You have booked your vacation, packed your bags and you are all set to drive to the airport and take off. Not exactly, have you thought about parking at the airport? Why should I care about parking, I just drive there and park? Again, not exactly. Making the right decision on parking can make the beginning of your journey a lot more enjoyable and can save you money that you can use on the rest of the trip.
Your decision on what to do about parking depends on a few factors. The length of your trip and what time of day are you leaving.
You can park in long term parking at the airport and that is a good option. However, with that you may need to drive around searching for a parking space. After that you better remember where you parked and then you will usually need to wait for a shuttle to take you to your terminal.
Parking offsite is an option I like to use. The parking is close to the airport but offsite. The cost will range by vendor but in most cases will be less than airport parking. The reason I like this option is that it is worry free. You can reserve a spot ahead of time or just drive up. They will give you a validation ticket and there will be a shuttle waiting to take you to your terminal. They park the car for you and in some cases you have the option of indoor or outdoor parking. When you return you call the number on the validation ticket and tell them which terminal to pick you up. They will pick you up and take you back to your car which will be already waiting for you. You pay at that time and leave.One more thing; if you desire, and the parking vendor offers it, you can have the oil changed in your car or have it washed and detailed while you are on vacation. Shop around for the best price and options.
Park and Stay is another option I have used often. Park and Stay is offered by hotels in the vicinity of an airport. The hotels offer a special rate that includes the room rate and parking for the length of your trip. If your flight is leaving early in the morning this is a very good option. You pay the special rate that in some cases is close to the rate of parking alone at the airport, stay the night and leave your car at the hotel. There are hotel shuttles, shared by multiple hotels, that will take you to the airport and pick you up on your return.If you have an early flight that means you can sleep in and not have to worry about getting to your flight on time. If your flight is leaving later in the day you will need to weight the difference costs between Park and Stay, or parking on site or off site. When your vacation is two weeks or more the Park and Stay may be the cheaper option.
A third option is renting a car one way for the beginning and another car one way to get you home. I live in Sacramento and if I am flying out of San Francisco it may be cheaper to rent a car one way to SFO and take the rental car shuttle to my terminal depending on the length of my trip. I then rent another one way car to get back to Sacramento.
These are just a few options to get you thinking about parking options and making your vacation more enjoyable.
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