2016 Schedule: Start your vacation planning now

The 2016 Padres schedule was announced earlier today, and that means it's time for you to start planning your holiday weekends and road trips. And on top of 162 games of regular season baseball, there's three days of All-Star Game festivities and a potential Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Trevor Hoffman. You can find the schedule on Padres.com or check out this handy compact view.

Here's an easy to read version of next year's schedule. Month-by-month schedule available on http://t.co/YbmlqfGlaY pic.twitter.com/nk20D6gn4K

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 8, 2015

The Friars start the season at home on April 4 against the rival Dodgers, and before you complain, Opening Day is always a holiday in my house. After wrapping that three game series, they hit the road for the home openers of the Phillies and Rockies, but you don't want to be in either of those cities in early April. After that, the team spends the majority of the month at home, with a short road trip to San Francisco and LA to wrap it up.

May starts with a weeklong homestand followed by a week on the road. They visit the Cubs May 9-11, which is a pretty good time of year to visit the Windy City, weather wise. May also brings the first major holiday weekend of the season, and the team is spending it on the road. Friday the 27th through Sunday the 29th sees them in Phoenix, which, sure, I guess if you're on a budget or you just need to check Chase Field off your list is a decent trip to make. But the better road trip to take that holiday weekend is Seattle. The Padres start the Vedder Cup at Safeco Field on Memorial Day. Catch game 2 the next day, head back home, and wrap up the home-and-away series against the Mariners with games 3 and 4 at Petco Park.

There's not a ton of interesting opponents the rest of June, but there is a two game series at Camden Yards late in the month. It's a lovely ballpark that the Padres rarely visit, but you're in for some hot and humid weather that time of year. July will be a big month for the club, and it starts with three games at Petco Park against the Yankees. If you're looking to make a profit on your season tickets, these should give you a healthy return. Independence Day starts a weeklong road trip while the ballpark gets gussied up for the All-Star Game. Sunday July 10th is the Futures Game, with the Home Run Derby and Midsummer Classic following in the next two days.

After the All-Star break, there's a three-game homestand against the Giants before 10-game road trip. The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is on July 24th, and if you're in Cooperstown to see Trevor, you might consider heading to Toronto right after, as the Padres visit the Blue Jays for the very first time July 25-28. August's road trips are all on the east coast, which doesn't bode well for weather. On the home front, the team will only see one in division opponent when the Padres host the Diamondbacks.

Labor Day sees another storied AL East franchise visiting San Diego: The Red Sox. Those games will probably be big sellers, too. After that, it's nothing but a knock-down drag-out battle for the division. The Padres wrap up the season with twenty-three consecutive in-division games. If the team is in the race for the title, September will be full of must-watch, edge of your seat baseball. If they aren't, there's still a chance that we'll get to watch them ruin everything.