How far in advance do you book your hols?

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Our holiday year runs April to March. Every year the same people get super organised and book the best holidays - there seems to be no limit to how far in advance you can book. I thought I would create a level playing field by saying I would take holiday requests for April 09 from November 08. At the time nobody said anything but now I'm getting people asking me if they can book next summer. I want to be fair to everyone - how far in advance would you like to book?

[NorthernLurker]

In my department we agreed that the team to make requests 12 months in advance - so you could now request September 09 but will need to wait for 1/2 term 09 till next month! This has worked fine - tbh I have found that the super-organised people are like that because they need to be - school holidays, vey particular requirements to do with their partners work etc and the people who aren't that organised can afford to be because they really aren't that fussed. What i think you need to make sure is that everyone knows when they can book from (I think 12 months is fair enough because if you are going on a 'big' holiday you need that long to book and pay for it and you need to know you can have the time before you do those things) Then - if people don't book it's their own faults!
The exception to all this is Christmas - we ask for requests on the 1st September and then when I've got everything we work out what's possible - and if you lost out last year you get first pick this year

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Cheers!

[islandofsodor]

I book mine 12 months in advance. I need to do that as 2 weeks in the summer I help run a kids activity and my dh works term times.

Many people are booking Easter and Summer holidays now with the travel agents as there are some good deals around.

[roisin]

We usually book at least 12 months in advance, because we've found the kind of places we go to, the best cottages are fully booked by the end of the summer holidays by people who book at the end of their holiday to return the following year.

I agree with Northernlurker though. If people have genuine limitations they tend to be more organised and get the requests in promptly.

[Gobbledigook]

At dh's work you can only book for the calendar year you are in - if we book ahead of this we just have to make sure he gets his booked on 1st Jan!

[elkiedee]

It depends a bit on your workplace - I've booked holidays more than 5 months in advance in the past and I didn't even have kids - I was going for a particular event and then spending time visiting places while I was there, and it was about getting cheap flights etc too. Also, I work in a place with colleagues from all over the world, and people may well want to take a substantial period of time off to visit Nigeria/Australia/New Zealand/India.

My childminder has just asked dp about taking 3 weeks paid holiday next October, 2009. I anticipate I'll be on maternity leave then anyway although I would have probably kept ds there - but I think it's great to know so far in advance. I would have been looking to have dc2 start spending some time there before I go back to work in November, but I'm sure I can work out an arrangement.

I think NL's work rule of up to a year in advance is a good idea generally, although I think my workplace Christmas would need to be considered much sooner than September - not all the Antipodeans or others from abroad will want to go at once but those who do would need to be able to plan further in advance