No uber options from my town to the airport so we will have to park. I live 2 hours from the airport I’m flying out of.
Do you schedule economy parking? Off site or on site?
Any options for a hotel room and parking while on the trip or coming home?
I google and see options but have no idea if they are a scam or not.
We have a flight in June that leaves at 6 am and gets back a week later at midnight. We are flying out of Detroit because there were limited options to get to our destination from our local “airport”. I think we will have to get a hotel there and back.
One option we’ve used in the past is to get a hotel near the airport, and often they will let you leave your car parked while you’re gone for a reasonable rate per day. They take you to and from the airport by shuttle. I think this is pretty common.
Nashville parking is exorbitant and we’ve parked at hotels, both with shuttles and those without where you have to Uber. Those with shuttles are about $10 a day had those without $5.
There are a number of hotels near the airport, and while parking is free, extended parking requires that you choose a park & fly rate. Those rates are higher than regular rates, but if you’re gone a week, the park & fly rate is probably less than regular rate + airport parking. You’d only need to pay the park & fly rate the night before you fly. If you stay on your return, you can book the regular rate that night. I would look at online reviews - there are lots of hotels in the area, and I’m sure online reviews would be helpful in narrowing your choices. I live close enough to the airport that I’ve never had to stay, so I don’t have any recommendations. When I check reviews for hotels near airports, I always scan the reviews to make sure they don’t say anything about feeling unsafe - and bonus points when they mention feeling safe.
If you are into fancy hotels, the Westin connected to the airport is nice, but it’s expensive (especially with a park & fly rate).
I’ll be honest, if you really don’t want to drive two hours early/late, it might be easier to stay about a half hour from the airport. (If you say which expressway & direction you’re coming from, I can suggest a town). You won’t have to depend on a hotel shuttle to get you there on time. You could get up early at the hotel & drive to an off airport lot. The shuttles run constantly, so you’d get picked up in the lot and dropped off at your terminal pretty quickly. Qwik Park, Park and Go, US Park, Airlines Parking are all fine - you can check their websites for rates & coupons.
If it were me, I would just bite the bullet and get going early from home, park in an off airport lot & sleep on the plane.
Most hotels use an aggregator - they don’t sell the parking directly.
Anytime I use a new property vs way.com I call the hotel and check but they all say Yes it’s legit and use way.com or there’s another similar. Most list on both.
@deb922 I just realized it was you who posted. I know the general direction you’re coming from, and you’re better off staying by the airport than trying to stay a little ways away. I would think that any of the chain hotels with good reviews will work.
Metro is relatively easy to reach. I would advise against parking in the airport lots, because there have been some security issues. I haven’t heard of any issues in the off airport lots.
I also recommend parking at an airport hotel. I have done it many times, and as a single female traveler I feel it is the safest option, for myself as well as the car. Walking to the economy lots at airports can be sketchy, and then you have to find the car!
@deb922, we will be in the Detroit area next week and have a 6AM flight out of DTW to PHX on the 21st. We’re staying the previous night at the Romulus Hampton Inn. We’ve also stayed at the airport Ramada which has a nice happy hour and a breakfast omelette station. We’re disappointed that the Dearborn Inn is closed for renovations because it’s our anniversary week, and we spent our wedding night there (we were married in the chapel at Greenfield Village).
I agree that spending the night near the airport is a good idea. We have a 5:30 AM flight out from Portland (ME) to DTW on the 18th, so we’re spending the night in Portland and celebrating our anniversary there before heading to DTW in the morning.
I’m flying on the 18th too…but my husband is just dropping me at the airport. If I were flying by myself, I also would do the park and stay rate at the hotel nearest or attached to the airport. It’s worth it.
I have two trips I’m planning. The one in June is the one I was more nervous about the logistics. That is the one out of Dtw. Our last trip out of there was a cluster because I didn’t plan.
We have another trip planned for November out of Grand Rapids. Because of all the helpful tips, I was able to book an airport hotel and one of the options included parking. I’ll call the hotel and confirm the details. Just because our stay will be at the end of our trip and not the beginning.
Big airports are great as far as places they go. Regional airports are great for parking and figuring out where everything is.
@ChoatieMom enjoy your anniversary! The chapel at Greenfield Village is lovely.
We live far from our airport too. About 1:30 from the usual option. We will drive the day off unless it’s like yours at 6am, and then we spend the night near the airport. Because our drive is on a 2 lane road with limited to no passing opportunities, and you never know if you’ll get behind farmer Ted on his tractor going 25 mph. We leave lots of extra time for the drive.
I know some people use the park at the hotel and take the shuttle option, but I’d just rather pay the money for parking. Once I get back from a trip and am facing the drive back, I just want to get in my car and get going ASAP. I don’t want to deal with finding and getting a shuttle.
We don’t schedule parking. At 4:30am there is going to be parking available at our airport.
Do you mean airport shuttles (like at Dulles)? I take those. I meant the kind run by the holiday inn out to the hotel 3-5 miles away. I suppose it does depend on the airport.
