It depends on a variety of factors (i.e. how far in advance of the trip you contact us, hotel availability, complexity of the itinerary, changes you may decide to make along the way). Dean has planned trips in as little as a week, while others have taken weeks to finalize.
One thing you can be sure of is that we share your enthusiasm for finalizing the details as quickly as possible. The more advance notice we have, the faster and easier it is to plan a trip. And the more likely it is that you’ll get exactly the trip you want. If you wait until the last minute, it’s invariably more difficult to secure hotel and flight availability. Last-minute requests require an extra degree of flexibility and the planning process gets compressed (this can be a little stressful for everyone involved). Some regions, such as Africa and the Galapagos Islands, should be planned way in advance (think 12-18 months prior to departure) due to limited availability at safari camps and on boats. Cruises need to booked well in advance to ensure cabin-level availability. If you want to travel over the Christmas/New Year holidays or during March break, please give Dean plenty of notice.