Let us plan in advance to avoid surprises.
'Pianifichiamo' = pia-ni-fi-CHIA-mo. 'Anticipo' = an-TI-ci-po.
Use this when organising a plan that requires advance booking or coordination among several people. It acknowledges Italian time flexibility while proposing to overcome it for an important event. It is practical and shows organisational responsibility.
'Pianificare' (to plan) — regular -are verb. 'In anticipo' (in advance) is a fixed Italian expression. 'Per evitare + noun' = 'to avoid + noun'. 'Sorprese' (surprises) here means the negative kind — unexpected problems.
Meglio prenotare per tempo.
Better to book in good time.
'Per tempo' (in good time) — emphasises advance booking
Lasciamo tutto per l'ultimo momento?
Shall we leave everything to the last moment?
Ironic question — implying they usually do this
Questa volta organizziamoci per tempo.
This time let us organise ourselves in advance.
Implies past experiences of poor planning
Italian group travel planning is often characterised by lively negotiation, last-minute changes, and much heated discussion about destinations, budgets, and schedules. The person who takes charge of advance booking is a group hero. Booking popular Italian hotels and restaurants in August requires planning months in advance — the whole country is on holiday at once.