Summer is coming! For me, summer means flip flops, sun-cream, shorts, bikinis and beaches. This is my favourite season of the year, when the sun shines, everyone smiles (mostly), and we all look that little bit healthier, thanks to vitamin D.
Of course summer also means summer holidays, which are another of my favourite things. Booking a two weeks’ break to the sun is exciting, and as soon as it’s booked, my attention turns to more practical things, like how am I going to get to the airport? How am I going to pack half my worldly belongings into a glorified box on wheels, which is nowhere near big enough? And how am I going to stop myself spending a fortune in duty free, meaning I’m broke before I even get to my destination?
There’s nothing we can do about the size of the glorified box on wheels unfortunately, and my spending obsession is just one of those things, however there are suggestions to make getting from A to B much easier and much, much cheaper too.
Airport extras are handy little add-ons that make life so much easier when travelling. There’s no getting away from the fact that getting to our holiday destination isn’t the best bit of the whole palava, but it’s a necessary evil I’m afraid, until someone invents a much easier way.
Airport taxis can be expensive, and the whole experience is stressful, so you’re highly-strung by the time you get to the terminal, when the whole experience of checking-in and security can send stress levels stratospheric. Similarly, anyone who has tried dragging their suitcase across a crowded train station or coach station will know that it’s never a pleasant experience, and one that tends to end in squashed toes and bruised shins. Thankfully there is another way – airport parking.
I rarely travel without this godsend of a service these days, having become far too accustomed to the convenience and cost. Driving to the terminal in my own time, in my own car and knowing my car is safe for my return, really is a load off the mind, and means my break starts in a much more chilled-out manner. There are services available at most large UK airports, such as Stansted airport parking, for flights out of the capital, including more regional airports, such as the facilities available for Luton airport parking. No matter where you fly from, you’ll find a service that makes your life easier when heading off to the sun.
Of course, those saved pounds also mean guilt-free shopping at the airport, which certainly helps my duty free habit!
There will never be a magic cure to take the stress out of travelling completely, yet these useful little extras really go a long way to help. Airports can be loud, busy and send your tolerance levels to the floor when people keep banging into you, shouting and generally giving you a headache – so why not book an airport lounge for a pre-flight chill-out?
A much more relaxed atmosphere, included drinks and snacks, and the chance to put your feet up and dream about the beach you’ll be heading to in just a few short hours – bliss!
So the next time you book a holiday, think about these extras to help make your whole experience enjoyable from the moment you leave the house to when you return two weeks later. Check out your airport parking, and you really can look forward to getting away from it all.
