America 2017

claire2711

Hiya! We're looking to book a big family holiday to America for summer 2017 but as far as I can see most holiday sites aren't booking that far in advance Would I be able to go into a travel agent to do it instore? Was hoping to do it online to find the best deal possible as we ideally would like to go to Orlando and Vegas! Any help would be amazing :j xx

novelty-socks

By all means pick up some guidebooks, start planning and get excited about your holiday. But when it comes to actually getting things booked, chill out and hold off.

This article shows you when airlines start releasing tickets. Assuming the information there is still correct, flights for summer 2017 won't be available for a few months yet.

You won't make any substantial savings by booking so far ahead. In fact, you might even end up spending more depending on what happens with exchange rates and demand between now and then. Honestly, you could probably book next January and not end up spending any more.

claire2711

Thankyou! I'll deffo get some books to pass onto family and in the meantime keep on saving x

michele-p

Hi, as has been said above, airline just won't have released the flights that far in advance yet. However, you can do lots of planning now, and decide on routes and possible hotels. We flew to NY with Thomas Cook this June, and managed to book that the April before, when they launched the route. Great price, and greats service. I believe they do an Orlando flight.

Internal flights are very reasonable in the US, so you could get a return to 1 place from the bUK, then internal return, or look at an open jaw ticket when they are available, fly into one airport, then out of another. Don't look at one way prices, it's open jaw or multi city.

If your kids are quite young I might reconsider Vegas, as it's not that much of a family destination, and I don't think kids can go in the casinos. Think of it as Blackpool on speed, great to visit for a day or two, but a bit seedy! I can highly recommend San Fransisco as a destination though. (only my opinions, others may disagree)

blindman

claire2711 wrote: »

Thankyou! I'll deffo get some books to pass onto family and in the meantime keep on saving x

This event might help you choose a destination and date to visit

21st August 2107

I'll be there in Oregon at around 10:15 AM

PeacefulWaters

You have a year to monitor flight prices with BA, Virgin and others.

Do it for Summer 2016. You'll be amazed how much they vary depending on when you book.

By the time you can book for 2017 you'll know what good value is and whether to jump in early or play a waiting game.

Keep an eye on prices from Dublin too.

Murphy_The_Cat

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

By the time you can book for 2017 you'll know what good value is and whether to jump in early or play a waiting game.

Keep an eye on prices from Dublin too.

I'm currently doing exactly that for Summer 2017 :beer:
I've got my 2017 planned flights locked into google flight search and I'm checking them regularly (based on 2016).
It is absolutely astounding how much cheaper they are from DUB, rather than from the UK

2gorgeousgirls

If you decide to fly from Dublin be careful booking travel insurance. A lot of UK companies won't cover from there as its not a UK airport. You should be covered if the Dublin departure has been booked as a connecting flight but prob not if your flight from UK to Dublin and Dublin to USA are booked as 2 separate flights.

Double check with the insurer that they cover ex Dublin before paying the premium.

Murphy_The_Cat

2gorgeousgirls wrote: »

Double check with the insurer that they cover ex Dublin before paying the premium.

even for annual worldwide travel insurance ?

Direct Line seem to have people covered for ex-Dublin departures.
page 14 & page 33

John259

There are some theme parks in the Los Angeles/San Diego area (Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal, Knotts Berry Farm, Sea World - and Legoland for young children). If that's an adequate selection for you then you could fly to Los Angeles or Las Vegas and drive or fly between them. There's also a number of excellent national parks in the southwest if they're of interest to you (Grand Canyon, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Yosemite). The summer heat in the southwest is a dry heat, which many people find much more tolerable than the intense humid heat of the southeast.

Just an idea.