How far ahead should you book your family vacation, if you need to travel during peak periods --i.e. the Holiday Season, and school breaks?

Those of us who tend to be, ahem, last-minute in making travel plans won't like to hear the answer to this question...

How far in advance should families plan their holidays, if they're traveling during a peak time of year? I sent this question to family travel veteran Sally Black -- founder of Vacationkids.com travel agency, with years of hands-on experience booking family vacations, in addition to being a mom of three herself.

She replied first with a saying: "Planning a family vacation is like planning a family....you need to work about 9 months in advance!"

The travel industry, at least, is set up for long-term planning, even if some of us --with unpredictable schedules-- aren't.

• Airlines usually post flight availability and fares about 330 days in advance
• many resorts post rates 9 months in advance, for December holiday and Easter/spring break weeks
• cruise lines post about 1.5 years in advance

Popular school break weeks get booked first, and so do resorts with rooms for family-of-five, and resorts with baby nurseries.

For Christmas / Holiday Seaason vacations:

• expect to pay 65% to 100% more than high season rates

• most resorts/hotels require a minimum 7 night stay during peak travel weeks like Xmas and Easter

For spring break and Easter vacations:

"smart parents start planning as soon as they receive their school calendars in September. This way, they get the best pick of direct flights and their choice of hotel rooms."

For those late in planning a vacation during peak periods, Sally advises being as flexible as possible: like the song says, "You can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need."

And if you find you're not able to get anything acceptable during spring or Easter break,  here's another possibility. "If your school district gives kids time off for teachers meetings or has long weekends -- say around Martin Luther King weekend or Memorial Day weekend-- consider letting the kids miss a day or two of school in order to take advantage of travel savings and avoid peak travel times."

Monday September 17, 2007 | comments (1)