Recently updated on July 19th, 2023 at 03:16 pm
If you’re looking to travel in 2022, there may be some lessons to be learnt from last year to help you on your way. 2021 was a game of two halves for travel. While some were still cautious of long-haul travel, choosing instead to stay closer to home in holiday homes or rentals, many of us bit the bullet and travelled overseas despite the endless tests and forms required by border controls around the world. Either way, our desire to escape our homes and travel was high – so high that many companies struggled to keep up with demand. Holiday homes and hotels sold out months in advance, rental cars were booked up solidly and flight prices rocketed due to reduced availability.
For travel in 2022, how can you avoid high prices and the disappointment of no availability? Here are 7 reasons why booking travel early is essential.
Booking early gives you the best price
If our experience of the last year has taught us anything, it’s that the later you leave booking your holiday the more you can expect to pay for it. Don’t be fooled into thinking that prices will go down the closer it gets to a holiday’s departure date – if anything, you can expect the opposite to happen. As seats get booked and hotel rooms sell out, passengers will fight for the remaining few places, meaning companies increase their prices to make the most of demand. This is exactly what we saw happening with holiday rentals in 2021.
Another reason to book travel early is that many companies will give you deals for early booking – especially at the start of the year when you can expect to find New Year travel sales offering early payment travel deals.
You’ll have time to ensure you’re travelling safely
Travel in 2022 is looking positive, especially for departures in late summer or beyond. There are lots of reasons for this optimism – a main point being climbing vaccination rates in top holiday spots means you can travel safely with peace of mind. But booking early to give yourself extra planning time and flexibility is essential in the current climate. Border restrictions can change daily, and entry requirements require time to ensure you have the right paperwork, negative test results and proof of vaccination for everyone in your travel group. Doing all that last minute could be a recipe for disaster. So, give yourself peace of mind and book early to ensure safe and enjoyable travel.
You’ll have more choice
Something else we learnt in 2021 was that our choices were impacted if we left it too late when booking our holidays. Because demand was outstripping supply, when booking late we found ourselves left with limited options, meaning we had to book our second or third choices. While any holiday is great, it’s even better when you can book your first choice of destination at the best possible price. So, avoid finding yourself left with the scraps and book travel early to have your pick of all the best holidays on offer.
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It gives you something to look forward to
A huge benefit to booking your holiday early is that is gives you something to look forward to. Studies have shown that having something to look forward to improves productivity, your wellbeing and sense of happiness. The excitement of counting down the days to your trip will get you through even the hardest days at work and the longest days of the month – no matter how far in advance you book your holiday, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your departure date comes around.
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Destinations are less crowded right now
One of our favourite reasons for booking early for travel is that many 2022 travel destinations are less crowded than usual – so by securing a seat on a trip to one of your bucket list destinations now, you will be guaranteeing yourself a space first in line at all the best sights. The pandemic means that with less people travelling further afield, so many iconic attractions (think Rome’s Trevi Fountain or The Louvre in Paris) have less crowds and shorter queues, meaning you can really experience the best of a destination. Leaving it late could mean seats sell out and you could miss experiencing these crowd-free sights – so book your travel early!
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More time to plan means stress-free travel
Admit it, there’s nothing worse than booking a last-minute trip and having no time to plan for it. From packing to planning your itinerary, holidays are better when you have some time to do the pre-planning. Book ahead and you’ll have more time to plan out your sightseeing trips, book early bird passes to the attractions you want to see and ensure you can pack yourself a climate-appropriate wardrobe. Book travel early and ensure your holiday gets off to a stress-free start.
You’ll have time to save up
An obvious reason, but still a good one. Booking your holiday early means you’ll have more time to save up to do all the things you want to do when you get to your destination. Saving spending money can allow you the freedom to push your trip to the next level – pay for more experiences and excursions, eat at more expensive restaurants, upgrade your room and treat yourself to all those great souvenirs and trinkets you see when you’re away. In a world of Covid, it’s also sensible to save up a ‘just in case’ budget to allow for passengers who catch Covid while abroad and see themselves having to cover the cost of an extra week or two in quarantine.
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Are you planning to travel in 2022? Tell us in the comments below where and how you’re planning to travel this year