Unfortunately going on holiday is never as simple as walking into Thomas Cook and whipping out the credit card. Nope, there’s airport parking, transfers, buying foreign currency, getting your legs waxed… the list is endless. You end up spending a fortune before you’ve placed a single pair of knickers in your suitcase.
When I approached Holiday Extras I was delighted when they agreed to let me road test their airport parking. Given we had some pretty awful flight times for this holiday I was even more pleased. Going out wasn’t too bad, but getting back to Gatwick at 1am with a tired and irritable baby, and then facing an hours drive to Reading, was never going to be fun. As Craig doesn’t function too well when tired (that’s putting it way too mildly) I knew I’d have to tread very carefully on the home leg or risk him leaving me stranded at the airport.
Between the two of us, we’ve used a variety of airport parking services for trips abroad. Typically our decision on who to use was purely price motivated. For the sake of saving a tenner we’d pick A over B and never even considered why one was more expensive than the other. After all, the service you receive barely differs from one company to another right? Wrong. This time around, the service we had from Holiday Extras was simply superior to any we’ve experienced before.
To put it in context, last year was an utter nightmare. Our flight out to Portugal had been around 3am. When we bought our airport parking online we were told we’d need to ring a mobile number 15 minutes before getting to the airport and a representative would get on a coach from the office and greet us at a designated pick-up point. Despite leaving with plenty of time to spare, we were unable to get through to said mobile and were actually at Gatwick by the time we confirmed our arrival. In the freezing cold we (including Craig’s parents aged 60+ and Dexter then 3 months) were literally sat on our suitcases waiting for our sweaty and shattered rep to turn up. By the time he did (some 40 minutes later), we faced a dash to the flight desk to check ourselves in, then a mad rush to the departure lounge. To say we were annoyed is an understatement.
Holiday Extras reception at Gatwick (not up to my usual standards but the Canon was in the suitcase!)
Airport parking with Holiday Extras was an altogether more serene experience. We received a confirmation email with simple to understand instructions and a QR code that could be read direct from a mobile screen or printout. We arrived at the airport, drove up to the car park barrier, held this printout to a QR reader, and seconds later were safely in the car park. We drove to the level stated on the confirmation email and instantly saw the reception desk. The only thing I would point out is that the confirmation email did not specify where we had to park our car so I had to jump out and ask the man behind the desk where he wanted us to park up. It also would have been helpful for the email to point out that passengers wishing to use a trolley will need a £1 coin (standard fare throughout the airport). Although there were change machines in the car park, on this occasion the machines on that level were out of order.
When the car was parked, we checked in at reception, passed over our keys and quickly signed the paperwork. The man behind the desk was friendly and professional and we didn’t have any concerns waving goodbye to our clapped out Ford Focus. Immediately outside the Holiday Extras reception were a bank of trolleys so getting out of the car park and into the airport was easy peasy. Minutes later we were stood at the check-in desk. As simple as that! This is the beauty of using a company who have staff onsite at the airport as you aren’t waiting for representatives to find you.
Holiday Extras will then drive your car to a secure location and have it waiting at the airport for you when you step off your flight. We received a text message the instant we arrived back in the UK with the exact location of our car and a rep was nearby with our keys. We couldn’t have asked for any more. It was seamless, stress-free and a very slick operation. Gatwick themselves could certainly learn a thing or two from them!
You might expect this service to have a premium price tag, but actually Holiday Extras have a lowest price guarantee. In fact they go even further and if, by some miracle, you can find the same deal for less, they pick up the bill and you get it for free! They turn 30 this year and currently take some 4 million bookings every year - pretty impressive figures. They’re also number 19 in the Sunday Times best companies to work for list so staff are friendly, courteous and (better still) happy… a rarity in today’s world.
We were really impressed and I owe it them that I was able to get Dexter in his cot by 2.00am. Thanks Holiday Extras - we will definitely be using you again.
DISCLAIMER: Holiday Extras very kindly sorted out our airport parking for us for the duration of our holiday. This was free of charge in return for an honest review of their services. All words and opinions are my own.
