Learn Hardcore Japanese: renkyuu no mae ni ryokou no zyunbi wo simasu. - Before the long holiday, I prepare for the trip.

連休 (れんきゅう) literally means “consecutive holidays” – two or more days off in a row. It often refers to things like a long weekend or a block of public holidays (for example, Golden Week).

Compare:

休み (やすみ) – a rest, a break, a day off in general
- きょうは休みです。 = I have the day off today.
休日 (きゅうじつ) – a day off/holiday (a bit more formal, like a non-working day)
連休 – a series of days off in a row
- ３連休 = a 3‑day weekend

So in the sentence, 連休 suggests a long weekend / multi‑day holiday period, not just a single day off.

Why is there a の between 連休 and 前? What does 連休の前 mean grammatically?

前 (まえ) is a noun meaning “front” or “before”. When you put a noun before 前, you connect them with の:

X の前 = “before X”

So:

連休の前 = “the time before the consecutive holidays”

This is different from when 前 comes after a verb:

勉強する前 = before (I) study
寝る前 = before sleeping

Patterns:

noun + の + 前に – before a noun time expression
- テストの前に勉強します。 = I study before the test.
verb (dictionary form) + 前に – before doing something
- 寝る前に歯をみがきます。 = I brush my teeth before sleeping.

In this sentence, 連休 is a noun, so you need の: 連休の前に.

What is the function of に after 前? Why 前に and not just 前?

Here, に is a time marker: it shows when the action happens.

前 by itself means “before” / “in front (of)”.
前に marks a specific time point: “before (that time)”.

In general, you use に after specific times:

３時に会います。 = I’ll meet you at 3 o’clock.
日曜日に買い物をします。 = I’ll go shopping on Sunday.
連休の前に旅行の準備をします。 = I’ll prepare for the trip before the holidays.

Some time words usually drop に, like 今日, 明日, 来週, but X の前 acts like a more specific time phrase, so に is natural and standard: 連休の前に.

Why is there a の between 旅行 and 準備? What does 旅行の準備 literally mean?

Both 旅行 (りょこう) and 準備 (じゅんび) are nouns:

旅行 = trip, travel
準備 = preparation

When you put two nouns together and want to say “preparation for a trip”, you usually connect them with の:

X の準備 = preparation for X

So:

旅行の準備 = “preparation for the trip”

Other examples:

試験の準備 = preparation for the exam
パーティーの準備 = preparation for the party

You normally do not say 旅行を準備 here; the natural pattern is X の準備をする.

Why do we say 旅行の準備をします and not something like 旅行を準備します?

In Japanese, the typical pattern is:

[thing] の準備をする = to prepare for [thing]

Here, the object of する is 準備, not 旅行. So the structure is:

旅行の準備 (preparation for the trip) + を
- します (do)

That gives:

旅行の準備をします。
Literally: “(I) do the preparation for the trip.”

旅行を準備する is grammatically possible but sounds unnatural in normal conversation. It would be interpreted more like “prepare the trip” as a direct object, which isn’t how native speakers usually phrase it.

Note that 準備する is also a single verb:

連休の前に旅行の準備をする。 (dictionary form)
連休の前に旅行の準備をします。 (polite form)

Both mean the same thing; the version in your sentence makes the noun 準備 explicit with をします.

Could you just say 連休の前に準備をします and omit 旅行の?

Yes, you can. If it is already clear from context what you’re preparing for, you can shorten it:

連休の前に準備をします。
= I’ll do (the) preparations before the holidays.

In casual speech, you might even hear:

連休の前に準備する。

However, if you want to be clear that it’s trip preparation (not, say, house cleaning), 旅行の準備 is more specific and natural.

Why is there no word for “I” or “we” in the sentence?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.

In English, you must say “I will prepare…” or “We will prepare…”. In Japanese, if it’s clear who is doing the action (usually the speaker), you simply leave it out:

（私は）連休の前に旅行の準備をします。

私は is technically there in the background, but it’s dropped because it’s understood. If you really need to emphasize the subject, you can add it:

私は連休の前に旅行の準備をします。 = I (as opposed to someone else) will prepare before the holidays.

In most everyday situations, the shorter version without 私 is more natural.

Does します here mean “do” or “will do”? How do I know if it’s present or future?

The Japanese non‑past form (します / する) covers both:

present / habitual: “(I) do”
future: “(I) will do”

So 旅行の準備をします can mean:

“I (usually) prepare for the trip (at that time)”
“I will prepare for the trip (on that occasion)”

Context gives the nuance. Because 連休の前に points to a future time, in this sentence the natural English is “I will prepare…”.

If you want to make the future feeling stronger, you can say:

連休の前に旅行の準備をするつもりです。 = I intend to prepare for the trip before the holidays.
連休の前に旅行の準備をする予定です。 = I plan to prepare for the trip before the holidays.

Can I change the word order, like 旅行の準備を連休の前にします? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can reorder the parts:

連休の前に旅行の準備をします。
旅行の準備を連休の前にします。

Both are grammatical and mean essentially the same thing: “I’ll prepare for the trip before the holidays.”

Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as the verb comes at the end and particles (に, を, の, etc.) stay attached to the right words.

Nuance:

連休の前に at the beginning slightly emphasizes when you will do it.
旅行の準備を at the beginning slightly emphasizes what you will do.

In everyday conversation, both orders are fine.

Why is it 連休の前に and not 連休の前で?

に and で have different core roles:

に – point in time / final location
で – place where an action happens, or means by which it happens

With 前:

時間の意味 (time) → use に
- 連休の前に準備をします。
  = I’ll prepare before the holidays. (time)
場所の意味 (place: “in front of”) → use で
- 家の前で写真を撮りました。
  = I took a picture in front of the house.

In your sentence, 前 is clearly a time (“before the holidays”), so に is correct.
連休の前で would sound like you’re physically located “in front of the long holiday,” which doesn’t really make sense.

How would I say this in the past tense, or turn it into a question?

The base sentence:

連休の前に旅行の準備をします。
= I will prepare for the trip before the holidays.

Past tense:

連休の前に旅行の準備をしました。
= I prepared for the trip before the holidays.

Here, します → しました (polite past).

Question form:

Yes/No question:
- 連休の前に旅行の準備をしますか。
  = Will you prepare for the trip before the holidays?
Past yes/no question:
- 連休の前に旅行の準備をしましたか。
  = Did you prepare for the trip before the holidays?

You don’t change the word order; you just add か to make it a question and conjugate します as needed.