Avoiding the pitfalls of planning well in advance

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

One issue I have encountered when planning trips, which I'm sure others also encounter, is that if I book air travel far in advance (for instance, with mileage tickets, it's advisable to book as soon as the 300-day release date arrives if it's a popular time of year, such as holidays), I sometimes encounter problems when I later try to book hotels or popular apartments because some big event is taking place that I was not aware of when selecting travel dates.

Is there a reliable source that would list most of the events that inevitably draw lots of travelers to Paris? For instance, I like May-June and September-October, but have encountered some difficulty in booking accommodations (or even car services) during those periods if I happened to select dates that coincide with a fashion week, or with soccer playoffs, or whatever. Any suggestions for how people can take that into account when selecting their travel dates?

[Anne]

Have you already tried the Paris tourist office website : www.parisinfo.com ?
If you don't find the info on this site, you may call them directly : 33-8-92-68-30-00
If THEY don't know about special events in Paris, I wonder who does ...

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

No, I haven't tried that yet but thanks for the link. This always comes up long after I already have booked the tickets, so as it's too late to change them I just have to do the best I can with the other issues. But I've been thinking that there's got to be a better way, and this may be it! Thanks again!