The flight is booked, you’re all packed and ready to go, the last thing left to do now is to get to the airport. But what is the best way to get there?
If you’re one of the lucky ones who lives right next to an international airport, then you might only have a short walk to get there. But if however, you are like me and live in the countryside, hours from a good international airport, then getting there can be a military operation involving a lot of time and expense. Luckily over the years I found different ways to make it cheaper and easier to get to the airport.
Below is a breakdown of different modes of transport and my advice on what is the best way to get to the airport.
Driving and airport parking
Living in a rural location often means the easiest way for me to get anywhere is to drive. Thankfully my car is pretty fuel efficient but if yours isn’t then sadly the price of fuel can start to add up, especially if you have to drive a long way to get to one of the major airports. Coupled then with parking at the airport can often mean this is one of the more expensive ways to get to the airport, especially if you are away for several weeks or months. Luckily I have found a few ways to minimise the cost of parking at airports.
Car parks
Firstly, do NOT parking in airport car parks, they are absolutely extortionate, and although very convenient in location, you will be looking at £100 or more a week to park in one of these. Instead look for other car park facilities close to, but not associated with the airport. One way to find these car parks is to look on comparison websites such as Holiday Extras or my personal favourite Skypark Secure. These will show you a wide range of parking options from the official airport car parks, to more basic options run by other companies. Skypark Secure are great because once you use them once, they will send you money off codes continuously which can be used for your next trip.
Alternative parking
I recently have been parking less in proper car parks, and instead have found that parking on someone’s land can be the cheaper alternative. One way to find these alternate car parks is to just search using Google Maps. Just type ‘airport parking’ then the name of the airport e.g. ‘Airport parking Exeter’. This will bring up a whole load of alterative parking options such as hotels which allow long stay parking or farms.
A new option which I have also just tried and loved is YourParkingSpace. Its like the Airbnb of parking. People rent driveway or space on their land for a small cost. I recently did this at Bristol airport after I looked at lots of other options and was finding that the cheapest parking I could find was £120 for 8 days. Then I looked on YourParkingSpace and found someone who had a farm and let me park there for just £27. Some people even offer a drop off to the airport for free.
Hotel parking
If you have an early morning flight and are staying over the night before, then it might be worth checking if your hotel also allows you leave your car there while you are away. You will have to pay for the parking, but often it can be cheaper than a normal car park and is more secure as there is always a staff member around.
Park for free
Parking for free cannot be done at every airport but there are little tricks you can try to see if you can bag yourself a free parking space. If you know there area well, then you maybe familiar with some of the residential areas which offer free parking and can just leave your car there. Then you can just get public transport or walk from your location to the airport. The downside of this is that you can’t guarantee that your car is safe. I have done it several times at Bristol airport and it was fine, however one time we returned to find that someone had reversed into Jon’s car and smashed off his wingmirror. It ended up costing £250 to fix. Not worth it when parking would have only been £100. But that is the risk you take if you leave your car anywhere for a long period of time.
An alternative way to find free on-street parking in an area you have never been to before is to use Google Maps street view. I do this all the time, not just for finding free parking near the airport, but also for free parking in cities as well. You can probably be sure that immediately next to the airport or in the centre of a town will require either a resident permit or paying for parking. But if you search around on Google Maps in some of the slightly further away residential areas you can often find streets with free parking.
To do this go to Google Maps, then click on the little man symbol which brings up street view. Then you can ‘walk’ along the roads looking out for any signs which may say Pay and Display or Resident Permit Only. If there are no such sign, then that usually means it’s free to park there. This is not a quick thing to do, but if you are really dedicated to saving money then it can be worth it in the long run.
Park and ride
Many of the larger city airports have a good public transport infrastructure. This allows you to park up slightly further away, where it is often cheaper or even free, then get public transport directly to the airport. This can be a good choice if you live far from the airport but don’t want to spend time getting public transport the whole way. Depending on the cost of the parking and public transport can depend on whether this is more or less cost effective than just parking at the airport.
When is driving and parking the best option?
This option is best for short breaks of up to a few weeks. Any longer than that and you will be paying out hundreds of pounds just in parking, unless you know someone who will let you park for free. It also probably isn’t wise to leave you car unattended in a car park if you are going to be travelling for months on end as it can increase the risk that it might get damaged or broken into.
