We often fail to see that preparing for a holiday can put extra stress on you, especially when you have to sort out the last details at work and get everything in order at home. Then there's the trip to the airport, often spoiled by rushed last-minute preparations, traffic jams and worries about being late for your departure. By the time you reach the airport, you're a wreck without a trace of a holiday mood having set in yet.



Why not shift into holiday gear from day one. Book an airport hotel and begin your break even before getting to the airport. Nearly all airport hotels offer leisure facilities as well as traditional business centres. Many also feature swimming pools, saunas and even in-house spas.

Take a dip in the pool before settling down for a nice dinner in the restaurant or order room-service and catch a movie in your room. The next day, you can wake up safe in the knowledge that the airport is just around the corner and there are no traffic jams to foil your holiday plans. Have a leisurely breakfast before catching a courtesy shuttle to the terminal.

If you plan properly, a night in an airport hotel won't eat into your time at your holiday destination. Make your way unhurriedly to the hotel of your choice the evening before your flight and sort out your parking arrangements in no rush, knowing all you have to do the next morning is make the quick trip to the terminal.

Several websites such as airport-hotel-discounts.co.uk offer substantial savings on combined Park and Fly deals at considerably lower rates than the standard parking fees. Some packages include parking in the hotel parking lot, while others have negotiated deals with the public airport parking operator. Offers are usually available for between one and two weeks. Online, you can also get details on hotel facilities, room availability and rates as well as the location of the hotel.

Most airport hotels are located at the airport itself or within a couple of miles of the terminal. Clearing check-in and boarding the plane the next day, you'll already be in holiday mood while your fellow travellers are slumped back in their seats, trying to shake off the stress of their trip to the airport and tired from having had to wake up at an unearthly hour.

When you arrive at your holiday destination and have unpacked your bags, you'll already be in a holiday routine having gone through the same procedure the evening before. Don't waste your precious days off by failing to prepare properly. Book an airport hotel and get into the holiday swing before you've even left home.