Finding The Best Way To Get To The Airport
Going to the airport should be a simple task, but it's one that people don't always look forward to. The traffic, parking mazes, and general crowdedness of it all make this part of traveling one of the less pleasant. If you have to catch a flight soon, start looking at your home-to-terminal travel options now. Depending on your situation, it may be better for you to take a van or a taxi.
Home and Car Safety
Driving yourself to the airport and leaving your car in the long-term lot may be simple and quick, but it brings up safety issues. Your car will be out in the open in the lot, and while many of these lots have attendants, they can't watch your car specifically all the time. Plus, if your car is the only car that parks at your home (either you live alone or your housemates don't have cars), then it looks like your home is unoccupied much of the time.
Using a different service like an airport van or a taxi would allow you to leave your car at home, however. If home safety is a concern for you, having someone else drive you is best.
Cost
The cheapest option for getting to the airport is likely getting a friend to drive you -- but that's not always possible. Airport road layouts are not always intuitive, and despite well-placed signs at most of them, the traffic alone can make driving you to the airport so unpleasant for friends that they could outright refuse. Unfortunately, driving yourself is not going to be very cheap because of the parking fees at the long-term lot.
Reserving an airport van may be your best bet here. After a set fee and a tip to the driver, you don't have to worry about parking fees or fees for idling in traffic, like you would with a taxi. Plus, airport van drivers will be familiar with the airport, whereas your friend or a taxi driver might not be. The van driver will know which terminals host which airlines, and which lanes to be in to get to those terminals and drop-off points without a fuss.
Timing
Believe it or not, the airport van wins here, with taxis a close second. Taxis can be fast and efficient, especially if you get a driver who does know the airport layout. But taxis are often first-come-first-served, so you have to either wait a while or reserve far in advance -- and even then you may have to be content with a pickup window, rather than a specific time.
Vans often carry several passengers, meaning your travel time to the airport could seem longer at first. But the van companies are very good at timing and finding alternate routes if traffic is a problem, making the trip there more efficient.
And as for driving yourself? Well, there's no guarantee finding an open spot in the long-term lot will be easy. Nor will the lot be guaranteed to be close to the terminal, meaning you could have a very long walk ahead of you.
Start calling van companies and taxi companies like http://napleslimousine.net/ now to compare rates and travel times. Let someone else drive you and save yourself a lot of trouble.