Train
In the UK we sadly have quite an unreliable and expensive rail network. This means that travelling long distances to the airport can be time consuming and expensive. The cost of the journey is worth it if you are going away for a long time but can be a huge chunk of extra money if you are just going for a week or so. Many airports are not even close to the city or town which they service. For example, Bristol airport is about 10 miles away from the city centre and in the middle of the countryside with no train station. However, if you are lucky enough to live near an airport with a good train system e.g. Birmingham or London, then this can be a good option as you can get a direct train from the city centre to the airport.
When is the train the best option?
The train is a good option if you are away for a longer period or if you live close to an airport with good train connections. The benefits are that you don’t have the stress of driving and trying to park at the start of your holiday. Bonus is that you can also get up and move around if you don’t like being stuck sitting for ages in a car or coach.
Coaches
For longer trips away or a gap year, coaches are always my go to. It’s annoying as coaches often take twice as long as driving, especially if you live in a more rural location, but the savings can be enormous. Great for if you’re sticking to a tight budget. The downside is that a lot of coach companies don’t run from every town in the UK, so you still might need to make your way to a bigger town or city to start your journey.
The main coach companies in the UK are National Express and Megabus. There are also smaller local coach companies that operate in various parts of the country, as well as normal bus companies such as Stagecoach which may go to some airports. National Express services more of the smaller towns, whereas Megabus usually operate just from larger towns and cities and have limited routes. I have generally found Megabus to be cheaper than National Express, but if you are having to travel far to get to a Megabus departure point, then you will need to factor in this cost as well. It might be worth paying for a slightly more expensive coach if you are able to depart from your local town.
The other disadvantage of coaches over trains is they run less frequently. Often there will only be one or two coaches per day and some don’t run on certain days of the week, so that needs to be considered if you have a specific date and time you need to get to the airport by.
When is a coach the best option?
Coaches are a great budget option and are best used when you are not on a tight timescale or when you are going away for a longer period of time. Theres no point spending 8 hours on a coach each way if it’s only for a 3 day city break. It’s also only suitable if you live close to one of the main coach stations. If it will take you several hours and a lot more money to get to your departure point, then it may not be a feasible way to travel to the airport.
Taxi or shuttle
A taxi can get you door to door quickly, but it comes at a high price. A slightly lower cost alternative is a shuttle, which is like a taxi that you share with other people, but takes slightly longer as you may have several pick up and drop off points. Both are designed for shorter distances and many taxi firms will have a set maximum distance they are willing to travel. They can be used for your whole journey to the airport, if you live close by, or can be used as a means of getting to and from public transport or a car park. Apps such as Uber are great because you can book and pay for a taxi in advance, see the drivers star rating and also have safety features such as sharing your location. Perfect if you are a female travelling alone.
When is a taxi or shuttle the best option?
Taxis or shuttles are best for those people who only have to travel a short distance to get to the airport. They are also beneficial for remote locations or in the early hours of the morning when it may be hard to get public transport. If there are several people travelling together then a taxi can be a cheaper alternative compared to each person buying a separate bus or train ticket. They can also be a good option if you have travelled a long way using a car, coach or train, but then just need to go a short distance to and from the car park or drop off point.
What is the best way to get to the airport?
The best way to get to the airport will entirely depend on your location and how good the transport connections are at that airport. One tip to find out the best ways to get to a specific airport is to check that airports official webpage. There you will normally find a page entitled something like ‘Getting to the airport’, which will give you information on public transport connections to and from the airport and parking options.
My personal favourite method of transport for a gap year is going by coach. It may take more time, but it’s cheap, fairly comfortable and you don’t have to worry about parking. Obviously this only works if you are close enough to a main coach departure point.
If I am travelling for a shorter period of time, then I usually drive. The main reasons are because I live in a rural location and public transport can take a long time and you are not restricted to a specific timetable when driving. If I do drive I will never pay for an expensive airport car park. I will either try and figure out if there is some free parking nearby or will use yourparkingspace to find a cheap parking space to rent. Luckily I have a very fuel efficient car and so driving is not too expensive, however this may not be the best option for you if your car is a gas guzzler.
Just to conclude, here are two comparisons of car vs train vs coach which demonstrate the difference in travel time and price.
| Megabus | £32 | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| National Express | £37 | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| Car | Approx £50 for a half tank of fuel (excluding the cost of parking) | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| Train | £N/A | No direct train option |
| Megabus | £47 | 2 hours 50 minutes |
| National Express | £39 | 4 hours 40 minutes |
| Car | Approx £50 for a half tank of fuel (excluding the cost of parking) | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| Train | £140 | 2 hours 50 minutes |
