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It’s science: Planning your trips well ahead of time is better. Not waiting until the last minute gives you time to wait in joyful anticipation for your trip. It also ensures that you have time to find an amazing deal that’ll get you there, especially when it comes to those far-flung destinations, and it reduces the chance that your chosen tour will be sold out.
If you have one of the following trips on your mind for the years to come, we recommend you start planning now.
Intimate tours with limited space or trips likely to sell out
Some excursions are designed to be shared with few people. It allows for less wear on fragile spaces and enables you to get much closer to your subject—say lions, tigers, or bears—in small vessels or vehicles than you’d otherwise be able to. Therefore, by nature, their diminutive size makes them a scarce commodity; rather than miss these boats, tours, and adventures, you’ll want to get ahead of the (big) game.
Gorilla trekking tours
Rwanda, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo generally allow only eight visitors per gorilla trek in their countries. Such small groups enable the gorillas to relax and just about forget you’re there; put less stress on delicate mountain and lowland flora; and lower the risk of passing along our human diseases to these amazing primates, with whom we share 98% of our DNA.
Small boat cruises
Both a Nile dahabiya tour (on an elegant Egyptian sailboat) and a Kerala backwater journey on a kettuvallam (a South Indian houseboat) offer amazing, often-remote scenery at a leisurely pace. Intimate vessels like these have precious few beds per sailing, though, so planning is necessary if you want to explore the uninhabited islands near Egypt’s Aswan or the palm-fringed canals and lagoons of India’s Alappuzha region.
Outfitted dry-season African safaris
During Southern and East Africa’s dry seasons, wildlife-viewing conditions are in their prime, offering minimal mud, cooler temperatures, and low grass cover. The dry season in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and South Africa’s Great Kruger area lasts May through October, while in Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, it’s July through September. The most sought-after safari camps here operate within protected wildlife preserves, offering small-plane transport, well-trained guides, and a limited number of beds.
How far in advance you should plan
To ensure your spot on these limited-space adventures, be prepared to book nine months to one year ahead, if not more.
US trips that include a lottery or application to attend
Some special places in the US inspire so much interest that controlling their visitor flow becomes vital to their existence. Enter the need for lotteries and applications, many of which are handled by Recreation.gov, a one-stop shop for locking down access to America’s natural spaces. Sign up for a free account on the site, and get to entering, applying, and hoping for the best.
Hikes in state and national parks
The roughly 15-mile, 4,200-foot trip to the summit of Yosemite’s epic Half Dome requires permits for day hikers seven days a week when its 400 feet of assistance cables are up, which is normally the Friday before Memorial Day through the second Tuesday in October. Only 225 day hikers are allowed each day, and the preseason lottery runs from March 1-31, on East Coast time; if you’re chosen, you’ll be notified via email in mid-April.
You’ll also need a permit to hike all of Kauai’s magnificent 22-mile Kalalau Trail, which begins in Hāʻena State Park and provides the only land access to the lush Nā Pali Coast. Hawaii issues only 60 permits a day that allow you to camp for up to five days along this out-and-back journey, and you’ll need to apply for yours through the state’s reservation system.
Natural wonders
Undulating five roundtrip miles through Arizona’s Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, the magical red-sandstone canyon known as The Wave requires a permit to visit. Of the 64 daily permits allowed, 48 are posted to an online lottery each day, four months in advance of their visiting date; e.g., if you want to visit during the month of June, you’ll want to enter the lottery during the month of February. You’ll be notified of your permit status by email on the first day of the month after you enter the lottery.
National Park lodges
These are some of America’s most sought-after stays, and competition for rooms in popular parks like Yellowstone, Glacier and Acadia can be fierce. On a smaller scale, the 16-room Brooks Lodge is the only indoor lodging in Alaska’s Katmai National Park near the Brooks Falls bear viewing action during the salmon spawn and is only open from June 1 to mid-September each year. To enter the Brooks Lodge lottery, apply online between December 1-31 for stays two years out (e.g., apply in December 2024 for 2026 lodging).
On the floor of the Grand Canyon, Phantom Ranch’s nine updated 1920s cabins (each with two bunk beds) are made available only by lottery. Apply online 15 months in advance of your desired visit, and note that each applicant can only book up to four consecutive nights for up to nine guests. About 10 miles below the canyon rim, Phantom Ranch is reachable only by foot, mule ride, or river raft; the latter requires a river permit via another lottery.
How far in advance you should plan
Permits for most of these American attractions require reservations four months to a year in advance.
Trips around a major event
When an experience can only be had once a year—or even more rarely—it’s bound to make a lot of bucket lists. And because the dates for events like those listed below are publicized far in advance, only the most organized early birds will score the best flights, hotel locations, and more.
Carnival in Rio
A week-long celebration held each year in February, Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival includes the glitzy, feathery Sambadrome Parade, which unfurls in a multi-day, dusk-to-dawn reverie. Where you stay in relation to the festivities can make or break your experience (e.g., in the heart of the action vs. quietly away from the fray), so don’t delay booking your ideal spot; and while you’re at it, reserve tables at those restaurants you’d hate to miss. Same goes for things like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other similar events.
