How do you start your holiday?

Doshwaster

worried_jim wrote: »

Sitting in the bar in gat wick and having a lovely start to the holiday.

Yes, even if it's 6am. Holiday starts as soon as I pass through security and once you get airside time zones don't exist.

Once I get to my hotel room, dump the bags and go looking for the bar. Sometimes it takes me a couple of days to get around to unpacking.

InsideInsurance

Planning and beginning are totally unrelated.

Excluding a short city break then its getting into the taxi, use the drive through check in, go to the lounge for drinks and a meal, wife goes into the spa for the complimentary treatment whilst I "watch the drinks".

For a city break then drive to the airport and dump the car, go through security and into the lounge for drinks and nibbles.

We are only ~45 minutes from Gatwick and Heathrow so earlyish morning flights are fine rather than checking in.

LEJC

in the first class lounge at Gatwick....well I am in holiday mode!

Hollie84

We had our first family one this year, getting up at 1.30am and having to wake to very tired kids up to be at the airport for 3am, once on board at 6.15am we relaxed with a drink or two and that's it for us, I much prefer early flights as u get your full day there once you arrive.

maman

I probably feel I'm on holiday once I've dropped the car off at the off-airport car park. A far better way to start a holiday is when we take the ferry to France. We generally start with a good breakfast in the on-board restaurant.

Have great time in Turkey. Think of us as you raise your first glass of Efes.;):beer:

Hezzawithkids

I only start to relax once we've checked in at the airport. Up to that point I'm a whirlwind of packing and organising, checking and re-checking booking details and the whereabouts of passports. But once our bags are hurtling on their merry way down the conveyor belt my view is that matters are now out of my hands and I can finally relax.

bb69

For me it isn't a holiday if there isn't a minor disagreement beforehand ha ha - We always laugh about it.

ibizafan_2

Totally agree with other posters about Gatwick Premier Inn. We've just returned from two weeks in Sicily with a 6am outbound flight. My holiday started the night before having a nice meal at the Premier Inn! Their park and fly package worked very smoothly and we were in the car and on our way home so quickly that we've vowed to do it again if necessary, although living in the Midlands, I'd prefer to start my holiday off at Birmingham Airport which is much nicer than Gatwick.

maman

Thanks so much for the Premier Inn tip. Like most people, I'd prefer not to have flights at weird times but sometimes there's no option. I'm waiting for the flights to be released for next year and then I'm on to it!

arthurdick

i normally book a flight for between 06:00=07:40, the earlier the better, so as i get at least a good first afternoon actually on holiday..
my planning leading up to flight, which also is the start of the holiday, is almost the same as what everybody has posted so far.
the night before, pop up to the premier inn around 8pm, chuck our bags in, freshen up, go for a few beers and a nice meal, have an early night around 10pm ish..get up around 04:00, freshen up, go for big traditional fry up..pop over to the airport and go through security, maybe have a couple in weatherspoons, as somebody else said, even though it's very early, you are in holiday mode so it's fine to have a couple;). after 4.5 hours flight, jump on bus 15 mins, walk down to hotel, bung cases in, get washed and changed, head for one of our local bars in the sun having a few ice cold beers, overlooking the atlantic ocean, oh, and gawd knows why, but we had a bowl of chips in curry sauce too.. so the start of my holiday is the beer and meal the night before and the next day is just unwinding looking at the ocean..just thinking about it again, makes me miss it so much, i just booked up another one in the last 30mins to go again in march..it seemed too long to wait until my june holiday.