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Are you going to be flying with an aging parent or young grandchild? Is your airport quite a distance or will you be gone for some time? A great help for the Sandwich Generation, and one of my favorite ways to save money when flying, can be an airport hotel that offers a “Park and Fly” option, also known as Park N Go!
My senior mom and I recently enjoyed a visit with some of our long distance grandchildren. Because of flight schedules, we wound up flying out of an airport two hours from our home. With a very early flight heading out and a very late flight scheduled for our return, we opted to stay at a Holiday Inn Express that offered Park and Fly long term parking. The rate was only about $25 over the normal room rate making it a very affordable rate for long term parking, and much cheaper than traditional airport parking.
After a leisurely drive to the airport hotel the day before our flight, we enjoyed a fairly restful sleep (late night arrivals kept it from being totally restful). We filled out the simple paperwork, put a parking ticket in our car, and made sure it was locked up. Early the next morning, a very nice gentleman drove us to the airport and helped us load and unload our luggage, making for a very easy trip.
A delightful week later, we flew in at midnight, gathered up our luggage, and called the hotel. Within five minutes, another very nice young man arrived to help us load our bags into his station wagon. Off we went, straight to the hotel, where we had a much quieter and more restful night.
The next morning, we enjoyed a free (another of my favorite ways to save money 🙂 ) and tasty breakfast, then were on our way home. My senior mom enjoyed the trip immensely but was definitely very tired from the trip. By not having to make the two hour drive the same day as a long flight, it made it much easier for her.
It’s well worth checking online or even calling some of the airport hotels in the area to see if they offer Park N Go or Park and Fly options. It’ll save you time, money, and stress – definitely a win-win-win in my Sandwich Generation book! 🙂
