Long-term parking near airports

In the past, we usually had someone take us to the airport, then had another kindly friend or relative take our car to the parking facility a day or two before we returned. That actually turned out to be more trouble than we had expected, but the main problem we had was trying to drive home 25 or so miles when we were absolutely exhausted. That last day - from early wake up to early arrival at the airport to long waits to long flight home - often ended up being a 24+ hour day. The last time we did that my DH said, "Never again" after he had trouble staying on the dark road.

We found taking a cab home from the airport to be worth the $50 or so it cost. This year we'll probably take a cab or another driving service to the airport as well, unless someone we know is headed that way anyway, which sometimes happens.

Cheapest is obviously getting a friend or family member to drive you. Not always possible, of course.

If you are driving in from a way away and need to stay at a hotel before or after your flight look into park sleep fly. There's a website by that name, and probably other offers. Basically for the cost of a hotel room you can stay at an airport hotel, leave your car at the hotel's lot for the trip, and take a hotel shuttle to/from the airport. You can sleep at the hotel the night before you leave or the night you get back, up to you.

If you live reasonably close to the airport, taking a cab or an uber is often cheaper than parking. I

If you need to drive yourself, there are pay lots near the airport that are cheaper than the official airport parking. I've used parknfly. They are cheaper if you book online. For 2 weeks I paid about 100CDN at Toronto Pearson,

Betty, you don't say where you are coming from? Do you live IN Toronto, close to Toronto, or some distance away? More details, please. :O)

We live in a U.S. city and have been using a car service when our trips are as long as yours and no family/friends are available to help us out. It's been a little less expensive than parking at or near the airport. Uber or similar would probably be cheaper but we haven't gotten around to getting smart phones yet! :O)

We have twice parked in off site parking at the Toronto airport and it's been remarkably cheap (about $100 Canadian for 30 days). Send me an email if you want to know the name of the lot where we parked (I can dig out my records this weekend) but we found it super convenient, and the pick up/drop off at the airport was quick and efficient. I live in Upstate NY and have really liked flying in and out of Toronto when going to Europe. I can usually find a nonstop flight for much less money than I'd pay going through any of the NYC airports, Philly, or DC. (We live in the middle of nowhere and often prefer to drive somewhere and fly nonstop.)

At our former international airport (LAX), we would either rent a car for the 1 1/2 hour drive or find a hotel offering a good Park/Fly and sometimes Stay rate. We rarely drove our own car and left it in long term parking for a trip of more than 3 weeks.

At our current international airports (SFO and OAK) we usually drive to our son’s house and take his nearby public transportation to the airport. The time from our home to the airport is still about 1 1/2 hours.

We’ve only taken a shuttle service once and for two people the cost was significantly more than the rental cars we booked to and from the airport at our previous location. Because of supply and demand, the cost to rent a car from our small home airport would be about $36 but the cost to rent one for the reverse trip would usually be about $62. This was usually our best option unless there was a good deal at one of the airport hotels for their Park&Fly rates. It was aways a less expensive option than parking in long term parking for our typically 4-5 week trips.

I live in Reno, NV. When I need to catch a flight from San Francisco, I rent a car one way and drop it off at SFO. Coming back, it's just the reverse. It's a 4 hour drive, but very inexpensive (you need to shop around for one way rental rates) and renting the car at SFO would be at least $15 to $20 per day, and you run the risk of coming home to a drained battery after several weeks away.

We use this website: https://www.globalairportparking.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4-XlBRDuARIsAK96p3ABsGAevM-AaM3nuJ-aEl1ugA12bYAVace3nsVdAyc6-u0tof3E9wQaAlEcEALw_wcB

Just plug in your departing airport and they will give you a list of optional parking at nearby hotels without having to actually stay at that hotel. You prepay upfront and then take the paperwork to the hotel front desk upon arrival. Once you park your car simply go into the hotel lobby and use their shuttle service to and from the airport. We have not used this in Canada but it is worth checking into.

It depends on where you live but, for many people, driving is not the only way to get to an airport. What about public transit? Either buses or the Union Pearson Express Train (or Super Shuttle) will work. That's how I got to and from Pearson Airport. Easy, inexpensive, and not stressful.

https://www.torontopearson.com/en/toandfrom/ground/#

OP, it would help if we knew where you lived in relation to Pearson. If you live in town, then Uber or Lyft might be an option. If you live downtown then perhaps the train from Union Station. Of course double the single trip estimate since you need to weigh the return costs as well. I used ridester website for estimates.

Most of the stay and fly hotels we have used ( we live nearly 2 hours outside TO) limit the number of days you can leave your car if you stay with them for a night. In our experience it's anywhere from 7-14 days depending on the hotel. For longer trips we park at the Park N fly valet lot, which has a very frequent shuttle running to and from the terminals. You can get a substantial discount by booking well in advance. We also get a discount with our CAA membership.