So the better half has booked us a holiday to Morocco in September, a fantastic deal for the two of us and one child but the only snag is that it means flying from Heathrow. Not the end of the world you might think but all I could visualise was me dragging suitcases full of hair products, make up and fake eyelashes from taxi to train station to hopper bus and more.
Seeing the obvious shock on my face, one of the lads here in the Indigo office suggested I hire a car. The first thought that popped into my head was an expensive One Way Car Hire Charge, but he quickly assured me that there would be no charge. I wasn’t aware but he was right, we can now offer one way car hire from all major cities and airports in the UK with no additional fee for the one way drop off.
The cogs began to work and I started weighing up the pros and cons, of hiring a car versus the alternatives.
Train
So a taxi to the train station would set me back about £12, Train tickets from Trainline.com as of today (22/03/2018) for 2 adults and one child is £122.75 and includes a switch to a tube at Kings Cross station. Not a ridiculous option but with child and eyelashes in tow could be a pain, plus it would set me back approx £145 to get there, before we have bought jelly babies and fizzy pop.
Plane
Flights from Leeds to Heathrow could work but wouldn’t get us there in time for our connecting flight to Morocco. We would need to fly the day before and pay for a hotel which makes it way too expensive. But lets pretend we don’t need a hotel. A taxi to Leeds & Bradford Airport would set me back £10. Flights for the 3 of us from LBA to LHR would cost £190, plus additional baggage charges because the allowance is less than our allowance to Morocco so there will be a few KG’s to pay for (you know, for the 8 pairs of shoes needed to lay by the pool). So lets call it £200 plus possible baggage charges and hours of waiting around. On the plus side, we would be straight in to Heathrow.
Coach
Not really an option for me, hours and hours on a cold smelly coach alongside people with a cold, someone snoring and there is always one with heavy metal busting out of his headphones (usually me). But, we are doing a fair comparison so i’ll include it. To get us there on time would mean leaving Leeds bus station at midnight with a SIX HOUR coach journey ahead. £12 taxi ride to Leeds and £79.65 for 3 coach tickets. That’s £90 ish and 6 hours of crisps, sweets and pop.
Drive My Own Car
Would be my first option before you actually sit and think about it. 3 Suitcases and 3 people will just about manage in a Mercedes A Class but it wouldn’t be very comfortable for the lad in the back. On the plus side the only costs incurred would be fuel and parking. According to journeyprice.co.uk with average MPG it would cost me £36.58 in fuel. The cost to park looks to vary between £69.90 and £118.50 for long stay depending on which terminal we need. Taking the cheaper option, travelling this way is set to cost us £106 ish.
Hire Car With Free One Way
Hiring a larger car would be preferred to make everyone more comfortable. So im looking at at Citroen Picasso, small MPV. Plenty of room for the 3 of us and the eyelash suitcase. A one day rental would cost £65. Collecting in Leeds the day before and returning to Heathrow by the same time on our departure date would cost us nothing extra. Lets use the same fuel cost as before at £36.58 its coming out at about £102 ish.
In Summary
The cheapest option but not by much (The Coach) is also the most uncomfortable in my opinion. The most expensive option (The Plane) would be quick and convenient but also throw up a couple of baggage problems. The choice for me is between driving my own car or hiring one. Hiring one has to be the winner, yes a little bit cheaper (almost not worth mentioning) but more room, and im putting miles on someone elses car, not mine. #WINNING
Not every rental company offers Free One Way Car Hire so you need to shop around, or make it simple and speak to the experts at Indigo Car Hire. I’m glad I did.
