Flying from Gatwick: Stay at the Airport the Night Before

Gatwick is considered the capital’s second airport after Heathrow, but unlike its illustrious sister, it has only one runway making it the busiest single runway airport in the world. The airport handles a very large proportion of passengers every year and offers a wide range of on-site parking spaces. What's more, over 80 airlines operate from Gatwick and during the summer months many charter airlines use the airport to fly holidaymakers to Europe and farther flung destinations.

Although billed as a London airport, Gatwick is situated in rural Sussex, almost 30 miles from the centre of London. On paper, its location is ideal for anyone using the airport situated just off the M23, which in turn is just off the M25 - London’s orbital motorway.

So, in theory from whatever part of the UK travellers descend upon Gatwick, by using the M25 they can by-pass London and quickly arrive at their destination. However, in reality traffic delays - especially during rush hour - can cause a few problems and reliance upon the M25 running smoothly to get to Gatwick on time can at times prove a risky strategy for many passengers.

As a consequence rather than risk missing their flight, many holidaymakers - especially those on early morning departures - prefer to drive to the airport at their leisure the day before departure. Therefore, they can start their holiday with an overnight stay at one of the hotels situated in the Gatwick grounds, or one very close to it.

One of the major reasons for spending the first night of a holiday at Gatwick airport hotels is that parking for the entire duration of your holiday can be included as part of the accommodation. In some cases, the cost of accommodation and parking at a hotel can be as cheap as just paying to park at one of the Gatwick car parks.

Furthermore, such hotels often provide Gatwick shuttle buses to transport guests directly from the hotel to the airport terminal and back again upon their return. That certainly takes a lot of the worry out of getting to the airport on time, which also allows travellers to concentrate on the flight ahead and arrival at their ultimate destination.

Of course, if you are going on holiday then it always proves worthwhile to perform some research into your preparations beforehand. And it can certainly be worthwhile considering an overnight stay at Gatwick, if you are departing from the airport on holiday in the near future.