I drive to the airport as it’s the fastest, most reliable and cheapest option for me. Taxis are expensive and I fly too often to rely on friends and family for lifts. And I don’t live in an area where public transport is an option, especially for early morning flights.
The only problem is that airport parking can be SO expensive!
I usually book the cheapest flights possible and official airport parking can cost more than my flight.
Of course, there’s the option of ‘unofficial airport parking’ but it’s often miles away, involves slow shuttle transfers and there’s the horror stories of cars being driven whilst their owners are on holiday!
So what’s a frequent traveller to do?
I have the answer and this is the airport parking hack I’ve been using for short trips over the past 2-3 years….
- I fly from Manchester Airport and I usually stay for 24-48 hours
- I book my parking via YourParkingSpace
- I always try to book the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Manchester Airport.
- It costs about £20 for 24 hours.
- It’s a 5 minute walk to T1 and T3 and a 10 minute walk to T2.
- The location is way better than the Jet Parks!
- And it’s much faster than the multistory because you don’t spend 10 minutes trying to find a space!
- I sometimes book the Regus Manchester Airport too which is £18 for 24 hours. This is a longer walk (which doesn’t bother me) but you have to walk over a dodgy, dark bridge so I don’t do this if I’m travelling solo or will be arriving/departing in the dark.
- £20 for 24 hours is so much cheaper than other airport parking.
- BUT – if you’re away for 4 days or more then it’s usually better to use other options as they’re cheaper (I use Jet Parks)
- There are other affordable options on YourParkingSpace including people’s driveways – which I’ve never done because I’d be nervous about arriving at 5am and there not actually being a space!
If you’re not flying from Manchester Airport
YourParkingSpace is nationwide so you’ll find options for other airports too.
My advice is to opt for airport hotels or local office buildings.
I’d also park on someone’s drive if they had A LOT of good reviews.
I put off sharing this for so long because the car parks obviously fill up! But I get asked all the time how to make Extreme Day Trips and weekend breaks more affordable and realistic, and this is one of the ways I do it. If you’re doing an EDT and spending £150 to get to and from the airport, well it just isn’t a realistic day out!
So I hope this airport parking hack helps some of you make your adventures more affordable. This is a travel hack that saves so much money without any extra effort!
