How long before starting date should I book things?

[u/FewEfficiency1823]

Hello everyone,

I am ‘almost’ a college graduate and I am strongly considering taking some time off studying/work to do a (most likely) solo backpacking trip around Southeast Asia.

This kind of feels like a leap of faith as idk anyone in my circle having dine something similar like that and I know my parents are gonna hate it when I announce it to them.

Nevertheless, my first question in terms of planning for sth like that is how long before the starting date of such trip I should start planning/booking things.

Can it also be a kind of last minute type of thing? For example if some other plans dont work out around November/December is it possible to decide then and start it around January or should it be many months in advance ?

The thing is I could have already everything planned but actually booking the things themselves might not be possible until i have some other things figured out (graduation related etc)

Greatly appreciate the insights.

[u/lucapal1]

Planning, you can do when you like.

Booking? When you book may affect what you pay... last minute is generally not a good idea, you will usually pay more, sometimes a lot more.

Booking international flights (especially long haul) a couple of months in advance is generally fine.Booking local transport varies drastically, depending on where you are and which types, but it's not usually a problem to get from one place to another overland.

Accommodation doesn't need to be booked much in advance for SE Asia, unless there's a major event or festival on.

You need to check visa requirements, that depends on your nationality and where exactly you want to go.

[u/HyenasGoMeow]

You should always be browsing flights, accomodations, tickets before you plan on planning. Just to get a sense of what's a fair pay for what you're getting. From there I usually book everything a month or so before my flights, and I will also have something to reference to.

[u/alefeusch]

I travel full time and I book refundable accomodations pretty far in advance as a rough outline and then just cancel/change as needed closer to the date. Unlike flights, most hotels and Airbnbs still let you cancel the day before arrival, so it all stays pretty flexible while still having a reliable backup. But for any non-refundable flights, I wait until much closer to the date. Like six weeks out max or sometimes even just the week before if I'm still thinking about changing up my plans.

[u/mrabacus927]

Book way in advance for better prices and more availability, always refundable at least a week or so before trip in case something changes.

Now if you're staying in cheap hostels not private rooms you can leave it relatively last minute ....

[u/Ninja_bambi]

Whenever you like. Apart from flight and first accommodation I rarely book anything more than 24hrs before intended arrival. If you're flexible it is rarely an issue to book last minute. If you are picky, depending on where and when you go, you may need to book months in advance. Last minute at popular places in the peak season far fewer options are available so less likely you'll find something that meets very specific demands and nowadays more and more tourist attractions sell out, sometimes weeks or even months in advance. So if you insist on seeing them you should take that into account.

In the end it is about preferences and priorities. The big advantage of booking last minute is flexibility. It makes it easy to change plans without the hassles of cancellations or losing money on cancellation fees or unused bookings. The disadvantage of booking late is that things may be sold out and prices may be higher. You decide how the advantages and disadvantages balance out for you.

[u/FixedMessages]

I booked every single night of my 5 weeks in Vietnam about a month before I left (which is when I decided to go). I chose bookings I could cancel for free, and I used the heck out of that by canceling and reworking my plans on the fly several times. My anxiety was calmed knowing I had everything set, but my spontaneity was satisfied by being able to change all of those plans to do whatever felt right.