Many of us only fly on holiday, and it is mostly something to be endured rather than enjoyed.
A nine hour or twelve hour flight is bad enough but to that of course you have to add the bits at either end.
What I mean by that is the fact that if the airport is 100 miles from your home, and it is a two hour plus journey, then you have to add that in to your travel time.
Then of course there is the fact that they recommend you arrive at least two hours before the flight departs, so your journey to destination time has just increased by at least four hours.
I don't know what you are like, but I will allow three hours to get to the airport in case of hold ups on the way, and so the journey time has just increased by five hours.
It can get even worse, especially if you haven't read the small print in the brochure about transfer times at your destination.
We once took over two hours in Sri Lanka from airport to hotel, which counting the travelling time to the airport, and the waiting for luggage in Colombo added about 8 hours to the journey.
Having said all that I love flying to holiday destinations, and so have spent a considerable amount of time working on ways to make the length of the journey shorter, and the tripmore acceptable.
The very first thing I do is to try to fly either early in the morning, or late in the evening.
In this way I don't need to allow quite so long for my journey in the car to the airport, as the risks of delays are less.
Nevertheless you might need to be careful when flying off to tropical climes in the winter, in case of snow and ice on the road.
One solution to this potential difficulty is to check out the airport hotel package which throws in free parking if you stay the night before you fly.
This has some benefits but in a sense it just extends the travel time, so I never go down that route.
Another journey extender is car parking at the airport, and this can be both tiring and frustrating.
To return for a moment to the option of booking into an airport hotel for free parking, there is the inevitable problem when you return from your holiday, potentially tired and jet lagged after a long flight.
It is then you have to call for transport, or wait for a car park bus normally in the cold and wet, and this can take half an hour.
You then have to lug your suitcases onto the bus, and off again, then you have to drag everything to your car which might be one hundred yards away.
It is for this reason that I don't use airport car parking either, no matter what deal I get.
Remember I am looking for ways of cutting down my journey time, not extending it!! One idea I strongly recommend is to use the 'Meet and Greet' service which exists at most airports.
If you are not aware of this service, then check it out.
You drive up to the departure building, a chauffeur collects your car, and you walk in.
It is that easy, and on your return, whenever the luggage starts appearing, you call the appropriate number, and your warm car awaits outside.
It's that simple, and believe you me a cold car, sometimes frozen solid in a car park, when you are still in tropical clothes is no joke at all!! Finally, if you can get a private transport at your destination it is worth paying the extra.
You will be met by a placard carried by a man or woman with your name on it, and he will wheel your baggage to a car, and you are off within a few minutes.
Compare this to a coach transfer where you have to wait for the last passenger who has inevitably had the last suitcase to arrive, and then you have to stop at every hotel for other travellers to get out.
I hope these little hints and tips have been helpful in cutting down the length of your journey from house to holiday hotel.
A nine hour or twelve hour flight is bad enough but to that of course you have to add the bits at either end.
What I mean by that is the fact that if the airport is 100 miles from your home, and it is a two hour plus journey, then you have to add that in to your travel time.
Then of course there is the fact that they recommend you arrive at least two hours before the flight departs, so your journey to destination time has just increased by at least four hours.
I don't know what you are like, but I will allow three hours to get to the airport in case of hold ups on the way, and so the journey time has just increased by five hours.
It can get even worse, especially if you haven't read the small print in the brochure about transfer times at your destination.
We once took over two hours in Sri Lanka from airport to hotel, which counting the travelling time to the airport, and the waiting for luggage in Colombo added about 8 hours to the journey.
Having said all that I love flying to holiday destinations, and so have spent a considerable amount of time working on ways to make the length of the journey shorter, and the tripmore acceptable.
The very first thing I do is to try to fly either early in the morning, or late in the evening.
In this way I don't need to allow quite so long for my journey in the car to the airport, as the risks of delays are less.
Nevertheless you might need to be careful when flying off to tropical climes in the winter, in case of snow and ice on the road.
One solution to this potential difficulty is to check out the airport hotel package which throws in free parking if you stay the night before you fly.
This has some benefits but in a sense it just extends the travel time, so I never go down that route.
Another journey extender is car parking at the airport, and this can be both tiring and frustrating.
To return for a moment to the option of booking into an airport hotel for free parking, there is the inevitable problem when you return from your holiday, potentially tired and jet lagged after a long flight.
It is then you have to call for transport, or wait for a car park bus normally in the cold and wet, and this can take half an hour.
You then have to lug your suitcases onto the bus, and off again, then you have to drag everything to your car which might be one hundred yards away.
It is for this reason that I don't use airport car parking either, no matter what deal I get.
Remember I am looking for ways of cutting down my journey time, not extending it!! One idea I strongly recommend is to use the 'Meet and Greet' service which exists at most airports.
If you are not aware of this service, then check it out.
You drive up to the departure building, a chauffeur collects your car, and you walk in.
It is that easy, and on your return, whenever the luggage starts appearing, you call the appropriate number, and your warm car awaits outside.
It's that simple, and believe you me a cold car, sometimes frozen solid in a car park, when you are still in tropical clothes is no joke at all!! Finally, if you can get a private transport at your destination it is worth paying the extra.
You will be met by a placard carried by a man or woman with your name on it, and he will wheel your baggage to a car, and you are off within a few minutes.
Compare this to a coach transfer where you have to wait for the last passenger who has inevitably had the last suitcase to arrive, and then you have to stop at every hotel for other travellers to get out.
I hope these little hints and tips have been helpful in cutting down the length of your journey from house to holiday hotel.
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