lhrsfo

With my wife and I both working, we need to book our holiday time considerably in advance - we already pretty well know the trips we'll be taking throughout 2017 - at least the dates. When we book the tickets is a function of various things, but principally the trade off between cheaper in advance but the risk of a change in plans resulting in losing the tickets. None booked yet for 2017 with the first trip planned for Easter, second in June and third in August.

For work travel, it really is a trade off between cheap and flexible. In winter, prices are very low so I tend to book only a couple of weeks before. In summer, I try to book as far in advance as possible. Racking up 1.5 million miles over the last ten or so years, I have only twice had to waste flights booked in advance so clearly my self-insurance policy works.

gooselee

I "plan" most trips in advance - though often that planning just involves air/hotel bookings and perhaps rental car. I like to figure out activities once at my destination, except for major attractions where advance reservations are helpful.

But, I also do lots of short, last-minute weekend trips that are literally booked the day before on last-minute deals.

But I think OP is also asking whether others book multiple future trips in advance, so you have lots of already-planned trips in your future. My personal answer is - sort of. I wouldn't say we book a ton, but we almost always have 2-3 future vacations planned/booked.

Several years ago, Mrs. Lee and I agreed that we would never leave for a vacation without already having our next one planned (even if it's just having flights or a hotel booked). That way, when we return from vacation, we already have another one to look forward to. We've been able to keep that that model since then and it has really been quite nice - makes us remember to prioritize travel over all the other randomness in life. Also makes it more difficult for our workplaces to tell us we can't take vacation when we have requested the time off far in advance.

9Benua

With school age kids, I have to book my vacation around school holidays.

DavidVenuto

I usually book when I find good prices. I spend alot of time on secret flying and when deals come out I don't care too much about when I leave.

ramondelapaz

yes i do book in advance. usually 6 to 11 months in advance. i can travel anytime i please so i take advantage of airline promos and sales as much as i can.

i am not too picky on where i go but i do have a few favorite airports like ICN and SIN.

this january i have a DPL MNL DPL itinerary for just US$11. my way to and from the international airport being practically free, that then allows me to do MNL SGN SIN SGN MNL without going over budget for 1st quarter 2017.

having the freedom to choose when one comes and goes is almost like having the wherewithal to spend big bucks on travel, at least in terms of destinations per year one gets to visit.

of course having that freedom AND the big bucks would still be much better.

ramondelapaz

secret flying. i like the sound of that term. what does it mean though?

ft101

It's a website.

ROCAT

I know all the vacation days that I will have off in 2017 and will book tickets when they seem like they are cheap. Usually that is somewhere between 2 and 4 months out.

RustyC

Back when I was working for the Man I always had to hold down the fort at the end of the year (would have gotten denied because of low seniority if I had tried to get those days off). So I usually had to book vacation days and vacations into the low times No spouse to coordinate with, but if there had been one who was, say, a teacher, that would have been more constricting.

My brother and sister-in-law both work for companies and they usually bottom-fish the cruise deals for something in the early-December window. Though they say they wouldn't take Carnival even if it was free.

XLR26

Booking months in advance is a foreign concept for me. I usually have a running list of 5 or 6 destinations that I'd like to hit at any given time, but i won't book the actually trip more than a couple weeks in advance.

StartinSanDiego

We book when the flights are released. That's about a year ahead. Since we book award tickets, this tends to allow us to choose from a couple of options. We currently have 5 or 6 international trips booked, mostly to Europe, and just organizing the 2018 agenda. We are not opposed to adding a trip, if the opportunity presents itself, though.

pinniped

Anybody here regularly book less than 1 week out when many airlines release more F/J seats for partner booking?

We had an entire Oneworld Europe + Asia itin fall apart a few days before departure: the long segment canceled, which would have created a very messy set of reroutes and in lesser-quality premium cabins if not coach. But...I was able to cancel that entire trip and rebook an entire 4-country Asian itin on Star Alliance in J without much difficulty at all. US Airways Gold at the time, so no junk fees either... Changed most of our destinations but it ended up being an awesome trip - one of our favorites ever.

dbeach

DH and I are planners and always book in advance. That being said, we already have vacays set for Jan-Feb in SXM and in Apr in New Smyrna Beach in April. We love knowing where we are going and that we can tell our respective employers that out vavays are written in stone. Otherwise we could not get away.

artemis

I book all of my trips well in advance. I have to, if I want to be assured of getting the needed days off, as at my job it's "first come, first served" when it comes to requesting vacation days.

Low Roller

I usually book 2-3 months in advance since I like having something to look forward to. Thinking about an upcoming trip to someplace warm helps me get through the long Canadian winters. I'm also married to a teacher so if we want a winter getaway, the dates are limited to one week in March, when everyone with children are trying to book the same flights.