Coming back to UK for april and decided to treat myself this time and fly business class ( yes look at me etc ). Got a very good deal as it happens and as I have got older my body is not up to a long flight in cattle class. With the 'good deal' comes a catch of sorts. I fly into gatwick and fly out of Stansted, neither of which I have ever been to before. Being a tightwad I want to get a hire car for my stay, but trying to get a deal for hiring from gatwick and drop off Stansted seems shockingly difficult and expensive. Anybody ever done this before? A friend mentioned getting a shuttle bus or train out of gatwick and picking up a car from that london.
Sounds like it might be easier to hire the car from a central point but I suppose you'd have weigh the price of hiring at Gatwick and dropping off at Stansted against the huge amount you're likely to pay in train fares getting between either airport and the car hire place.
I've picked up and dropped off in different locations in the states and it wasn't too expensive. Where are you looking at for hire cars? Did you look at comparison sites?
One of the sites I looked at seemed to compare several different hires. Pick up and drop off when different seem to put a spanner in the works. I suppose not knowing the geography ( egress and ingress ) is what is causing me the angst. Probably need to do more research I suppose, but hopefully someone can enlighten me.
I take it you're coming up here for the time you're in the UK? Like Seb's right leg I've done it in the states, it works easily there (hire from JFK, drop off at Newark, avoid driving in Manhattan at all costs ) but not done it here. I do know, having done London to Stansted that it's a pain in the arse at the best of times. I drive that way very regularly and you should try and get something in East London if you're planning on 'somewhere central' as the Standted Express stops in Stratford. Getting from Gatwick to Stratford will be a pain though, you'd have to go via London Bridge and get the tube, which I doubt you'll enjoy with those bags. I'll be honest, once you factor everything in, as someone who drives from South London pretty much every other week up here, I'd probably say your best option is to either: 1) eat the excess cost, which is probably only marginally cheaper than all of the travel costs involved avoiding it Or 2) get the train up here, there are rental cars at Central Station that I've used a few times, enterprise are actually based in it. You could drop it there on the way back, or see if the cost is cheaper to do NCL>Stansted for the hire car.
And actually I wouldn't do the latter in your position, because you'll pay £50 minimum just getting up here by train. Just pay for the rental car. It's easier and cheaper, I just did a cheapo one for about 25 quid a day on Hertz, and they're expensive as hire cars go.
I would have thought that the bigger firms Avis, Hertz or Enterprise would cater for different pickup / drop off locations. If that is not possible then hire at Gatwick and get the Train or coach from Gatwick to Stansted for the return. Give yourself plenty of time (~3 hours) because that is one of the worst journeys you could possibly do in the UK
Thanks for the assistance. All rather depressing. If my sister lived in fulwell ( where I was born and raised ) I wouldnt have been fussed with a car. Because she lives in cleadon it's a pain getting anywhere. Think I need to do more research . Thanks again
Bri, try this site, I use them 2 or 3 times a year on my travels abroad, never had any problem with them and they are very competitive . They are agents but give you a list of hires, they do different pick up and drop offs and airport collections. https://www.enjoycarhire.com/?affil..._ejrc1Jgbj3RhsbT_RfLRTw6MDeqUPuwaAi50EALw_wcB
I had to get a rental from Stanstead to Gatwick one time and I just booked it with one of the on-airport firms. However, it was a bit of an unexpected thing. When booking the flights to Rome, I just clicked the "any London airport" option, and I never realised that it might give me a flight out from one, and back to another. We drove down to Gatwick, parked and flew out, but it was only when we were in Italy that I noticed that we were flying back to Stanstead. I wasn't popular with the wife on the journey home.
I knew I'd be arriving and leaving from 2 different airports, but I got such a good deal with emirates on business ( less than half normal price ) I couldnt resist. Anyway I'm sure it will be alright on the night as they say
I always use www.arguscarhire.com as a comparison site, usually pretty wide range of hire firms in their search
