book in advance

Meaning

'Book in advance' means to reserve or purchase tickets, hotel rooms, or services before the actual date of travel or the event. It is a highly common phrase in travel and hospitality, used to secure a spot and often get a cheaper price.

Examples

• If you want to visit the museum during peak season, you should book in advance.

  If you want to visit the museum during peak season, you should book in advance.

• We booked our flights months in advance to get the best possible price.

  We booked our flights months in advance to get the best possible price.

• Hotels in this beach town fill up quickly, so make sure to book in advance.

  Hotels in this beach town fill up quickly, so make sure to book in advance.

• You can't just show up at this restaurant; you have to book weeks in advance.

  You can't just show up at this restaurant; you have to book weeks in advance.

• I forgot to book my train ticket in advance, and now it's twice as expensive.

  I forgot to book my train ticket in advance, and now it's twice as expensive.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to reserve in before.

  ✓ We need to book in advance.

  'In before' is incorrect. The standard English prepositional phrase for doing something early is 'in advance'.

• ✗ I booked the hotel with advance.

  ✓ I booked the hotel in advance.

  The correct preposition to pair with 'advance' in this context is 'in', not 'with' or 'by'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Tickets for the concert sell out fast, so you should ___.

  💡 Buy them early before the show.

  Show answer

  book in advance

• It is always cheaper to ___ than to buy tickets at the gate.

  💡 Make reservations ahead of time.

  Show answer

  book in advance