[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hether you are traveling for business or pleasure, one thing you will have to give a serious thought is airport transportation. After booking your ticket and arranging your flight details, the next most important thing is to choose a means of transportation that will reliably move you from your home to the airport and vice versa. While there are many forms of transportation including taxis, Uber, airport shuttles, and airport transfer, the latter one tends to be the most popular with a lot of people. That’s because a reliable car airport service company only specializes in picking and dropping clients at the airport. In most cases, the drivers of these vehicles understand the root well and will even monitor your flight to ensure they are waiting for you when you touch down. In this article, we share with you expert tips on how to arrange safe and effective airport transportation. 

1. Do your homework well

Consider all options: Begin by getting up to speed with the area that you intend to visit and the various forms of transportation on offer. Weigh the risks associated with each option and choose the one that best fits your needs. Do more research and avoid relying on just one information source.

Your best site of information is the US State Department website. You will find general travel info at http://www.state.gov/travel/. If you want more specific information about the place you are traveling to, you should check out http://www.state.gov/misc/list/index.htm. While researching, pay attention to troubled places, and steer clear of areas with criminal activities targeting Americans. Another place to check is the US embassy website (http://www.usembassy.gov/), which has even more general information.

Take Advantage of Google for Research: Use it to find official websites for the province, city, airport, and hotels for your destination. You may also want to check out travel forums, websites, and blogs as they tend to be a wealth of information.

Ask friends or colleagues: Some of them might have been to this destination. If so, they can give you firsthand information about the place and also share valuable experience. Another option is to ring up your host or hotel to give you an idea of what to expect. Arm yourself with as much information as possible. For instance, if you are considering hiring a car service to airport, ask the following questions:

• Does the company own an official taxi stand? If yes, where within the airport is it located?
• How do you tell between licensed and illegitimate taxis?
• Do you have any specific companies that have been recommended to you?
• What areas do such companies service? Will they go to your destination?

No two locations are the same, which is why you want to collect as much information about your location as possible. After doing your homework thoroughly well, you should now know many options like buses, airport shuttles, taxis, and car to airport services, among other things. The next thing is weighing up the pros and cons of each means of transportation and deciding which one to use.

2. Prepare and Plan Well in Advance

Even the best plan can backfire, which is why you always need to have a backup plan.

Public Transportation: Should you opt for this mode of transportation, you will need to know their hours of operation, pick-up times, and schedules. Also, write down the estimated cost of transport as well as the accepted mode of payment.

Pre-arranged Transportation: If you intend to use a pre-arranged service like an airport car service or a friend, communicate with them in time and agree on a specific place and time to meet. Make sure you have given them your flight information and also prepare for the potential delay. As a backup plan, make sure you have their phone number or a means of contacting them should the link-up does not go as planned.

Emergency Contact en-route: Make sure you have familiarized yourself with the route from the airport to where your hotel or destination. Establish the people you will call if you find yourself in an emergency and make sure their numbers are readily accessible. In case you are unable to travel with an international cell phone, make sure you got lots of prepaid phone cards that you can call from your new location.

3. Put your Plan into Action

While it’s recommended to stick to your plan, you need to remain flexible and open to contingencies. Maintain a low profile, be alert, and be wary of anybody trying to pay too much attention to you. If you know your surroundings well, you will discourage anyone who was planning criminal activities on you.

Be wary of scams and suspicious behavior. If anyone attempts to lure you from your chosen mode of transport by purportedly offering a good deal, you should be extremely alert. Also, be skeptical of overly helpful and friendly guys, or those that cannot provide credentials. Scams are everywhere, but sticking to your plan will help you to avoid nearly all of them. When in doubt, always feel free to ask an airport official.

Always make it a point of necessity to insist on an ID. This is even important where you are using a hotel limo or a car to airport service. Reputable companies will always flash out their Job IDs even before you ask. If the person isn’t conformable giving you their ID, you will want to activate your backup plan.

Conclusion

When you have to take a trip to a foreign country, proper planning is critical. You will want to do proper research and acquaint yourself with all the necessary information about the place you are visiting. Talk to your host or a hotel employee in a foreign country and visit important websites for information regarding your destination. Above all, hire a reputable airport car service like Lavish Ride. Such a company often has professional drivers that will pick you up upon arrival at the airport irrespective of whether your flight was delayed or not.