February is a strong planning month because the travel calendar ahead is already taking shape. Spring travel is close enough to matter, summer inventory is starting to thin in the most popular places, and late-year trips with fixed dates reward early decisions. If you already have a few dream trips in mind, booking now is often the difference between getting the neighborhood you want and settling for what is left.
The destinations below are best viewed as future trips you can start locking in now. Each one has a clear reason to move in February: either a major event has confirmed dates, a short seasonal window drives concentrated demand, or peak-season logistics become more challenging as the year progresses. For general airfare, prices often rise as departure approaches, which is another reason to book earlier for high-demand windows.
Tokyo And Kyoto, Japan
Japan’s cherry blossom season is a textbook example of a trip where waiting can cost you choice. On February 5, 2026, the Japan Meteorological Corporation released its latest 2026 cherry blossom forecast, including estimated flowering and full bloom timing across about 1,000 viewing locations. That kind of forecast not only helps people plan but also funnels demand into a narrow set of late-March and early-April dates, especially in Tokyo and Kyoto. Booking in February gives you a better chance of securing well-located hotels near the areas you want to explore, plus flight schedules that avoid awkward routings.
Crowd pressure is also shaping how destinations manage blossom season, which matters for travelers planning logistics. In February 2026, officials in Fujiyoshida cancelled the city’s cherry blossom festival at Arakurayama Sengen Park, citing unruly tourist behavior and disruption to residents, even as they expected large crowds to continue during hanami season. That is a reminder that the viewing period attracts heavy traffic regardless of whether a festival is formally staged. Booking early helps you build a more flexible plan, including choosing neighborhoods with better transit access and reserving accommodations with flexible cancellation terms in case your ideal bloom week shifts slightly.
Cannes, France
Cannes feels romantic any time of year, but the reason for booking in February is tied to May. The official Festival de Cannes site states the 79th edition will run from May 12 to May 23 this year. When those dates are fixed, the market becomes predictable: industry travel, brand activations, and spectator events compress hotel availability across the city and intensify competition for well-placed stays. If you are considering the French Riviera for late spring, February is one of the last moments when you can still book with real choice rather than scraps.
The trip you are booking is a late-spring Riviera week, where your base matters as much as the destination. Cannes can stay enjoyable during festival season, but only if you choose accommodation that fits your budget and your pace, and that usually means booking before the final weeks. It also helps to decide early if you want Cannes proper or a nearby base with rail access, because inventory pressure tends to radiate outward.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh in August is one of Europe’s most capacity-stressed travel moments, and the Fringe makes it even tighter. In 2026, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from August 7 to 31. When a major festival locks in dates that far in advance, it effectively signals a green light to book. February is a practical time to secure accommodation before the best located options disappear and minimum-stay requirements become more common.
Thousands of performers, production teams, and visitors fill the city, changing everything from nightly rates to basic availability. Early booking also gives you room to choose how you want to experience the festival, rather than letting scarcity dictate your schedule. The Fringe’s own plan-your-visit information frames August as the core travel window and points visitors to official tools that typically launch closer to festival time.
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City is a great trip in any season, but late October and early November are a distinct booking window because the Day of the Dead draws heightened demand. The holiday period itself is stable on the calendar, and major public events like the Mexico City parade have become major draws for visitors, attracting large crowds and a citywide spectacle. Even if each year’s full program lands closer to the dates, travelers already know the general window they want, which is why accommodations in popular neighborhoods tend to tighten earlier than people expect.
The smart February move is to book a stay that protects location, because that is what gets harder later. If your goal is to be near Reforma, Centro Histórico, Roma, or Condesa during the main celebration weekend, early planning gives you a better pick of hotels and better flexibility. Mexico’s official tourism platform has promoted the Day of the Dead Grand Parade as a key event on Reforma, and its event pages show how the parade date anchors travel planning around the holiday window. Lock the hotel now, then tune your exact dates as the city’s programming becomes clearer.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is already shifting into its early-summer rhythm by mid-June, when the city is at its busiest. During the summer months, hotel availability narrows, the best-located rooms disappear first, and a weekend can start to look very different depending on where you end up sleeping. Sónar sits right in that pressure point, drawing an international crowd that fills beds across the city and changes the texture of a June trip.
If Barcelona is on your list for the start of summer, February is the month to lock in your base while you still have a real choice, especially if you value walking to dinner and moving easily between neighborhoods. Wait too long, and you can still make the trip work, but it becomes shaped by whatever is left, farther out, less charming, and more time spent in transit than you intended.
