How do you handle super early flights?

[JadeVS72]

I stupidly booked a 5am flight at our local (45 min drive) airport so it will be a 2am wake up call. How do people get through such days? It's only to Greece so 4.5 hours economy. I guess we can snooze a bit on the plane but worried we will be exhausted for days 😬
Flight's on Saturday and I am dreading it!

It’s one night. You’re not going to be exhausted for days. I’d just power on through that first day and maybe go to bed early on the first night if I felt tired.

I can’t sleep if I have to get up for a flight (long story, but I once overslept and missed an early flight) so I’d not bother going to bed if I had to be up at 2.

We did an overnight in an airport pod hotel and that was a game changer.

With kids or without kids?

Without kids, I probably wouldn’t go to bed and would then sleep on the plane/ transfer.

With kids, that’s not an option, I’d get a super early night (as soon as kids down) in order to be on form for looking after tired sprogs

Sleep on the plane, sleep on coach transfer if you have one. Get to hotel, unpack. Explore a bit, nap by the pool. Plenty of time to catch up on sleep on day 1. Get one early night and you'll be sorted. Why would you be exhausted for days?

You are lucky to live such a short drive to an airport. The rest of us have to pay for an overnight in a hotel or set off much earlier to account for delays.

Go to bed early for a few hours the night of the flight, try and doze on the plane, if you book a private transfer to your hotel if its an hour or more aware which is likely to be more comfortable and quieter than a bus journey doze then. Keep out of the sun when you first arrive, keep hydrated have another nap and have a fairly early night first night and you will be fine the rest of your holiday.

Pre- kids we would try have a ”nap” beforehand and try have an early night around 8/9pm
Nowadays, with young kids - airport hotel

I’d go to bed about 9.00pm. I might not sleep straight away but I’d be resting and would hope to get 4 hours. I can function on that for one night. I’d have an early night on day 1 of the holiday and then be fine after that.

get an overnight at the hotel - always fun!

I sleep on the plane. Buy a good quality neck cushion.

I do fine as sleep fitfully at best anyway, dh struggles but will nap on the plane unlike me. We’ve mostly been flying long haul lately anyway

Why would you be exhausted for days after one early flight? Apologies if you have a medical issue, but can’t you just go to bed when you’re tired when you get to Greece?

Here's what not to do.

Me and DH booked to go to Madeira from East Mids, 90 mins drive from our house. We'd have to leave at 3am.

He went to bed at 11pm. I said I'll stay up and wake you at 2am. No worries, I'm a night owl who's usually still awake at 2am.

I only fell deep asleep on sofa. Woke at 2.50am. We had 10 mins to scrabble into awake mode and throw ourselves into the car. Screeched to halt at the end of the road and came back for wallets and passports 😂

Have you looked for an Airbnb? You could stay over if you're worried. I've managed to book a cottage just outside Gatwick Airport for £90, but that allows us to park for £50 while we're away, so the overall cost of the accommodation Vs driving and parking at the airport is £60.

We sleep on the plane and somehow survive that first day no problem

That’s the flight I would pick 👍🏻😂 I love an early flight. I always try and get a 5-6am flight time is possible. We’re also about 50 mins from the airport.

Just DH and I -
I have everything packed and ready sitting by the door. I shower then I head to bed at 9ish and nap on and off until 1.30am. Get up, wash face and brush teeth, stick the cases in the car and off we go 😊
DH is asleep before the plane even takes off 😂 I wake him just before landing.
I read my book in peace for a good few hours 👍🏻
We land and get our transfers to the hotel and have a super chilled first day. Nap by the pool if we fancy it or have a walk to the beach for a bit, then get some food - usually a late lunch/early dinner and then we head to the hotel and get an early night. I’m usually in bed by 9 on the first night then I’m fine 😊

Now with kids -
Exact same but I wake them early the day before so that I can get them down early that night. I scoop them out of bed and straight into the car at the very last minute before we leave to try and keep them asleep. Take toothbrush/paste/change of clothes in hand luggage and get them ready either in the car if they’re awake by the time we get to the airport, or at some point while we wait for our flight. They usually get through the airport experience on sheer excitement and then sleep on the flight.
I now spend the flight holding a child while they sleep rather than reading my book 😂😂

If budget allows l would book an airport hotel. Preferably one where you can walk to the terminal.

The OP is only 45 minutes from the airport so a hotel is only going to give her max 30 minutes extra in bed. Early night before and earlyish night first day.

Just get on with it. We prefer early morning flights and find it easy to get up when we know we’ve something to look forward to.
bring a neck pillow and have a nap on the plane.

Ah come on OP you’re going on holiday. Is a few hours missed sleep really going to rattle you for days, how busy even is a Greece holiday, there must be some downtime in that trip?

We do a 2am start straight into a week of skiing and have done since the youngest was 7. We are so excited to get away on the trip we have saved all year for and delighted to be in resort and collecting our kit by early afternoon. Sometimes we will be warming up on the nursery slopes by the afternoon.

Our rooms are usually not ready until the afternoon but we can keep ourselves busy in a bar with a pack of cards/colouring with the kids if necessary.

It feels like we have a bonus day when we see folks on later flights only getting in in the evening.

I'd go for an early flight every time.

I think when it becomes a nuisance is when you aren’t on a package with a hotel but you’ve booked in separately with a villa or apartment and you can’t access your accommodation until 5.00 PM. This is us next week, 6 am flight to Verona which takes around 2 hours. We do have a hire car so somewhere to sit and leave our luggage but it’s not the same as being able to unpack and take a nap.

We are the same as OP though with a 45 min drive to the airport and always get a taxi. An overnight hotel wouldn’t help, much easier to sleep in your own bed.

I find you can usually power through - enjoy having a whole day to start with because of the early flight, keep it very relaxed and go to bed early at the end.

Have absolutely everything ready, go to bed at 10pm, shower at 2am , out of the door at 3am, it's horrible but doable. Does give you the advantage of getting there early to mid afternoon

@JadeVS72

Well if it's any consolation and for a bit of context if the flight and crew originate in the Uk they will be reporting for duty no later than 0400 so will possibly be rolling out of bed not long after 0200....and if it's a UK based airline having dropped you off on your holidays they will be operating the flight back
..

You might be a bit tired after the flight and there's been some good tips upthread..I honestly can't see the travelling as something to dread....

Previously I have booked an airport hotel, had a shower, a glass of wine and a sleeping tablet before bed at c.8pm, done the bare minimum in the morning to maximise sleep, up at 4 (or whenever), in the hotel pool by early afternoon. Works perfectly. Unfortunately airport hotel ls seems to have shot up in price this year.