We’re now approaching the end of 2024 and are in the midst of end of school year holidays. It’s likely that if we had booked and organised holidays for our families in early 2024, we could have nabbed some great travel deals for this school holiday.
Given that many of us might be looking forward to starting a new year – and what we might be doing during the holidays – it might be worth getting ahead of the curve and booking early.
This is especially true if we have families and know our children’s school terms, which are publicly-released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in advance.
So, for those of us with a tendency to plan ahead, when will be the best time to book your family holiday trips in 2025?
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March School Holidays
There will be four vacation periods for schools, junior colleges and Millenia Institute in 2025, which will take place in the months of March, June, September, and December.
For the March holidays, which will fall from 15 March 2025 (Saturday) to 23 March 2025 (Sunday), we could start looking for flights and accommodations around three to six months in advance from as early as September 2024.
Given the shorter duration of the March holiday, many of us might be looking to go on a regional overseas trip – either to a destination in Southeast Asia or perhaps North Asia such as China, Japan or Korea.
June School Holidays
For parents planning for a holiday in June, the good news is that the summer brings about a longer term break for the children. This gives you the opportunity to plan a longer trip in the summer season.
In 2025, the June holidays will last from 31 May 2025 (Saturday) to 29 June 2025 (Sunday), with children returning to school on 30 June 2025 (Monday).
That gives parents around four weeks of holiday to plan for. It also means that parents could start looking around and getting their travel bookings – such as flights and accommodations – done around now just in time for June 2025.
Ideally, with long-haul trips, we will want to book around three to six months in advance. That’s mainly because summer is also peak travel season globally, with a lot of tourists from Western countries travelling to popular destinations – such as Europe in the summer.
Even if you’re booking for trips to Korea or Japan, these are also considered popular destinations and therefore require earlier planning. You could snag some travel deals for this holiday as early as December 2024. For example, Singapore budget airline Scoot just ran a flash sale for over 35 destinations on 3 December 2024.
September School Holidays
The September school holidays are a shorter break of just one week. The September school holiday dates are scheduled for 6 September 2025 (Saturday) to 14 September 2025 (Sunday).
Coincidentally, Teachers’ Day also falls on 5 September 2025 (Friday) so you can plan to depart earlier for your trip.
If you already have a destination in mind and can book earlier, that would be ideal. Otherwise, it’s more likely that we will be planning a regional trip given the shorter duration of the holiday. As a result, try to look for flights by around April 2025 so you will have a higher chance of getting the best deals on certain routes.
December School Holidays
Finally, we have the long December school break that many of us are anticipating. In 2025, the December holidays are set to start on 29 November 2025 (Saturday) and end on 1 January 2026 (Wednesday).
Families can take advantage of the extended holiday to plan a long-haul trip. Again, for long-haul trips, the best booking window is usually considered to be around three to six months in advance. As many are expected to take a holiday this time of year, it’s best to book early.
Tips For Planning Family Holidays In 2025
With family holidays, people are likely to plan trips around the children’s school holidays. With the announcement of school term dates, families can book early and potentially save some dollars.
One consideration that travellers should take into account is that flights generally get more pricey the longer we wait to book. Many airlines will open up their flights for bookings around 11 to 12 months in advance. As a result, if you know where you’re heading and you have seen a good price on flights (for what is generally a popular route), then it may be worth booking early.
However, if we are more spontaneous and want to look for last-minute deals, then we can keep an eye out for recurring promotions. For example, Singapore Airlines has a monthly “KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes” offer that provides up to 30% off KrisFlyer Saver award tickets for specific routes, but these routes are only revealed in the middle of the month prior to which you must travel.
There are also travel fairs that we can take advantage of. One of the biggest travel fairs in Singapore is the NATAS Travel Fair, which takes place twice a year. In 2024, the NATAS fair was held twice from 1 to 3 March 2024 and 16 to18 August 2024. You can nab deals on tour packages, flights, hotels, and car rentals as well as other travel-related services at the fairs. In 2025, the travel fair will be happening from 1 to 3 March 2025.
Overall, by booking early and planning ahead – while also watching out for deals – we could better prepare for our 2025 holidays and also save a decent amount in the process.
The post When Will Be The Best Time To Book Your Family Holidays In 2025? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
