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

[traveltrouble]

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!

Option 2, just leave early enough to allow for any delays on the road. Spend some of the money you’re saving from the hotel on a nice meal at the airport, or lounge access.

Option 2, killing seven hours at the airport would be tiring and expensive. Or stopover somewhere en route, and have a nice day out before arriving at the airport at the normal time. Windsor?

About option 1 - some hotels offer a later checkout depending on how busy they are.
Ring the hotel and see if you take that option , especially if you’re also paying them to keep the car.

I'd get the train up and stay at a cheaper hotel a few stops from the airport and one with a later check out and jump on the train for the last few stops the following day.

What's the price difference for parking?

I’d go on the day for an afternoon flight

Easy for me to say though as I live quite near the nearest airport!

I still stayed overnight for a 7 am flight in 2019 (those were the days) though

Option 2, no brainer. You'd have to check out by, what, 11am, leaving you to sit in an airport for eight hours? Pretty sure that's the fifth circle of hell.

I agree with @GoodTid I would look into the price difference of going by train versus the cost of £15 per day parking and petrol.

Option 2 for sure! It's a late flight, you have plenty of time to drive during the day and I wouldn't want to hang around the airport all day.

But then I live in a part of Scotland where traffic is almost non existant so I don't need to worry about that.

Option 1. Always stay at hotel the night before a flight, but always early am departure for eu or mid morning for u.s

We often stay the night at airports if the flight is before 10am but for a flight that late i'd leave the same day.

Option Two, leave home mid morning, take some snacks for the journey.
Find your parking, check in then have a meal before the flight.

I'd do option 2 then on the day wish I'd done option 1

OPTION 3 Check out Holiday Extras as they have stay and park options far cheaper than that!.

Definitely come up the day before.

@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.

This. Spend money on this option instead of the hotel before flying and head to the airport on the day leaving at 9am or 10am to avoid being rushed.

Option 1, I'd sooner be there early.

Option 1 and ask for a later check out,
Failing that, check in early and mooch around the shops, have lunch etc before you go.

I wouldn’t want the hassle and exhaustion from a minimum 5 hour drive on top of flying too.

@MagicMatilda

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.

This

Option 2. We have done option 1 before but only because we had early morning flights.

I'd prefer option 2. There is no point hanging around waiting for the day, leave early and spend the money on a nice lunch half way to break up the journey.

Depends who “we” are. My close family that I can rely on to be packed and ready on time with car packed and furled option 2. Wider family who leave things to the last minute so removing the buffer option 1. I like option 3 with late check out.

If it was adults only could probably mooch round airport for option 1. Maybe better less time at the airport trying to stop toddlers running off.

Option 1. The m5 can stand still for hours.

Option 1. More relaxing all round.

It would be so upsetting to have a five hour drive (and it'll be longer with breaks) only to realise that's the start of the journey. No way. You should have got better flight times

I'd choose option 1 but hanging around all day will be super-annoying

I would do a third option of driving part of the way say 3.5 of the 5 hours, staying in a hotel and then leaving at 12 the next day and driving to the airport, parking, have dinner then get ready for the flight