With millions of people travelling abroad from the UK, via Heathrow airport, the No.1 question on the holidaymakers mind is where to park their car for the duration. After all, you wouldn’t want to pay good money for secure parking only to find out your car hasn’t been parked where you were lead to believe. Scary thought!
Parking at Heathrow can be a real headache for those who are unprepared, but with a little forward planning before your departure, parking your car safely and securely at or around Heathrow needn’t be a chore.
Shopping around for cheap airport parking a few days before you leave can mean more money in your pocket to enjoying on your holiday.
So what are the options for parking your car in or around one of the world’s busiest airports?
Heathrow Hotel with Parking
Personally, I’m a lover of making my holiday that little bit longer by staying in a Heathrow hotel the day before departure. There are many hotels that offer a discounted rate for using their parking facility which means, even staying for 1 night with 15 days parking, can work out cheaper than using car parking companies for just 14 days. Of course, you’ll still have your room to pay for, but it’s well worth leaving a day before, checking into a Heathrow hotel and not worrying about where your car will end up when you’re out the country on holiday.
Plus, knowing that you’re waking up only minutes away from your departure terminal means you’re more refreshed, less stressed and holiday-bound in a more relaxing frame of mind.
Heathrow Long Stay Car Park
Heathrow offers 4 ‘on-airport’ car parks with transfers running every 10 minutes to terminals 1 and 3 (journey time of around 8 – 16 minutes). Terminal 4 transfers come every 12 minutes and take around 4-8 minutes, while transfers to terminal 5 run every 10 minutes with a journey time of only 5 minutes.
Don’t make the mistake of booking on your arrival as this can be quite costly; around £15.00 - £16.00 per day (5 days and over) and £16.00 - £17.00 for 1 – 4 days parking. 14 days parking paid on the day could amount to around £238.00 – while booking online a few days before can save you a whopping £148.00 (around £90.00 for 14 days pre-booked online). This saving alone could easily pay for your hotel room if you do choose to begin your holiday a day early.
Heathrow Park and Ride
This is another option where you drop off your car at a reputable car parking facility somewhere on the outskirts of Heathrow, hand in your keys to the reception and board a transfer bus to your designated terminal. While carrying out a fictitious test in an online booking from with a reputable firm for the dates of August 1st to August 15th 2010, even more savings were found. This worked out at a cost of just over £73.00. Even more money in your pocket to spend on holiday!
A little note of warning: Be sure to check that there are no additional hidden supplements. For instance, while checking out a few companies some stated clearly that the transfer to and from Heathrow airport only included 2 people. So if you’re travelling in a car with 4 adults, anywhere between £7.00 and £12.00 (per additional adult) could be added to your final booking fee.
Enjoying your holiday abroad is a priority. After all, you deserve it. But paying too much for parking at Heathrow can be avoided with just a little online research, even better when the research has already been carried out for you.
Before you make a choice on leaving your car with just anyone, visit our website today to read more about our recommended safe, secure and cheap parking at Heathrow, and save yourself around £150.00 in the bargain.
