Travel Tip Tuesday nº 2

Travel Tip # 2 - Make Use of Alternate Airports.  

Let's say you need to get to Toulon, France.  Why?  Perhaps you've got to meet up with some circus folk there.  You can fly into Paris and catch a train to Toulon, but say you don't have a lot of time and don't want to have to switch airports in Paris in order to fly to Toulon.  I know, why would you?  That can take up a lot of time.  Picking up your luggage from baggage claim in CDG, standing in line at customs, getting on a bus to ORY, rechecking your luggage, etc.  Also, many smaller airports only have one or 2 flights in and out per day which can put a crimp in your travel plans or leave you stranded at an airport for more hours than you'd like (as if you'd like to be stranded at an airport at all).


There may be a better and quicker way to get to your destination by using alternate airports.  So instead of flying into CDG and transferring to ORY to catch one of the two flights to Toulon, you can fly into Marseille or Nice (both of which have over 20 flights arriving per day).  And from Marseille or Nice you can catch a train to Toulon. 

The benefits of this?  

• You skip the airport transfer in Paris
• You skip the long customs lines in Paris
• You skip the pick up and recheck of luggage
• You skip a lot of waiting in lines
• You get to ride the train along the French Riviera
• You might possibly save yourself a bit of time and possibly a bit of money

This only works in highly populated areas where there are a lot of airports.  Like Europe.  Or the Eastern US.  Why?  Because you need a robust transit system or shuttle system.  Because the last thing you want to do is rent a car from one airport and return to a different location - that cost would be prohibitive (unless, of course, you will be returning the car to the same airport).


How do you know what airports are close to the small airport/town you're going to?  Check out a map of where you're going or, if you're using ITA Matrix, you can check the Nearby box and see other airports from 50 to 300 miles away.   And when looking for cheaper/alternative flights in Europe, it's helpful to check out RyanAir and EasyJet to see what they offer.  


Riding trains in Europe or shuttles in the Eastern US are much easier than you think.  Don't be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone.  You might save a substantial bit of money and you'll get to see a bit of countryside.  


Airport pictured is LGB (Long Beach) which I can fly into and out of from Seattle for a relatively inexpensive cost.  Not only that, when I fly into and out of LAX, I need to be at the airport 3 hours in advance (even flying domestically) if I'm departing first thing in the morning, just to make it through security.  And when I arrive at LAX, my luggage takes about 30 minutes to get to me.  However, at LGB I can arrive as little as an hour early, sky cap my luggage for $2 and make it through security in less than 10 minutes.  Flying into and out of LGB only makes sense for me if I'm being picked up by my niece who lives in the area or I'm renting a car because public transit is not fantastic from LGB.