Airport Parking

Amazing Winter Offers at Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, East Midlands and Cardiff Airports

We can now offer phenomenal savings on Airport Parking at Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, East Midlands and Cardiff Airports with prices starting at just £0.93 per day between November 2006 and March 2007 inclusive. A fixed price of £19.50 will buy you up to 3 weeks parking.

These offers are with 'Park Mark Certified' Airparks Services secured parking, with security fencing and floodlighting, and 24 hour patrols with CCTV coverage. They provide fast, friendly, efficient service including free jumps starts and battery recharges.

We are convinced you won't be able to find cheaper prices for Airport Parking this winter.

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TheTravelPage.co.uk has teamed up with the market leader, Holiday Extras, to offer these travel options, which can be booked using the links below:

• Airport Hotel Parking
• Airport Parking
• Airport Transfers

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Airport Parking vs Hotel Parking (Part 2)

- Choosing Your Airport Hotel -

It may be stating the obvious, but when you are presented with the list of available hotels for the dates and airport you enter, some which at face value look a little dearer may in fact turn out to be the cheaper option - if you look at the details for several possible hotels you will see that each one has different rates for breakfast, dinner and transfer to the airport itself. Before you confirm your chosen hotel we recommend you consider the following. Don't be put off by the list - we always use airport hotels when flying as it means we don't arrive at the airport stressed out due to unexpected traffic delays, or exhausted after a 3am alarm call. We just want you to be satisfied with your choice.

• What grade hotel do you need or want? Do you need any leisure facilities, or will you arrive late in the evening and leave early in the morning?


• Do you need Breakfast before you leave, or will you eat at the airport? If appropriate, double check when breakfast is served and whether there is room service if you have an early start. Are there any special deals listed for breakfast for this hotel?


• Will you want to eat in the hotel when you arrive in the evening? Check the restaurant opening times, or availability of room service. Are there any special deals listed for dinner for this hotel?


• What is the cost of transfer to the airport, or is this included? For a family of 4 this can often be as much as £20 for the return transfer unless you choose a hotel where it is included in the hotel price.


• How far is the hotel from the airport, and how frequent is the transfer to the terminal? This can easily cost you an extra 30 minutes in the morning.


• Where will you need to pick up your car when you return to the airport? The wait for the courtesy bus can vary, but there is a solution which may appeal to you if you know you'll be tired after a long flight. Some airport hotels offer a 'meet and greet' service, where they actually deliver your car to the terminal ready for your collection. This will also be stated in the details of the offer for each hotel.


• Are you travelling with children? If so, many of the hotels have deals which include either free meals for children or reduced transfer charges.


• How large is your group or family? You may be able to save money if you wish by having a family room rather than 2 separate rooms. There are a few hotels with large rooms. The Moat House at Gatwick, for example, has family rooms that can sleep up to 7 people (and for this hotel transfer to the airport is included).


• Ensure you click on the more details and photos button for each hotel on your shortlist, as that will give full details for that hotel including distance to the airport itself, any special deals, and all the answers to the questions above.

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TheTravelPage.co.uk has teamed up with the market leader, Holiday Extras, to offer these travel options, which can be booked using the links below:

• Airport Hotel Parking
• Airport Parking
• Airport Transfers

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Cheap Cruises, Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Rest

Cheap Cruises, Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Rest
- for the UK Market -

I have spent many hours scouring the internet for cruise bargains, as this is a favourite type of holiday for my family. The one lesson I have learnt is that prices vary enormously for certain cruises or cruise lines, and it really does pay to check a variety of travel agents, including looking across the atlantic at the agents there.

The Benefits of US Travel Agents

For Cruise Lines like Cunard and Norwegian Cruise Lines you really can pick up a bargain by using the US agents like eCruises.com or CruiseDirect.com. You can also find the majority of the prices shown online, which isn't always the case with the UK agents. The down side is that some Cruise Lines like P&O and Princess won't let US agents take bookings for non-US citizens. That said, CruiseDirect assures me that for them it is only Princess that is sometimes a problem, but that all other cruise lines for which they take bookings are fine.

The Benefits of UK Travel Agents

Even for UK departures, you will still sometimes find UK travel agents cheaper than US ones. In addition, if you don't have the time to 'build your own' cruise package, the UK travel agents almost invariably include the flight with the package as part of a fly-cruise if it is not a UK departure. Although you frequently find that when you want to actually book a cruise via the website, you are taken to a screen which asks you to then call a cruise agent - but at least in this case you are not calling internationally!

