Getting to the airport (in the UK)

[bazzanoid]

Evening all!

Spent some time today sorting out car hire etc, and my thoughts turned to how i'm getting to Gatwick (and back again after the holiday)

Naturally I'm trying to get it as cheap as possible if I can't persuade one of the parents to do the honours, but am not going do it by train as it will involve london in the monday morning rush hour.

At the moment the cheapest way i've found is by hiring a car one-way, since with my employee discount and it's other perk of no one-way charge, it would cost me about £25 each way plus a fiver or so for petrol.

I did look at the Gatwick Flyer (they do home collections in the Thurrock / Grays area too), but it came out over £30 more.

If anyone has any other suggestions, i'd love to hear them!!

 

[BethEJo]

I'm not sure where you are, or if this is even an option, but I have always used National Express in the past (from Cardiff). I have found them great value!

Coaches have always been comfortable and clean, and I have managed to go direct each time (with a stop in Heathrow on the way). Admittedly it takes a little longer than if I drove there direct in the car myself, but it's nice not to have to worry about the drive, especially after a long flight so I don't really see this as an issue.

I would use them again this year, but I simply don't know what time I will be able to catch it and therefore can't book it (am travelling to Gatwick the same day that one of my hospital placements finishes), and so will be driving myself and paying parking this time round.

I think they mainly operate from big bus stations in cities, so sorry if that doesn't apply/isn't an option for you

ETA: As a rough idea, I just checked some prices, and I could get a return from Cardiff for under £30. Drops you right outside the South or North terminal too.

 

[bazzanoid]

Just checked, they don't come anywhere near me, i'd have to get into central london first. I live more or less on top of Lakeside Shopping Centre. (seriously - you can stand in the car park and look at the cliff near the station, i'm up there!)

Good thought though

 

[gemmybear83]

£25 each way renting a car sounds very reasonable to me - I doubt you will get public transport cheaper than that!

 

[bazzanoid]

£25 each way renting a car sounds very reasonable to me - I doubt you will get public transport cheaper than that!

Lol that's what i thought!!! first time i did the quote i forgot to apply my discount and nearly choked at £80 each way!

 

[MrRomance]

Evening all!

Spent some time today sorting out car hire etc, and my thoughts turned to how i'm getting to Gatwick (and back again after the holiday)

Naturally I'm trying to get it as cheap as possible if I can't persuade one of the parents to do the honours, but am not going do it by train as it will involve london in the monday morning rush hour.

At the moment the cheapest way i've found is by hiring a car one-way, since with my employee discount and it's other perk of no one-way charge, it would cost me about £25 each way plus a fiver or so for petrol.

I did look at the Gatwick Flyer (they do home collections in the Thurrock / Grays area too), but it came out over £30 more.

If anyone has any other suggestions, i'd love to hear them!!

We travel from Grays to Gatwick in our own car and book an overnight hotel with parking for the 2 weeks. I don't think it would be cheaper than it will be to do one way hire with your discount, but it sure makes life easier on the morning you leave!

Last time, it cost less than £100 for the hotel and parking for the 2 weeks. There is no morning rush or traffic to deal with, just get up, eat breakfast and walk over to the airport!

 

[torsie24]

I live about 8 miles from Gatwick and a taxi is £15 each way (normally get a lift, but if we need to leave home at like 4am then £15 is fine for me), so £25 when you're coming from a few more Junctions round the M25 is a good deal I'd say.

 

[OhanaSam]

I'm not sure where you are, or if this is even an option, but I have always used National Express in the past (from Cardiff). I have found them great value!

How do you find the coach on the way back? As in are you ok travelling for so long on a coach after sitting on a plane for 9 hours???

We were going to get the train but then realised we go over the may bank holiday weekend and they aren't doing the cheap train fares, plus a return from Leeds to Victoria on Megabus is only £8 return or National Express is only £10 then an extra £10 for the train from Victoria to Gatwick compared to about £114 each on the train. I'm just worried the coach would make me too tired and I have to be in work the day after we get back

 

[A Small World]

How do you find the coach on the way back? As in are you ok travelling for so long on a coach after sitting on a plane for 9 hours???

We were going to get the train but then realised we go over the may bank holiday weekend and they aren't doing the cheap train fares, plus a return from Leeds to Victoria on Megabus is only £8 return or National Express is only £10 then an extra £10 for the train from Victoria to Gatwick compared to about £114 each on the train. I'm just worried the coach would make me too tired and I have to be in work the day after we get back

I have travelled on bank holidays by train and had cheap fares so its worth checking again - sometimes changing the time to be slightly later or earlier helps or try starting/going to a different station.
eg I live in bolton and travel a lot via manchester but sometimes the cost going from bolton is about £70 more than pricing the journey from Manchester and doing the bolton to manchester leg seperatly.

 

[OhanaSam]

For some reason May 5th (the day we'll be getting the train) isn't showing up as available to book on most sites even though dates after it are. And the ones it does show up on are realllly expensive

 

[A Small World]

For some reason May 5th (the day we'll be getting the train) isn't showing up as available to book on most sites even though dates after it are. And the ones it does show up on are realllly expensive

odd - it seems as though the cheap fares must have sold out for that day then - ive just checked manchester to london on that day and it shows cheap fares (I know it wont help you but was just curious)

 

[OhanaSam]

odd - it seems as though the cheap fares must have sold out for that day then - ive just checked manchester to london on that day and it shows cheap fares (I know it wont help you but was just curious)

Oh I'll have a look thank you, although the Manchester to Leeds bit would probably make it just as long as getting the coach

 

[A Small World]

Oh I'll have a look thank you, although the Manchester to Leeds bit would probably make it just as long as getting the coach

yes. I wasnt really suggesting that as an option - I was just more intrigued as to whether there were any cheap fares anywhere on that day.

Is that the day you are travelling there or home? And where from to?
I'll have a look and see if I can come up with anything

 

[BethEJo]

How do you find the coach on the way back? As in are you ok travelling for so long on a coach after sitting on a plane for 9 hours???

I've always managed fine with travelling on the coach on the way back from the airport too I'm not a great traveller, so by that point I'm normally pretty tired and will catch up on a couple of hours sleep on the bus!

Every NE/megabus that I have ever caught has been very comfortable in my experience. Going back to work the next day is going to suck whatever mode of transport you take the cheapness and ease of the coaches direct from Gatwick in particular, make up for it in my opinion

 

[OhanaSam]

Is that the day you are travelling there or home? And where from to?
I'll have a look and see if I can come up with anything

We're travelling down on the 5th, flying the 6th and then arrive back on the 21st after an oivernight flight.

I've always managed fine with travelling on the coach on the way back from the airport too I'm not a great traveller, so by that point I'm normally pretty tired and will catch up on a couple of hours sleep on the bus!

I can sleep anywhere so i would definitely fall asleep which would make it easier. Just hope that if we do get the coach it's not as bad as last time we got it to London when it took an extra hour to get there because of an accident on the motorway and then our driver bumped into the side of a truck and took half an hour to swap insurance details