booking-timeline

name: booking-timeline description: Use when constructing the Booking & reservation timeline section of a trip plan. Encodes the 4-month / 2-month / 6-week / 1-week reservation cascade and refund-window rules. Invoked by trip-planner. type: reference

When to lock what. Reservations have hard deadlines: lodgings fill, scenic-train window seats sell out, fees lock. Get the order wrong and the trip falls apart.

The 4-tier cascade

Render this as a Markdown table in the trip body. Adjust the lead-times by trip type (international ≥ 4 months out; domestic ≥ 6 weeks; weekend ≥ 1 week).

## Booking & reservation timeline

| When | Action |
|---|---|
| **4–6 months out** | Lock dates, book flights, lodging |
| **2–3 months out** | Buy rail/transit pass; reserve scenic-train seats |
| **3–6 weeks out** | Reserve summit/peak attractions; travel insurance |
| **1–2 weeks out** | Confirm visa / ETIAS; download apps + offline maps |
| **Trip day** | Activate passes; check-in 24 hr ahead for flights |

What goes in each tier

4–6 months out (the lock-in window)

Things that fill up earliest:

Flights — international flights are cheapest 4–6 months out; US domestic 2–3 months
Peak-season lodging — Swiss alpine villages (May–June), US national park gateway towns, Greek/Italian summer islands
Limited-capacity attractions: Alhambra, Vatican Museums (Friday-night), Yosemite NP campsites, Antelope Canyon tours
Train passes can wait until 2 months — most are open-dated until activation
Trip insurance — buy within 14 days of first deposit for pre-existing-condition coverage

For domestic / weekend trips: collapse this to "6 weeks out".

2–3 months out (the seat-selection window)

Scenic-train seat reservations: Glacier Express opens 3 months ahead; Bernina Express same; Eurostar opens 6 months
Restaurant reservations at hyped places (Michelin, OpenTable cult restaurants)
Specific tour bookings: guided national park tours, snorkel/dive trips, Northern Lights chases
Car rental if needed — book early for August / Christmas / Easter peaks; otherwise OK to wait
Buy the rail pass if it's open-dated until activation

3–6 weeks out (the experience window)

High-altitude / weather-dependent attractions: Jungfraujoch slot, Pikes Peak time-entry, Yosemite Half Dome permit
Travel insurance — buy by this point even if you didn't earlier
Cellular plan / SIM — order international SIM, set up eSIM, or call carrier for travel package
Notify card issuers of travel dates (most banks no longer require this, but some still flag transactions)

1–2 weeks out (the prep window)

Visa / ETIAS / ESTA — verify approval status; some take 72 hrs to process
Download apps: transit (SBB Mobile, Citymapper, etc.), maps offline, lodging confirmations as PDFs
Currency: order foreign cash if needed for arrival expenses (taxis, tips). Or plan ATM withdrawal at the airport
Pack-list review: specific to destination (altitude jacket? snorkel? rain gear?)
Pet / house sitter: confirm dates; leave keys
Mail hold: USPS or Amazon vacation hold

Trip day & arrival

Activate the rail pass on first travel day (most are app-validated, not paper)
Flight check-in: 24 hrs ahead online to lock seat assignment
Carry-on essentials: passport, prescriptions, charger, change-of-clothes, snack
Save offline: lodging address + arrival instructions to phone

Refund-window rules

These are the cancellation windows to look for when booking. Aim for the most flexible option that fits the budget.

Item	Free-cancellation window to look for
Hotels	≥ 30 days out (most have this; some chains offer 24 hrs)
Airbnb / Vrbo	"Flexible" or "Moderate" cancellation policy; avoid "Strict"
Flights (refundable)	Premium fare class only — usually not worth the markup
Flights (non-refundable)	24-hour cancel window per US DOT for tickets bought directly from airline
Trip insurance	"Cancel for any reason" rider — pricier but recovers ~75%
Tours / activities	Look for "free cancellation up to 24/48/72 hrs before"
Rail passes	Most are non-refundable once activated; refundable if not yet activated
Scenic-train seat reservations	Often non-refundable supplements; flexible base fare on pass

The "what if dates change" rule

Build flexibility into the lock-in. If the trip dates might slip:

Choose lodging with ≥ 30-day free-cancel
Wait on non-refundable flights until dates are locked
Hold the rail pass open-dated (don't activate)
Postpone travel insurance until 14 days out (still within pre-existing coverage if you bought-then-canceled-and-rebought)

Region-specific timing nuances

Region	Booking timing nuance
US national parks	Lottery-based permits open 6 months ahead (Half Dome, The Wave); regular campsites 5 months ahead; lodge stays 13 months ahead
Switzerland	Glacier Express opens 90 days; Jungfraujoch is same-day in shoulder season but slot-based in summer
Italy	Restaurants in Tuscany / Cinque Terre book 1 month ahead in summer; Vatican Museums Fri-eve 60 days ahead
Japan	JR Pass must be bought BEFORE arrival (cheaper) or in-country at premium; Shinkansen reservations open 30 days ahead
UK	Tower of London / Stonehenge timed entry; book 2 months ahead in summer
Iceland	Northern Lights tours weather-dependent; lodging in Reykjavík fills 4 months ahead Sept–Mar
Greek islands	Ferries fill in August; book ferry + island lodging together 2 months ahead

Reference

#41 Beavers Bend: cabins fill 6 months ahead in fall (peak); 2 months ahead in summer
#68 Switzerland: full 4-tier timeline rendered in body; emphasizes Swiss Travel Pass open-dated flexibility + Glacier Express lock-in