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

booking-timeline

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