Planning your hols for the year ahead

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AIBU to ask how far in advance you plan and book your hols in?

We have small DC so have to work with the school holidays. We have nothing planned / booked for this year yet and I'm trying to instil some urgency into my very indecisive, procrastinating DH.

When do you tend to book your hols? For those with school-age DC, do you have all the school holidays sorted and planned out for the year?

Generally in the lull between Christmas and NY I work out what holidays/short breaks I want for the following year - I plan them/book annual leave/book some if they're cheap (if not I'll track over the next few months and book when they reduce in price).

The exception is the 'Big Holiday' in Summer, which I tend to plan/book after the 'Big Holiday' the year before.

Just to add - I do need to work around school holidays for DS. When I make my plans in December I also block out dates for holiday clubs/annual leave for days out etc.

I book them through work first making use of the bank holidays so my holiday goes further. Then I decide where I want to go.

I usually book our main holiday around a year in advance, I love having something to look forward to. I have just booked a holiday for Easter 2026 which seems ridiculous but DH colleagues have taken our preferred holiday dates two years in a row (they can't take leave at the same time) so I had to be organised.

We tend to decide our travel about a year in advance. We go on several trips a year though, so for smaller things (e.g. a few days in Europe) it's not that far ahead. But for more expensive long haul trips we tend to book the tickets when they come out, which is about 11 months in advance of return date. If you want free child places on package holidays the earlier you look the better the availability. If you want certain room types too or a specific hotel then the earlier you commit, the more likely you are to get what you want.

I don't have to consider school holidays. I book my annual leave off first, we usually have 2 weeks at the beginning of September and 1 or 2 weeks in February, then maybe a week around my birthday. Other leave I book as we feel like it. If we are planning on going away I would usually book that around 4 months before we go, unless I see a special deal or get inspired by something before that.

We have an elderly cat who has to have medication every day and who now has a litter tray, so we haven't planned any holidays for the coming year as yet. We have a neighbour who is very happy to feed her and keep her company for a bit, but I won't inflict her litter tray on him. Realistically she is unlikely to be around when we would normally go on a proper holiday in September, so we will wait until we know we are going to be able to go away before we book anything this year. DH will probably go to visit his family alone at Easter, and I will stay home with the cat.

I have one DS (7) and DD (3). We plan the whole year in Dec/Jan.

School holidays - We know who is covering what for the whole year (not academic year but until Dec 2025). Some are loose plans e.g my parents have DS for 1 week in the summer holidays - that week is to be set but I know 1 week of the 6 he is with them.

Already booked we have long weekends away for Aug bank holiday (Cornwall) and my DS birthday (Centre Parcs). The bell tent for Cornwall was booked exactly a year in advance as that is how far up they get booked. Centre Parcs was booked about 10 months ahead and they were already limited on availability of lodges.

May bank holiday (camping) is planned but not booked (I know where we are going though) and we will have two other camping holidays in the summer holidays. Weekends decided just not booked anywhere yet. Some ideas about where to go.

I usually get most of the years holidays booked in Jan/Feb latest. Campsites start opening their bookings around now (I'm still waiting for one to open its booking) and due to school, we always go away the school holidays now. Things get booked up fast I find.

I plan to avoid school holidays!! week long summer holiday was booked almost as soon as we came back from the last one. I have a long weekend in the spring booked and two more in the planning (with different groups, hence they take a bit more planning than if it was just me or a couple of folk).