How far in advance to book hotel/air?
Jun 30th, 2010, 07:19 AM
#1
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How far in advance to book hotel/air?
Hi, I am planning a trip to Germany (Berlin) but I am not able to go until May/June 2011. I will only be there for a week so how far in advance should I book my hotel and airfare? (I live in the U.S)
Jun 30th, 2010, 09:12 AM
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I can't say about Berlin specifically, as I have not been there, but I tend to follow about the same rules in any country. The only difference is if I intend to go to some particular city where there is a world-known event that affects hotel capacity, I know I have to book more in advance if I want certain hotels. For example, I've been to Prague during the Spring Music Festival, and that is true there. Same for high season places that are mainly dependent on tourists for revenue -- like Provence in the summer.
Anyway, other than those conditions, I book hotels about 6-8 weeks in advance. I do that to get it settled and then I can forget about it as I have so many other things to do closer to departure date. I usually get what I want that way with no problem.
As for air, well that depends on all kinds of things, as to the season, dates, holidays, etc. For May/June, I probably would want to be booking by February as I don't do my hotel plans until after I book air. But I might start checking rates earlier and if I found some fantastic air fare, I'd book it.
Anyway, other than those conditions, I book hotels about 6-8 weeks in advance. I do that to get it settled and then I can forget about it as I have so many other things to do closer to departure date. I usually get what I want that way with no problem.
As for air, well that depends on all kinds of things, as to the season, dates, holidays, etc. For May/June, I probably would want to be booking by February as I don't do my hotel plans until after I book air. But I might start checking rates earlier and if I found some fantastic air fare, I'd book it.
Jun 30th, 2010, 01:31 PM
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I book my hotels a year in advance to take advantage of lower rates. We were in Berlin last year and are returning this year and will again stay at Melia Berlin. I booked our rooms in January and the current rates are much higher. Last year was the same.
Air can only be booked within 330 days of travel on the major airlines and I book early if the prices are right so I get first dibs on seats.
Enjoy Berlin - it's one of my favorite cities in Europe!
Air can only be booked within 330 days of travel on the major airlines and I book early if the prices are right so I get first dibs on seats.
Enjoy Berlin - it's one of my favorite cities in Europe!
Jul 1st, 2010, 05:36 AM
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Hotels we book whenever we set our itinerary--as long as they have good (for us) cancellation policies.
We generally find the best air prices 3 or 4 months in advance of our trip. But we check for sales even before that--sometimes an airline will have a cash flow problem or be promoting a new route, etc., and will have an early sale. Also take into account the popularity of the route--certain destinations might require earlier reservations if you care about seat selection.
We generally find the best air prices 3 or 4 months in advance of our trip. But we check for sales even before that--sometimes an airline will have a cash flow problem or be promoting a new route, etc., and will have an early sale. Also take into account the popularity of the route--certain destinations might require earlier reservations if you care about seat selection.
Jul 1st, 2010, 05:42 AM
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I often book hotels and flights up to a year in advance. I do not honestly know anyone or any agency/entity which can RELIABLY tell you that airline prices will BE "best" during some sort of timeframe, also when there will BE a so-called "seat sale" and so forth. If they COULD then why would anyone book seats at any other time than the ones recommended?
I use an aggregator site such as itasoftware.com and often use the "month-long" view to look at CURRENT prices and since we now know that the price of a flight is constantly in flux based on how break even or better it is I generally book flights early if I think the price is right and that's that.
I use an aggregator site such as itasoftware.com and often use the "month-long" view to look at CURRENT prices and since we now know that the price of a flight is constantly in flux based on how break even or better it is I generally book flights early if I think the price is right and that's that.
