When it comes to planning vacations, it can feel like mission impossible. Life is incredibly busy, and at times it’s challenging to keep up with daily tasks without throwing vacation planning into the mix. As a travel advisor, I always encourage my clients to begin the vacation planning process in January for the upcoming year. For larger vacations such as an Alaskan cruise or European adventure, it can be beneficial to start the process eighteen months to two years in advance. Planning early has a vast number of benefits and I’m excited to dive into the top 5 reasons January to March is the best time to plan your vacation.
#1 Cost Savings, Deals, and Promotions
Wave season, happening from January to March, is the best time to snag amazing cruise deals! Cruise lines roll out their biggest promotions of the year, offering perks like free upgrades, onboard credits, and discounted fares.
While wave season is traditionally a cruise industry term, other travel sectors, including theme parks, align promotions with this period. Major players like Disney and Universal offer discounts on vacation packages, hotel stays, or park tickets. These deals often focus on creating value, such as free dining plans, extra park days, or exclusive perks for staying on-site.
The early birds get the worm when it comes to planning vacations. These promotions are often available in limited numbers, and prices only tend to increase as availability lessens. The exception to this is when a special promotion becomes available.
As an advisor, I keep my eyes open for new discounts and promotions that I can apply to my clients’ vacations. If a promotion becomes available that lowers your vacation price, I can often make arrangements to apply that promotion. Having all the other details nailed down allows us to quickly work through this process. This increases the likelihood that you’ll save some additional money.
#2 Availability
For vacations involving decisions about room location, dining reservations, excursions and more, early booking offers the widest selection. This is especially crucial for families of five or those interested in a specific stateroom type on a cruise. In each of these scenarios, availability is limited, and early selection and planning ensures peace of mind.
For adventures like an Alaskan cruise, early booking offers the opportunity for the best views. Often, a certain section or side of the ship offers premium views and availability quickly vanishes. As your travel advisor, I am happy to assist you with stateroom selection based on preferences, views and other factors that may influence your decision.
Furthermore, while excursions and dining reservations are often selected later in the planning process, early booking offers time to think, research, ask questions and be intentional and deliberate with the selection process. Once in a lifetime experiences like dogsledding on a glacier or dining in Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World® Resort often require strategizing to book. This is something I love helping my clients with to ensure they have the most incredible experiences.
#3 Budgeting
One of the best things about early vacation planning is that it allows the cost to be spread out over a longer period of time. You may also find that increasing the amount of time to budget allows you to upgrade your stay, or plan for something that wasn’t attainable with a shorter planning window. Six months of additional planning could be the difference between a moderate versus deluxe Disney resort, an ocean view versus balcony stateroom, an extra park day, or some other upgrade you have your heart set on. If budgeting is important to you, I highly recommend starting the planning process as soon as possible.
For certain destinations, the additional planning time allows you to purchase vacation necessities on clearance at the end of the season. Pricier items like rain or cold weather gear, along with certain types of shoes are often sold on clearance at the end of the season, allowing you to purchase those necessities at a discounted price. While this may take a bit of additional planning, I am always happy to help my clients with this process so they know exactly what they need to be looking for on the clearance rack.
#4 Planning for work
For working adults, advance planning provides distinct advantages. Being able to appropriately plan leave for vacations is a crucial aspect of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Taking half days or vacationing during office closures can help you maximize paid time off while leaving some hours for margin. As a travel advisor, I thoroughly enjoy helping my clients with creative leave hacks that maximize time off.
Planning ahead is super important when it comes to juggling work responsibilities, especially before you head off on vacation! Letting your colleagues know about your time away well in advance helps everyone stay on the same page. It sets clear expectations and helps things run smoothly while you’re gone. Plus, it gives you a chance to delegate tasks, which keeps the workflow going and prevents any last-minute chaos.
While things might not be perfect, this early planning can really cut down on stress. That way, you can kick back and enjoy your vacation without too many interruptions. And don’t forget, planning ahead also helps you prioritize what needs to be done before you leave and when you get back, making your return to work a whole lot easier! So go ahead, get those plans rolling, and enjoy your time off!
#5 Having Something to Look Forward To
Did you know that research indicates that having something fun to look forward to is good for your mental health? It’s true! Think about a time you’ve looked forward to something fun- a good movie, a concert with friends, or a fun experience with your kids. When you plan your trip further in advance, you enjoy the benefits of anticipation for a longer time.
As you can see, there are quite a few tremendous benefits to planning in advance for your vacation! I love helping my clients create a timeline so together we can plan their vacation in a fun way that allows them to relax and anticipate the adventure while I hammer out all the details. Wondering if now is the time to start planning your next vacation? Send us an email and we’ll provide our suggestions on the perfect timeline for your specific adventure.
