When we plan a holiday we are often conscious of our outward journey preparations, organising as smooth a getaway as possible and keeping airport hassle to a minimum. But, do we give much thought to our return journey?

Outbound travel is always made smoother, irrespective of the hassles we may encounter, due to the anticipation and excitement of our holiday. Return travel is always worse, invariably you’re tired, you’ve had to vacate your holiday accommodation early, you’ve had to allow plenty of time to get your hire car back to the airport, then there’s check-in, often in a foreign language, hanging around for your flight, and inevitably delays.

Excitement about your holiday is like a painkiller for travel hassle, but on your return, you’re tired, and all you want to do is get home. So how do you make your return journey as hassle-free as possible? Well, with a few pointers, you should be okay. To help you may wish to consider the following:

Meet and greet parking Meet and greet parking has to be the most convenient airport parking available. Imagine just driving up to the airport terminal, unloading your luggage, handing over your keys to a driver and walking straight into the terminal. You can’t get easier parking than that.

Meet and greet valet parking is great on departure days, but it’s even better when you get back and you realise you don’t need to collect your own car from the car park, dragging your luggage, and tired kids, behind you.

So for the ultimate hassle-free end to your holiday, organise meet and greet parking. When booking your meet and greet parking the company will take a record of your return date, flight number and expected time of arrival, so they can monitor your return flight to ensure an accurate time to deliver your car back to you at the airport terminal. It is such a wonderful feeling knowing that, no matter how delayed your flight is, your car will be waiting for you the minute you step out of the terminal, and an even better feeling to know that you’re on your way home in a warmed-up before your fellow passengers have even reached their car.

Book an airport hotel Booking an airport hotel room isn’t just for outbound flights. If your chosen airport is some distance from your home, or if you have an extra day or so before you return to work, book an airport hotel room and get a good night’s sleep prior to making the long journey home. If you book a park and stay package at an airport hotel, you can arrange to take you stay on your return rather than on the outward journey. Better still, book a park and stay meet and greet package and take advantage of being met at the airport on your outward journey, and having your car returned to you at the hotel when you’re ready to drive home, rested after your return flight – simple and extremely convenient!

You can’t insure against flight delays and holiday hassle, but there are a few arrangements, such as the ones above, that can ensure you get home as easily and conveniently as possible.