Cut the cost of airport parking

The expense of airport car parking is all too easily forgotten in the whole booking-packing-leaving holiday farrago, but 15 days' long-term parking at Luton, for example, will set you back £112.50. A bit of careful preparation, however, can result in substantial savings. Here are four ways to save.

1) Cheapest option of all is backstreet parking in the town nearest the airport, from where you simply hop on a train to the airport station. This risky strategy is relatively straightforward for Heathrow (park near Hounslow East and catch the Tube). For the others pick Bishop's Stortford for Stansted, Harpenden for Luton and Horley for Gatwick. You must also be unconcerned about the safety of your vehicle ... or the indignation of the locals in whose street you've left it.

2) Many airport hotels have free parking, a real benefit if your flight takes off at some unearthly hour.

The Europa Gatwick (01293 886666) has an overnight rate of £140 for a double/family room, to include 15 days on-site parking and airport shuttle. Gatwick's Ramada Plaza (01293 561186) offers free parking at the South Terminal's Parking Express in its £135 stay-and-park package, with accommodation in double and family rooms. Effectively, you're getting the overnight stay for £35.

3) Off-airport car parks can be £10-15 cheaper per week than on-airport, but are just as well established and efficient, with 24-hour shuttles to terminals. A space booked with APH (0870 7330809) at its off-airport Gatwick park costs £42 for a week in July, when the cheapest on-airport price even with advance booking will be £52.30. Build more time into your schedule to find the locations, and check your vehicle's bodywork when you pick it up; some car parks shuffle vehicles around while you are away.

4) Alternatively, book space on-airport in advance via a consolidator like Holiday Extras (www.holidayextras.co.uk, 0870 8444315) or the car park operators themselves, many of whom have several car parks and who also sell each others' services: APH (0870 733 0809), BCP (0870 013 4580), APCOA Parking Express (0800 626671), NCP Flightpath (0800 128 128) or Courtlands (01303 815504). Booking this way saves at least £5 a week, when compared to "gate" prices on the day.