The Olympic Games
The granddaddy of sporting events plays out on a four year cycle, with either alternating Summer and Winter Olympics held every two years in a different city. Cities and major competition venues are often announced a few years in advance, and as soon as that news goes public, the travel-booking clock starts ticking. Thinking about the World Cup instead? The same guidelines apply.
Cherry blossom season in Kyoto, Tokyo, or DC
Usually late March to early April, this petal-pink floral spectacle is one of the most popular attractions in both Japan and DC, with hotels anywhere near cherry trees booking up more than a year in advance.
Total eclipse of the sun
The sun, moon, and Earth line up for a solar eclipse twice a year, either total or annular (aka the “ring of fire”). However, eclipses don’t always occur anywhere near the US—so when they do, they become a hot ticket. Campgrounds and high-rise hotels within the path of a future eclipse will have the best views, and reservations will go fast; if you blink, you might miss them.
How far in advance you should plan
For any of these events, aim to book your travel arrangements at least 18 months in advance.
Trips that are epically far and/or expensive
Whether you’ll need to make winging ‘round the world worth your while or simply save up a small fortune, there are some once-in-a-lifetime adventures that require a healthy lead time to get all your ducks (or blue-footed boobies) in a row. Here are just a few.
The Galapagos Islands
Launched throughout the year on ships that carry anywhere between 10 and 100 passengers, guided sailing trips to the remote Galapagos Islands tend to last 7–16 nights and cost $5,000–$12,000 per person. Oh, and you’ll lose almost two days of travel time just getting to and from your port on mainland Ecuador (either Quito or Guayaquil). Booking your trip as far out as possible will help you get the outfitter, ship, and cabin of your choice, likely at a discount, while also accruing the travel time you’ll need to meet the wildlife you’ll only see here.
Antarctica
The most common way to reach the Antarctic Peninsula is to first fly to the southern tip of South America, then brave a 48-hour small-ship sail along the notoriously choppy Drake Passage; to explore Antarctica for only five days, you’ll need to spend 9–11 days traveling. Sure, you could just show up in the touristy port city of Ushuaia, Argentina, and try your luck on a last-minute boat, but only if you can risk blowing extra days off work and extra cash on hotels. Just 50 small ships sail during Antarctica’s short travel season (November to March), and planned itineraries already average $9,000 per person, so putting down a deposit way ahead ensures you don’t exceed your budget or waste precious vacation time.
Luxury train journeys
Some of the most sought-after rail journeys are also the most expensive, costing upwards of $1,000 a night. There are always limited bookings aboard glamorous trains like Europe’s Venice-Simplon Orient Express; The Ghan, which travels 1,851 miles across Australia; and the Palace on Wheels, with its seven-day trip across India, including the pink palaces of Rajasthan, the tigers of Ranthambore, and the Taj Mahal.
How far in advance you should plan
Plan to book expensive, far-flung guided itineraries, boats, and/or trains at least a year ahead. Not only will you be (more) sure of getting a good seat or cabin, but you’ll give yourself time to save up cash.
Trips you need a lot of physical preparation for
Adventures that require you to be in good shape are great ways to inspire a fitness plan—but a fitness plan takes time to yield results. And if you want to explore wild territory, you’ll likely need a roundup of shots. Give yourself plenty of headway for trips like those below that are physically demanding or otherwise risky to your health.
Mountain climbing
Dreaming of scaling a gargantuan peak like Everest or Kilimanjaro, or even an American fourteener like Denali? You’ll need to secure any necessary permits (remember those?), research conditions on your mountain of choice, gather the right gear, and train five days a week, both for strength and endurance. Before booking your travel, book an appointment with your doctor and/or a trainer to determine your fitness baseline; this will give you a better idea of your planning timeline.
Walking the Camino de Santiago or any other long-distance walk
You’ll also want to check your fitness level before attempting a long (and we mean long) walk like the 96-mile West Highland Way in Scotland, the 2,000-plus-mile Appalachian Trail, or the 500-mile Camino de Santiago, from the Basque region of France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. You’ll want to break in your boots, make reservations at hostels (to be assured of a bed each night), and likely request time off work far in advance. You can absolutely do shorter sections of any long-distance hike, but you’ll still want to walk, hike, and stretch (a lot) before you go.
Vacations that require vaccines
Before you book a trip out of the country, first check the Center for Disease Control’s list of destinations to see if you’ll need vaccines for anything from yellow fever to hepatitis and cholera in order to travel. If you do need vaccines, you’ll have to find a clinic, determine how many rounds of shots are required and how far in advance, then make sure you have the proper paperwork to present at airports. It pays to sort out these details before you even decide on travel dates, much less purchase the most expensive portions of your trip.
How far in advance you should plan
As soon as the idea of one of these trips pops in your head, check in with a health professional and get a sense of how long you’ll need to get strong and/or vaccinated—then allow yourself at least six months before you travel.
Published October 27, 2023
Last updated November 20, 2024
