When you love someone, there is nothing you wouldn’t do for him/her. No barrier can restrict you from showing the care and affection you believe that person deserves.

Often, when Valentine’s day draws closer, there is a weight of expectancy of the shoulders of lovers to do something special. From lovely romantic gifts to getaways and vacations, there is always a drain on your finances.

With just a few weeks gone in the new year, many people are now getting back on their feet by balancing the expenses of the festive period with the income of the new year.

This extra spending to make that special person happy heaps more pressure on you. There is however a way out of this! Jumia Travel, Africa’s leading online hotel booking website highlights 5 reasons why you need to start valentine planning now.

Advanced bookings are cheaper - If you are planning on traveling far away with your partner, you will need a flight/bus ticket as well as a hotel reservation. The prices of such highly relevant services are often hiked very close to the season itself due to a greater demand leading to scarcity. However, to avoid such excess charges, an early reservation gets you the same service for relatively cheaper. There is nothing more frustrating than getting to your preferred hotel only to learn that it is fully booked. It may just ruin all your plans. That is why you have to book now! Some booking websites allow you to book now and pay later when you get to the hotel. Make the best of it.

2.  More time for changes - Have you ever changed your mind on something even though you wanted it so badly a few days back? Yes ! Yes ! Yes ! As human as we are, we always like to make changes. These changes are only possible if we actually have the time and convenience to make them. When you make reservations too close to actual check-in dates, you may end up paying high cancellation or re-booking fees in case you want to alter the booking. Making a reservation weeks in advance helps you to have ample time to alter your reservations and make the right bookings for that perfect stay. Zero cancellation fees apply when you cancel or alter your bookings several weeks in advance. Start preparing now to avoid paying extra fees on your changes should you have to make them.

3. Make arrangements for your absence - Going away for a lovely valentines vacation with your partner may mean you have to leave work or kids behind. Planning your trip weeks in advance gives you the freedom to factor in all your extra responsibilities. You can either book a nanny, get your parents,siblings or a close friend to take care of your kids for a few days while you wander away with the love of your life. Sometimes, these special trips fall on weekdays and you may need a day or two off in order to have a great trip. Planning several weeks ahead gives you enough time to check the schedule of the person you wish to take care of your kids and also to figure out how to schedule your work or if need be, employ a temporal staff.

4. Avoid impulse buying - Just a few days more to the d-day, you haven’t planned anything and you have no gift in mind. Say hello to impulse buying! This is when you start buying things you haven’t planned for or making reservations to places you haven’t budgeted for. You need to do something but don’t know what to do. This is your own fault and could have been avoided easily. Planning way in advance eliminates the possibility of buying gifts at exorbitant prices or booking trips at premium rates.

5. You have more options - With more time comes more options. When you plan several weeks in advance, you actually have the luxury of selecting from a wide range of available options. You can book any room of your choice, any flight or even buy any gift item of your choice. You can look through a wide range of gifts and available travel packages before you make a choice. However, when you wait till too close to the day, you stand the risk of not having enough options available. Most rooms with attractive packages may have been already fully booked, the nice romantic gifts will be off the shelves and even the few that remain will be excessively priced. Why would you wait while you can do it now?