When to book? The best time to book your boat, measured rather than guessed

«Book early or wait for a last-minute deal?» There are many opinions on this and few figures. Every night Go2Boat records which dates of all boats in a region can still be booked. Two answers follow from this, which you see below for the main regions – as soon as there are enough measurements.

For every departure month we record the share of departure days that can no longer be booked – booked, on option or blocked by the provider – and how that share changes week by week. From this we derive the best time to book: with last year's data, the point at which half of the dates were taken; until there is a previous year, the current pace.

The last-minute barometer compares, for week dates still free three weeks before departure, the final price then with the final price the day before departure. It shows whether waiting tends to get cheaper or more expensive in a region – and that what mainly shrinks while you wait is the choice.

• If you are looking for a particular boat, many cabins or a catamaran in high season, book early: these boats go first.
• If you are flexible on region, boat and date, you may get lucky shortly before departure – with less choice.
• With the price alert we write to you when the final price of a date drops or a matching date becomes free.

We measure across all boats in a region and all sources. A figure appears only when enough boats from several providers stand behind it and no provider holds more than half of them; percentages are rounded down. We do not publish figures about single boats or providers. Where nothing appears above, the measurements are not enough yet.