Free On-board Credit - What is it Really Worth?

When I am comparing prices I take the on-board credit fully into account. If you haven't been cruising before you may not realise just how much gets put onto your on-board account. Alcoholic drinks are usually extra, tours and excursions really add up, and with so much time on the ship of an evening and when at sea you are bound to spend money in the on-board shops.

Finally, read the details of these on-board credits carefully, as some are per cabin and some are per person.

Port Hotels and Port Parking

Check whether the cruise lines themselves have any special deals first. Norwegian, for example, sometimes has offers for free parking if you book through a UK agent. However, most won't offer this, so you'll need to ensure you have this arranged in adance.

Although cruises, unlike flights, invariably depart in the afternoon, if you have a long journey to reach the port you may want to consider staying in a hotel the night before and taking advantage of a Port Hotel Parking package.

You can read more about Port and Airport Hotel Parking in the earlier post Airport Parking vs Hotel Parking (Part 1) - A Personal View

In summary, if you are looking for a cheap cruise you really do need to hunt around to ensure you get the best deal... and don't forget to investigate the US as well as the UK travel agents.

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See TheTravelPage.co.uk for current offers and prices:

• Cheap Cruises
• Port Hotel Parking
• Port Parking
• Port Transfers

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Airport Parking - Keeping the Costs Down

Sean Deacy of The Guardian writes an excellent article entitled Consumer Test: Airport Parking on keeping the costs of airport parking down. The difference in cost between short stay and long stay parking are discussed, and he also highlights the benefit of pre-booking to make save significant savings.

Sean makes the case for pre-booking your airport parking with an example of turning up at the last minute for a flight from Heathrow and having to use the short term car-park for a whopping £311 per week! It certainly makes you think, when even the airport long-stay would only be £58.80 per week!

Read more at Consumer Test: Airport Parking

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TheTravelPage.co.uk has teamed up with the market leader, Holiday Extras, to offer these travel options, which can be booked using the links below:

• Airport Hotel Parking
• Airport Parking
• Airport Transfers

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Airport Parking vs Hotel Parking (Part 1)

- A Personal View -

Airport Parking the Old Way

I am sure we have all done it. We have stumbled out of bed at 4am as our alarm screams at us that it is time to get up. We have bundled our sleepy party into the car for maybe a 100 mile journey to the airport, leaving far more time than really necessary just in case we are held up by traffic problems. We have arrived at the airport with a long wait ahead of us, tired (but hopefully still excited) before our holiday has even really begun. And I still have to leave the family at the terminal with the luggage, drive to the long stay car park, then catch the bus back to the terminal before we check in.

Hotel Parking - the Relaxed Option

I have been converted! With a family of five to organise, I am now a great believer in leaving the night before and relaxing in a hotel close to the airport. The holiday starts a day earlier, and the kids enjoy the excitement of an extra night in a hotel with the five of us cosily relaxed in a room really meant for four (you don't have to be that cosy even if you have a family our size - The Moat House at Gatwick, for example, has family rooms that can sleep up to 7 people). I can enjoy the drive to the airport, as there is no need for me to be stressed over possible traffic hold-ups as it really doesn't matter - we have a confirmed hotel booking and can arrive at midnight if the worst happens.

No More Early Alarm Calls

We can also have a much more leisurely start on the morning of our flight. There is plenty of time for breakfast, the car is already parked, and we just hop on the bus for the transfer direct to the airport terminal. We don't need to leave loads of time for 'contingency', as there is very little likelihood of us getting held up for long between the hotel and the airport terminal.

'Meet and Greet' Service

On arriving back in the UK you can also make your life easy by making sure you choose a hotel offering a 'meet and greet' service, whereby they deliver your car to the terminal ready for your return (although you are unlikely to find this service offered by the very cheapest hotels).

Hotel Parking - Cheap at the Price

And the best part is, this is often much cheaper than you would think. There are numerous hotel with parking packages for each airport, and when you take out the cost of the airport parking you would have to pay anyway then for me and my family the decision is a simple one. We'll take the leisurely path every time!

TheTravelPage.co.uk has teamed up with the market leader, Holiday Extras, to offer these travel options. If this is of interest, you can book using the following links:

• Airport Hotel Parking
• Airport Parking
• Airport Transfers

Airport Parking vs Hotel Parking (Part 2)

- Choosing Your Airport Hotel -

In Part 2 next week we'll look at the factors to consider when choosing an Airport Hotel