights are selling fast for key weekends right after schools break up, especially from regional airports and for daytime departures. For example, some EasyJet flights from Bristol to Mallorca cost over £500 return (July 20 to August 3, including checked baggage). Peak summer dates for longer ferry services are also best booked as soon as possible, especially if you want to travel at the most convenient time to fit in the rest of your trip.
In this country you should now be booking cottages in Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk and all the National Parks during the school holidays. Don't wait too long if you want to live somewhere within walking distance of a beach or if you are looking for a large house suitable for two or more families. These are picked up early and many are reserved a year or more in advance.
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Guided and specialized trips
Whether you want to walk the Milford Track in New Zealand or the Machu Picchu trail in Peru, it is wise to think about it now. Both require a permit and you should book months in advance to be sure. The same applies to major natural events (e.g. the migration of wildebeest, whales or polar bears) or destinations with a limited season (such as Antarctica). More culturally focused tours led by experts also tend to sell quickly. For example, all four of Martin Randall's Samarkand and Silk Road tours for 2024 are now sold out, even though the last one doesn't leave until October.
Festivals and events
You know them: the Venice Carnival, Semana Santa in Seville, the Edinburgh Festival, the Oktoberfest in Munich, the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca - and all the major music festivals. If any of these are on your 2024 bucket list, you won't want to wait much longer to book flights, tickets and accommodation.
Spring weekend breaks during peak hours
The lowest fares sell out months in advance for any holiday where you fly on Thursday or Friday evening and return on Sunday evening, on any weekend in 2024. Start researching now.
Eurostar tickets anytime
With Eurostar tickets it's always best to book as far in advance as possible if you want to find the cheapest fares - they can normally be purchased up to nine months in advance. As an example of the potential savings, I recently checked London-Paris returns for Friday-Sunday travel (depart 9:31 a.m., return 5:12 p.m.). They were: January 19-21, £203; March 15-17, £168; June 7-9, £148; August 30 - September 1, £128.
Long-haul flights for next Christmas and New Year
Major scheduled airlines tend to open their booking windows about a year in advance of travel (355 days in advance for British Airways, for example), so if you're planning a big trip for the 2024 holidays, it's definitely worth checking in early. especially for destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, where particularly large numbers of people travel to visit friends and family.
Cheap last-minute offers to almost everywhere
Of course, you might also be thinking about booking a trip this month: demand for hotels for city trips is at its lowest and it's easy to find cheap airline tickets. Especially if you are considering a trip to Paris this year, a winter visit could also be a good plan. The Olympics there in July and August have already pushed prices sky high and will undoubtedly put more pressure on May and June as people plan their trips to avoid that spike.
You should find plenty of choice and lower prices for travel to winter sun destinations this month and for those wanting a holiday on the slopes, January looks like a potentially good time to book a last-minute ski holiday - the early season snow is looks promising and demand is never as high as in February. However, this year Easter falls relatively early (March 31), which means there are fewer off-peak weeks to choose from in March.
How do you book it?
Tour operators and packages
From a financial security perspective, booking a package holiday through a tour operator or travel agency is always the best move. It's true that you can protect yourself by paying by credit card and that some - but certainly not all - travel insurance policies offer cover for financial failure. But the big advantage of using a tour operator is that they also owe you a duty of care. So if something goes wrong with the travel or accommodation arrangements they have arranged for you, they are legally obliged to help.
The problem for consumers is that the definition of what constitutes a package can be very confusing. Examples of arrangements that are likely to be unprotected include purchasing plane tickets from an airline and purchasing your accommodation through an online agent such as booking.com or airbnb.com. If you're unsure, check the guidance on the Atol website (caa.co.uk/atol-protection).
If you can't find a ready-made package that meets your needs, you can almost always put one together by booking the accommodation and flight at the same time with the same agent.
To flee
If you prefer to arrange your flights yourself, the best way depends on the destination. For short-haul flights to Europe, always book directly with the airline or as part of a package with a conventional travel agency (see above). Never use an online agent's website; it is extremely rare for an agent's price to be lower than that of airlines. An online agent will likely charge a hefty premium, and if something goes wrong, you may have trouble processing any cancellations, changes, or other issues.
For long-haul flights, on the other hand, it's always worth checking fares and options with a reputable, expert travel agent such as Trailfinders. This way you often pay less, you have more choice and you have more financial protection.
Car rental
It's always worth comparing prices, but generally you're likely to get the best rates through estate agents, who negotiate the most competitive deals with the various big names and local suppliers. Which? rates Zest (zestcarrental.com) as "the standout broker", followed by Auto Europe (autoeurope.co.uk) with the highest score. However, the specific advice for the Canary Islands is different, with the specialists autoreisen.com and cicar.com scoring exceptionally high.
When you're travelling, it's normally best to book early - especially on peak dates and especially with an agent that allows you to cancel without penalty. This means you can take out a holiday safe knowing you're locking in a competitive rate, but can get your money back if your plans change. However, be wary of offers of deposit-free bookings. They could work against you if an unscrupulous rental company might cancel your reservation at a later date because rates have increased. You can prevent this by making a down payment, which ensures that the car will be delivered at the price you agreed on.
Finally, when making price comparisons, don't be distracted by the headline prices; make sure you compare one against the other and that you have included all the extras in the final price.
