Your travel experience doesn’t begin at the airport…it starts the minute you leave your home. Why, then, shouldn’t every part of your trip be relaxing and rewarding?
Taking a taxi or rideshare to the airport might seem convenient, but those services can’t compete with the control, ease and comfort of driving your own car. In your own vehicle you’re in control, eliminating wait time and offering a customized journey, from the climate to the music and beyond.
Still, rising prices at onsite parking lots at airports around the country might make you wonder whether you can afford this luxury. Luckily, there are options: offsite lots like Park ‘N Fly. These lots, often very near the airports they serve, aren’t just less expensive than pricey airport lots, but often they’re cheaper than ride sharing services or taxis, too! In fact, data shows that “for all but the longest trips, a taxi or ride sharing service will cost more than parking at the airport.”
Of course, cost savings are important, but above and beyond saving money, driving your own car is simply more enjoyable than alternatives. For discerning travelers who want to get the most out of every part of their trip, here are just five reasons why driving your own vehicle to the airport will help you do just that:
- Peace and quiet:
Nobody likes noise, and even automakers are trying hard to offer quieter cabins. So, after a long day of traveling through the constant noise of crowded airports and cramped airplanes, the last thing most of us want is small talk, unfamiliar music or secondhand noise from a driver on a personal call. Getting into your own, familiar car provides the moment of peace travelers need to prepare for their trip or to unwind after a journey. Getting into an Uber or a cab, on the other hand, invites thirty minutes of conversation, a playlist you don’t like, or a television blaring advertisements by default. - Comfort:
We’ve all been there: a friend or relative borrows the car and changes the seat position, mirror angles and temperature controls. When we get in to drive the next time, everything just feels wrong. It’s one of life’s little aggravations…but why is it so annoying? Because we like comfort. Having our environment the way we like it is a luxury, and there’s something both relaxing and reassuring about it. After the unfamiliarity of a new city or a new country, placing your hands on the steering wheel of your own car—with the seat adjusted exactly the way you like it and the temperature dialed in perfectly—is an unbeatable feeling. - Cleanliness: While most ridesharing and taxi companies have basic cleanliness regulations, there are always factors out of our control. While your taxi or rideshare might smell of colognes, unpleasant air freshener, a driver’s lunch or worse, your own car offers the level of cleanliness and fresh air you desire. And while there might be stains, gum on the floor or crumbs in a rideshare, your car is clean and fresh. And if it isn’t – fear not: select Park ‘N Fly locations such as LAX offer car washing services, so your car will be a sparkling haven upon your return.
- Freedom: In our fast-moving, work-focused environment, jobs and family mean that even returning from a trip doesn’t guarantee the rest of the day off. So often, our after-airport duties include errands like picking up groceries, grabbing mail from the PO box, dropping off a suit at the dry cleaners or grabbing paperwork from the office – and in this, taxis and rideshares leave us in the lurch. Our own cars give us the freedom to what we need to do, when we need to do it, with no detours or delays. In a cab, it’s straight home, hoping we have the post-trip energy to make it out again, but in our own vehicles we can maximize our time efficiently, getting us home and relaxing as quickly as possible.
- Safety: One thing rideshares and taxis have in common is that they’re all driven by strangers. When we get into those cabs or ride-shares, we can’t be sure drivers will speed, how tired they might be, the mood they’re in or, in the end, if we’re safe. Women especially have expressed concerns over the safety of ridesharing. So, while most passengers end up just fine, one way to definitely avoid these risks is riding in our own vehicles. Using offsite lots like Park ‘N Fly guarantees we’ll know exactly who’s in control of our driving experience: and the answer, of course, is that we are.
All in all, Park ‘N Fly offers travelers an affordable way to get control, safety and comfort, just minutes away from the airport terminal. You’ll never be stressed or late again waiting for a taxi or rideshare. And upon your return – regardless of whether your trip was an exciting vacation or a challenging work assignment—stepping off the plane and getting behind the wheel of your very own car is the easy, reassuring antidote to the post-travel blues.
