One of the biggest logistical decisions to make when planning to travel with kids is how to get to and from the airport in your hometown. With kids, you have the added concern about needing a carseat, and some of the transportation options don’t make that easy. The right answer depends on a lot of variables: the cost of parking at your local airport, the number of kids you have and the amount of luggage you are bringing, the duration of your trip, and whether you need a carseat at your destination as well. Here are the various options you may want to consider for your next trip, as well as the pros and cons of each choice:
Drive your own car & park at an airport lot:
Pros: You have your own car seat already installed; you can depart your home at times that are convenient to you.
Cons: Can be expensive (particularly for long trips and in big cities); carrying your kid and your luggage to catch a parking shuttle can be frustrating (this option works better if one spouse can drop the other at the curb with the luggage and kids while the other handles parking).
Drive your own car & park at an off-airport location:
Pros: You have your own car seat already installed; you can depart your home at times that are convenient to you.
Cons: Although a savings over an airport lot, it can still be expensive (particularly for long trips and in big cities); wait times for shuttles can be long; carrying your kid and your luggage to catch a parking shuttle can be frustrating (this option works better if one spouse can drop the other at the curb with the luggage and kids while the other handles parking).
Take an airport transfer service from your home:
Private transfers are also the way to go if you’re travelling with extra luggage or over-sized luggage (like skis, surfboards or musical instruments) and need a larger vehicle to accommodate your needs. Taxis and Ubers don’t always have on-demand vehicles to cater for these requests, but we give you the option to let your transfer company know your needs in advance. Simply write down your request, whether it be a child seat or extra luggage space, in the ‘extras’ field of the booking form.
When you’re comparing airport transfer options available, click on the ‘private tab’ of the search results to see all the private airport transfer options available to you.
Pros: A better value than a taxi; being dropped curbside at the airport is logistically easier.