BootsnAll Travel Community

Starting my rtw trip in May and just looking at the few tours/side trips I want to do. Its been suggested that I book them all before I leave here but with dates so long in teh future and things always subject to change I'm really not convinced.

I'm looking to do Machu Pichu although not the full Inca Trail (I'm in Peru 8 days), The Grand Canyon from vegas and Uluru from Alice Springs.

Has anyone had any experiences with booking these, or this sort of thing before leaving or while they are on the move?

I booked Uluru from Alice about 30 days in advance from Sydney... No problems there Definitely could have booked it LESS in advance too!

Would not mind betting if you did a survey amongst travellers, RTW or otherwise you'll find that by far the greater majority wait until they are at least in the country of any side trips before making a booking.
So many things can happen between when you leave home and get somewhere thousands of miles away, you'll find from locals and other travellers what best options could be, possibly be able to get standby cheap deals and as Tracy indicates and particularly for backpacking, booking ahead does not always need to be that great.

Yup. Except for a few very specific cases waiting until you're near the destination is the way to go, for a few reasons.

First, as everyone has pointed out, plans can change.

Second, especially in developing countries, you're likely to find lower prices with a larger proportion of your money going to the local people (though you may have to work a bit harder to ensure that your tour company treats its employees and the environment respectably.)

As for your particular trips, I don't know much about the Inca trail.

As Tracy Ann said, you can book trips to Uluru in Australia, or indeed, in Alice Springs itself without a great deal of fuss.

The Grand Canyon depends on what you're planning on doing there. If you're hoping for a bus trip from Vegas, a wander around the south rim and bit of a day hike it's NOOOO problem to wait until you're in LV to book.
If you want to take a mule trip down, or camp by the river at the bottom, or (most especially) if you want to stay at Phantom Ranch (at the bottom) booking well in advance is a good idea (indeed, may be essential.)