Planning a trip or vacation should involve more than calling the travel agent. It should include taking a look at the astrological conditions in effect during the trip, as well as the time you make your travel plans. Good astrological planning can reduce the chance of flight delays, lost baggage, overbookings, family fights, bad weather, accidents, and so forth. Here's what you can do:

Determine times when the Moon is void-of-course. Don’t make plans, book flights, or reserve rooms during these times—things won’t turn out the way you want them to. Make plans when the Moon is forming trines, sextiles, and conjunctions to the other planets.

The day you leave sets the tone for the entire trip. Even the time that you leave your home is important. Favorable lunar aspects should be in effect on your departure date. These are listed each day in this calendar. It is best to choose a time just before the Moon forms an exact favorable aspect to a planet.

Which lunar aspects are best? A sextile or trine to Saturn will indicate a stable, productive, and predictable trip. Favorable aspects to Jupiter are among the best, promising good luck, good timing, and usually plenty of whatever you want to do. Good Venus aspects enhance social life and relationships, as well as enjoyment and relaxation. Aspects to Mars favor action, competitions, and adventure. Mercury aspects favor communications and positive transportation experiences. Uranus favors surprises, Neptune aspects favor the arts, and Pluto aspects favor exploration and sharing.

Be sure to consider Mercury retrograde periods when planning or beginning a trip. Three times a year this planet appears to stop (station), move backward (retrograde), stop again (second station), and then move forward (go direct). Avoid traveling within two days of a Mercury station and allow at least a week after Mercury begins to move forward before traveling to somewhere new. Mercury retrograde trips can be fine, just do things that you’ve done before. These periods are more troublesome when you break a pattern or do something completely different.

In 2011 Mercury will retrograde from March 30 to April 23 (in Aries), from August 2 to August 26 (in Virgo back into Leo), and from November 24 to December 13 (in Sagittarius).

ARIES: Good news! You will likely have the funds this year to take the vacation you've been thinking about for a long time, and it may be through travel that you find a part of yourself that has been repressed or lost for many years now. However, it will be better to travel alone or with others who will not constrain or burden you, but don't be surprised if you meet or make friends in unexpected places later in the year while on vacation. You might consider reliving a past trip; the best times for such an adventure are from late March through mid-May. For travel activities that are entirely new, try January, February, and mid-September to mid-November. Travel may be difficult in August through mid-September.

TAURUS: Get off the couch and see the world this year. With lucky Jupiter in Taurus from June through December, this is the time for you to extend your horizons. Precisely because your long-range outlook these days is a bit cloudy, you should make the effort to gain a better perspective on the future, and a good way to do that is to step out of your normal environment. While there may be some job- or health-related restrictions in January and June, there are good solo travel opportunities in May, good family travel times from July through mid-September, and prospects for a successful return to a favorite destination during late November and December.

GEMINI: This is an important year in many respects for you. Changes that have been in the works for months, even years, will involve some travel, so be ready for it at a moment’s notice, especially during June and December. Adventurous travel with friends is a good option early in the year, especially in January through mid-February and also in April through early May—though keep in mind Mercury will be retrograde during the first three weeks of April, so don’t strike off in entirely new directions. The same is true of August and December, when it may seem as if you need to replay events from the past in order to move forward. September and October are good travel months.

CANCER: As your career takes off, or at least grows a bit, you may find it necessary to leave home a few times for business purposes to keep the momentum going. This year is also a time when important foundations in your home and business life are being set in stone, and you will want to know as much as possible about those you are interacting with. So do some work-related travel and make part of it a vacation with a friend or associate. Good times for travel are during late February and March (but return to familiar places), mid-May through early June, all of July, and the last three weeks of October. Be more cautious if traveling in April through early May.

LEO: This year your relationships undergo a change for the better as you begin to wrap up unfinished business. In doing so, consider getting a perspective on your life through travel. Luxury vacationing will seem particularly attractive, but during the second half of the year, the tendency is toward excess—too much of a good thing. So just don't overpay or stay too long. The best times for travel are during January, especially if you need to confront a difficult situation; April through mid-May, when you would be advised to travel for adventure to a place you've been to before; June and July, when driving, walking, or sailing are good options; and from mid-September through mid-November, which favors solo travel.

VIRGO: A good year for travel is upon you, for business and for pleasure, so stop working and take advantage of it. You may think your funds are limited, but you will find a way if you seek bargains. Travel in January through mid-February should be good, though a bit rushed. From mid-May through mid-June, conditions are favorable for relaxation, and the same is true in late August through October. In the second half of November, conditions become favorable for active or adventurous travel to places you’ve been before. The most stressful periods are during March and late June and July, when you may feel rushed and conflicted.

LIBRA: This year your relations with others are becoming increasingly serious and travel plans should take this into consideration. Be realistic about how much obligation you can really handle and don’t set up situations where sharing becomes a chore. Others may take advantage of your generosity unless you make your position clear. Travel may prove significant this year, especially any that occurs in June, so do extend yourself and explore distant places. Best times are early January through early March, late June through July, and mid-September through late November. Avoid travel during April and August through mid-September, when close interactions with others may become troubling.

SCORPIO: During the year you will probably have opportunities to travel and vacation, though it will be tempting to go too far or spend too much, and the end results of such excesses are not desirable. Relations with others are in a forced-growth phase, and this could be stressful during the second half of January through the third week of February, from mid-May through mid-June, and from the last third of September through early November. Best times for travel and vacations are during March and August, and also from mid-November through the end of the year, though in these cases you will want to return to familiar places or social situations.

SAGITTARIUS: One major feature of any travel this year will be your luck in connecting with others. Meetings and encounters will be frequent and you’ll probably really enjoy yourself whether these be for friendship or are work-related. Good times for trips are during January through mid-February, from early April through mid-May, all of July, and the later part of September through early November. Avoid traveling in March, June, and the second half of November, when conditions may be stressful. Any travel in the later part of November and all of December should probably be to a place you’ve been before, and at least in part for work purposes.

CAPRICORN: Although you are very deeply involved in realizing your ambitions in a practical way, the second part of this year, while Jupiter is in Taurus, may offer some exceptional possibilities for travel and vacationing. Consider July for a family vacation and August through early September for visiting a place you’ve been to before. Travel from mid-November through the end of the year could be stimulating, though you also should do things and go to places you’ve been before. The problem areas of the year for travel are from mid-January through the first two-thirds of February, mid-May through mid-June, and late September and October, though the first two periods may be a bit more stressful.

AQUARIUS: If you have put plans for travel on hold, the time has arrived to finally do it. Conditions are favorable this year for journeys and also longer stays in places of antiquity, history, or tradition. The first part of the year—especially January through the third week of February and April through early May—is good for adventurous and exciting travel. Try doing things you’ve not done before. June and July intensify and diversify your traveling experiences, while the later part of September through early November is the one part of the year with potential relationship problems; travel alone then. The last part of November and all of December favors visits to places you’ve been before.

PISCES: In general, this should be a good year for traveling and vacations. You will find destinations including learning, walking, bicycling, exploration of natural areas, and open-ended schedules to be most satisfying. What you don’t want are packaged trips and situations where you have to share things with people in close quarters. The best times for traveling are during the later part of February through early April, but be sure to visit familiar places or people you know. This is true also of August. Completely new experiences are best had during May and July. From mid-November through December travel is mixed, but definitely don’t take risks or do things you haven’t done before.

From Llewellyn's 2011 Astrological Calendar. For current-year calendars and almanacs, click here.