Words & Pictures by Shaun Troke
When you’ve a flight to catch at 7am, and, when airlines prefer that you arrive at least an hour or two before departure, getting to the airport can sometimes be a problem in those early hours of the morning, as I recently discovered…
Unexpectedly, I was faced with the headache of figuring out HOW I’d get to Manchester Airport for 04:50am in the morning, something that isn’t too easy when there’s 35 miles of distance between you and the airport!
For days (although, not for every minute of them!)…for days (ok, maybe like only three days!), I stewed over all the affordable low-budget options, for getting to Manchester Airport for 4:50am in the morning…here’s how that went:
OPTION 1: Use Manchester Airport’s Car Parks.
The four car parks connected to the airport would range from £35 to £56 (for 5 days of parking), which is quite steep when you’re on a budget.
Having used their parking facilities before, I quite like driving to the airport, because you have the convenience of getting there in your own car (and back again) in your own time…
But, already, the thought of paying between £35 & £56 for parking was causing a twitch in my bonnet…
OPTION 2: Use the train.
The simplest option, right?
Wrong.
Trains aren’t too frequent in the early hours, AND, the other opposing factor is that I live 40mins / 2 miles from the train station…and, the last time I did that walk to the train station to catch a train to the airport, I ended up with blisters on both feet BEFORE I’d even left the country (and ended up having to pay high airport prices for plasters / band-aids!)
What’s that you say? Take a cab to the train station?
Because there’s no city buses running around at 3am, this means that taking a cab to the train station really is the only option.
And, because it would be between midnight and 5am, the taxi fare would be slightly higher than usual, too.
And, also…did I really want to deal with a chatty cab driver at 3am in the morning? Do I really want to listen to him for 15mins, as he talks about how tired he is from working the night shift and how much he’s looking forward to finishing his shift…not the perfect way to start a holiday, especially if you’re not a morning person (or a people person!)
There was so much to consider for just GETTING to the airport…
But, what about the getting home bit, too!?
To coincide with my flight arrival time, the cheapest option to return home by train would mean a 15min changeover at another station…
OK, OK, I know that this is a really petty reason, but keep in mind that, having been a car driver since the age of 17, I’ve grown to prefer getting from A to B without any obstacles…and, I knew that there would be MORE obstacles to face AFTER that 15min layover, too…for the final leg: like, how do I get home FROM the train station (which are the same options as the getting TO the train station, either by taxi, bus, or by walking).
Did I really want to walk, and risk getting blisters again! And, if it’s raining, then I’d have to take a bus or a taxi anyway…
But did I really want to get on the bus (if you live in Liverpool, you’ll understand why getting the bus isn’t an attractive option)? And, if it is raining, did I want to wait for a bus, at a bus stop, in the rain? What if the bus is busy (it’d be the weekend, after all), would I be squeezed in with dozens of others, rubbing bodies with strangers, WITH my luggage in tow, too?!
Getting home in a taxi was looking favourite because, by this point in the day, I’d have been awake for a few hours, to be able to tolerate anything a Cab Driver wants to vent about…however, the taxi fare would be double the price compared to the price of bus fare (and, the bus would stop just one minute from my front door, too)…
Cost factors had to be considered:
Combined Train and Bus/Taxi costs would be from £18 to £21, the former price being the cheaper option, should I take the bus home from the train station.
Basically, getting to & from the train station was seeming like so much hassle…
Which brings me to the final, last resort option
OPTION 3: Use the bigger bus.
National Express run coaches to most airports in the early hours…but again, that issue of HOW I’d get to the Bus Terminal popped up – because it’s also 2 miles and a 40min walk from home – and, I was once again faced with the Taxi & Bus dilemma!
SO. MANY. OPTIONS.
TOO. MANY. FACTORS.
BRAIN. TOTALLY. ACHES!
Surely planning transportation to the airport shouldn’t be this difficult (well, it certainly can be, if you’re on a tight budget!)
And then, it dawned on me…
Use Just Park!
I now had a fourth option!
Just Park (if you’ve never heard of it) is a website that helps people find parking spaces, whether it be on someone’s private driveway or in an actual car park.
I’d first used Just Park in December 2015, during a visit to Newcastle (Tyne & Wear), and all I had to do was this:
– Create an account on Just Park
– Find a parking place in Newcastle using the Just Park search option
– Book & pay for the parking place (which was someone’s allocated space opposite their home)
– Print a page to display in my windscreen (that Just Park provide), stating that I’m allowed to park in that spot, to help repel Traffic Wardens
– Arrive and park your car
That was it!
A few days later, from Newcastle, I drove up to Edinburgh, where I was able to park & leave my car in someone’s private parking spot around the back of a college.
I also Just Park’d during a visit to London in 2016, when it worked out cheaper to park my car in Epsom (Surrey), and then catch a train to central London from there!
And, as of right now, if you’re reading this blog on the day that it’s published (Thursday 1st March, I believe), my car is currently parked in the suburbs just outside Manchester Airport, ready for me to drive myself home, as soon as I arrive back in the UK in a couple of days time.
After three intense days of analysing those three options for getting to the airport, in the end, I was able to use Just Park and find a private driveway located opposite a Manchester Tram stop. The Manchester Metro Trams run their commutes to the airport from 3am every 20mins…and for only £1.60 a single, I arrived at the airport just 10mins after I parked up!
The total cost of this fourth option (including a return tram fare) was £22.
Using Just Park was around HALF THE PRICE compared to what the airport charge for parking…and, using Just Park cost the same as using public transport, only without the hassles & headaches: Just Park gave me less stress, and, the only person to annoy me in the car in those early hours of the morning was myself!
So, going back to the title ‘Why I Use Just Park‘… I use Just Park because it provides a sense of freedom, along with a sense of luxury…while still remaining true to your budget. There’s nothing nicer than using your own vehicle to drive to the airport, followed by driving back home again, too…unless there’s someone you know who can chauffeur you for free, which is something you really can’t compete with!
Granted, this fourth airport transfer option is only viable if you drive & own a car…however, if you don’t drive, you can still EARN money from Just Park!
Wherever you live, if you’ve a vacant driveway or private parking space outside or nearby your home, then why not register on Just Park, to rent out your space, and make some money from that!
Because, if you’re dependant on public transport when getting to the airport, having that little extra budget money may prevent you from stressing over transfer options like I had to!
Hands down, Just Park can be a win-win for all travellers!