If you’re a seasoned traveler, you know that traveling can be quite expensive. Travel veterans know to set aside some money for their trips. Even so, airport parking fees are the one expense that is often ignored. It’s an often-overlooked expense that can end up making an already expensive trip even costlier. We end up shelling out the dollars for the convenience of driving down to the airport in our own car because we have no other choice. Or do we? There are, in fact, less expensive options for airport parking. Mostly, that depends on how willing you are to park your car near the airport than at the airport. We strongly recommend you consider the following options if you want to cut down on airport parking costs.
1. Don’t pay airport parking fees! ?
Sounds all rebellious and exciting, doesn’t it? However, we aren’t really advocating parking and dashing off without paying for it! Here are some rather mundane options for not paying airport parking fees.
Ask friends or family.
Free personalized pick-up and drop-off service directly at the terminal at no additional cost to you – this does seem like the best way to escape the high cost of airport parking, right? Wrong! What if you need to get to the airport late at night or early in the wee hours of the morning, that too from an airport miles and miles away? Your friends and family aren’t going to be happy volunteers. Also, since you’re already inconveniencing them so much, you have to do the decent thing and shell out some money for fuel. So, what exactly are you saving here?
Hop on to an Uber/Lyft
With the click of a button, your chariot arrives to ferry you to where ever you want to go! Sounds like a fairy tale? That’s because it is. Fairy tales most definitely don’t involve standing around on the curb in the darkness waiting for your ride to arrive. Oh, and did we mention surge pricing that most inconveniently surges just when you’re desperate for a ride?
Consider taking public transport
You can, of course, take public transportation to the airport if you don’t want to pay a high airport parking fee. This choice is ideal for airports that are connected to bus lines or transit stations. However, if you’re hauling a lot of luggage, it might be somewhat inconvenient to drag all of it around buses and trains.
2. Park at a nearby airport hotel
This tip for cutting down on airport parking fees is very useful for out-of-town travelers. Instead of booking your hotel stay and airport parking separately, you can combine them. Several airport hotels will let you leave your car in their parking lots while you’re away. Some of these will insist on you having a room reservation, while others will let you park even if you don’t have a room reserved with them.
3. Park at offsite airport parking lots
Onsite airport parking is expensive, period. Yes, they are the closest you’ll get to the airport. However, there’s a price you’ll need to pay for this proximity. Book a parking spot at any one of the several offsite parking lots near the airport, and you can cut down a lot on your airport parking costs. If you book your offsite parking lot as soon as you book your air tickets, you’ll have plenty of airport parking garages to choose from, especially if you use the Way parking app or the Way.com website. Get on the way app or website, select the airport you want to fly from, the duration for which you need parking, and you’ll be presented with loads of options. Check out what each parking lot offers, look at user reviews, and then make your choice. Then you can drive up on the day you need to travel, park, grab a shuttle, and get dropped off at your terminal. All of this for less than half of what onsite airport parking costs!
