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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you to vote which one you would go for and why?

58 replies

traveltrouble · 13/12/2021 12:25

Okay so we are going away on Monday the 20th - the flight departs at 7pm from Heathrow. We live in Cornwall, 5 hours from the airport.

Please help me decide what to do?

Option 1) Travel to a Heathrow hotel on the Sunday, stay the night in the hotel (£75) and leave your car there for the duration of the holiday (£15 per night). This will mean no stress on Monday with breakdowns etc, but you have to check out at 11 and will be waiting around all day.

Option 2) Save the £75 hotel costs and travel up on the day, as your flight isn't until 7pm in the evening. Use one of the Heathrow car parks.

Thanks!

OP posts:
DynamiteFilledRadish · 13/12/2021 12:26

Option 1 because, as you say, less stress. If you can afford the hotel cost then it's surely a no brainer. Nobody needs more stress!

Anotherhill · 13/12/2021 12:27

Option 1

Daisy4569 · 13/12/2021 12:28

Option 1 definitely

FortunesFave · 13/12/2021 12:29

It's a long drive...I'd take the first option if I could afford it.

ComtesseDeSpair · 13/12/2021 12:31

If the flight isn’t until 7pm then I’d leave reasonably early and travel up on the day. I always do hotel overnights if it’s an early morning flight, but I think checking out at 11 and then having an entire day to while away is a bit much, considering the likelihood of a car breakdown on the day is really pretty small.

MagicMatilda · 13/12/2021 12:31

Option 2, the waiting around would drive me mad! And you have loads of time to get there if the flight was earlier I would of course do the hotel option.

FourTeaFallOut · 13/12/2021 12:34

With a 7pm.flight I'd go with option b. I couldn't be arsed stuck in travel limbo from 11am, especially if these travel plans included any kids.

freelions · 13/12/2021 12:34

Option 2

I wouldn't personally consider staying overnight at an airport hotel for anything other than a morning flight

You will need to be packed and organised a whole 24hrs earlier than you actually need to be

PicaK · 13/12/2021 12:35

Roads are filled with drivers who know what they are doing on Mondays.
So I'd go option 2, providing you set off by 9am and aim to be there by 3pm latest.
Check in straight away and give yourself time for a nice evening meal.
Book the hotel for when you get back instead if it's similarly late/dark and a long flight.

FireworkParrot · 13/12/2021 12:37

Option 2 to save the waiting around. You could still get up early and just get in the car then stop somewhere on the way once you had a good chunk of the journey under your belt.

chipsandpeas · 13/12/2021 12:38

option 1 and ask the hotel for a later check out

DingADingADingDong · 13/12/2021 12:38

I'd go with option one & I live much nearer

2TurtleDovesInARow · 13/12/2021 12:39

Option 2 but leave in the morning and send the extra money on a lounge , dinner and some new books/magazines instead.

tanstaafl · 13/12/2021 12:44

@2TurtleDovesInARow

Option 2 but leave in the morning and send the extra money on a lounge , dinner and some new books/magazines instead.
Good point. If you can get lounge access at the airport this late, do that.
FOJN · 13/12/2021 12:45

I'd check out one of the meet and greet parking services they're usually cheaper than on site parking and you hand your car over right outside the terminal so you won't have to haul luggage about on a shuttle bus. Give them a call when you land and your car will be waiting outside the terminal by the time you've cleared baggage reclaim and passport control.

RavenclawsRoar · 13/12/2021 12:48

Option 2 because it's an evening flight and I'd hate hanging around all day.

rookiemere · 13/12/2021 12:53

Option 2 because it's only a 5 hr drive and you don't need to be there until around 4pm, so it seems like overkill to drive the night before and spend the day at the airport.

housemaus · 13/12/2021 12:57

Option 2 and airport lounge - as you're flying so late in the day.

If you set off at a decent time in the morning you'll be there by early afternoon, can drop the car and head to the lounge to relax for a while before your flight.

Otherwise it's just a whole extra day of faff to achieve not much more other than still being at a loose end for a good chunk of the day!

housemaus · 13/12/2021 12:59

@FOJN

I'd check out one of the meet and greet parking services they're usually cheaper than on site parking and you hand your car over right outside the terminal so you won't have to haul luggage about on a shuttle bus. Give them a call when you land and your car will be waiting outside the terminal by the time you've cleared baggage reclaim and passport control.
Oh yes, do this! We did this after almost 24 hours of travelling back from SE Asia and I was so glad not to have to hang about to find the car.
Sycamoretrees · 13/12/2021 13:03

Option 2, every time. Madness to go up the day before unless you have something nice to do during the day near the airport.

BingBongToTheMoon · 13/12/2021 13:03

I think 2 too.

jpbee · 13/12/2021 13:04

Option 1. I've faced a similar decision in the past and went with option 1 and was so glad I did.

skgnome · 13/12/2021 13:12

Option 2, surely you can leave at 11am… even 10 if you’re anxious and make it with lots of time to spare… option 1, you’re aimlessly hanging on an airport for about 5 hours before you can check in (yes hanging around with all your luggage) and the day before you’re spending the whole afternoon traveling…
Just travel on the day, leave early, stop for lunch and a walk

relocating24 · 13/12/2021 13:14

Option 2. Otherwise you're trying to fill 8 hours in an airport for no reason. I'd only stay over if the flight was a good few hours earlier. Just leave at 10.30am, stop for lunch on the way, arrive and park around 4-4.30 and have an early dinner at the airport once you're through security, say sitting down around 5.45 and eating at 6. No rush, no stress, and no unnecessary hanging around either.

Norts10 · 13/12/2021 13:44

Throwing in a 3rd option. Not sure which route you will take but I’d stay somewhere a bit further from the airport the night before (Winchester/Reading/Bristol), get the bulk of the driving out of the way but wake up the next day and enjoy the day somewhere, have some lunch and then set off to Heathrow to catch your flight.

I can’t imagine your option 1 of sitting around in an airport hotel all day would be much fun, and I wouldn’t want to leave all the journey to the day of travel.