Is January really the best time to book your summer holiday?

Should you commit now – by grabbing one of the early booking deals for next summer, or even an Easter escape? Or should you wait for political and economic uncertainties to blow over?

January has always been the busiest month for holiday sales, when operators, airlines and agents spend the heaviest chunk of their marketing budgets to persuade us to snap up early-booking incentives for packages, airfares and accommodation.

But this year the atmosphere is slightly different. With the stock market crashing in the run-up to Christmas, the pound in a long-term slump and even the basic details of Brexit still unresolved, I have never known a January hedged about by such uncertainty.

Despite all this, my core advice remains the same as it has been for previous years (with one or two special caveats for Easter, which I’ll come to later). In essence, don’t let temporary uncertainties put you off. This is still the best time to book many types of holiday. If you want or have to travel during the May half term or summer school holidays and are after both a reasonable deal and certainty about when and where you are going, you will have a much greater choice if you act sooner rather than later. The same rule applies if you want a place on an escorted tour or cruise that is likely to attract high demand.

But, as always, if you are able to travel at quieter times of year and can be flexible about departure dates, there is no particular rush. There is plenty of time to arrange holidays in May, June, September and October without worrying about prices going up.

For travel in April or over Easter, my advice is slightly different. First, while uncertainty remains, it seems sensible to avoid booking to travel during the first week or two after March 29 – just in case there are teething problems after Brexit (assuming it does happen then).

I don’t think there is a problem about booking for departure during the Easter school holidays, though personally I would avoid making independent arrangements and go for a package holiday instead. This will give you extra protection in the event of any continuing disruption because your tour operator will have a legal duty to look after you, and – in the highly unlikely event of widespread cancellations – to refund you if you can’t travel. People who book flights independently will normally be liable to pay for any hotel, villa, car hire or other arrangements if, for some Brexit-related reason, they are unable to travel.

Another point to consider is Channel crossings. If there is any disruption to traffic immediately after Brexit, it is likely to be concentrated around Dover and Folkestone, so you might want to book a service from Newhaven, Portsmouth or Plymouth, at least during April.

Finally, if you do book (or are already booked) to travel in an EU country during the three or four weeks after March 29, and the situation over Brexit remains unclear beyond the end of January, there are some sensible precautions you can take to avoid the risk of a last-minute scramble:

1. Make sure your passport is valid for six months or more beyond your departure date. (You won’t, however, need a visa to travel to the EU.)

2. If you are driving or renting a car, you may need an International Driving Permit as well as your UK licence – take your licence, a passport-sized photo and your passport to a main post office (postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permit). It can be issued on the spot and costs £5.50.

3. Ensure you have travel insurance that gives you full health cover in the EU. This would be a wise precaution in any event, but doubly so after March 29 because the current reciprocal arrangements, which allow you to use an EHIC card to access the public health service of member countries if you fall ill while travelling, may lapse.

4. If you want to take your pet with you, the situation is a little unclear. The best summary is on the government website: gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit.