On planning a trip away, whether it is for your family holiday or for business or leisure, the major things you organise are flights and accommodation. Forgetting to organise something as simple as getting from the airport to your accommodation can become such an inconvenience upon arrival. There are a lot of options available but you could get caught paying much more then you should or taking much longer then you should to reach your destination if you do not have pre-arranged transport.

There is a preconceived idea that private airport transfers are too costly for the average traveler but upon a small amount of research you will find they provide a far safer (especially for children), relaxing and generally more cost effective option.

When choosing your airport transfer, the most important things to consider should be:

• Safety. A safe and friendly driver with all relevant qualifications and knowledge of the local area through experience rather than relying on a GPS is vital. Taxis and other public transport options do not provide any child restraints* (which you then need to supply yourself) and additional luggage can cause a problem. However, with a private transfer these options can be discussed and arranged at the time of booking. *New laws in Australia now state that children must be secured in an approved child restraint until they reach their seventh birthday.

• Budget. As soon as you have more than two people travelling together, a private door-to-door airport transfer becomes just as cost effective. Other transport options are charged per adult / child, whereas most airport transfer quotes are per vehicle. Ensuring that you have a pre-paid journey booked to suit your specific requirements can be much more relaxing than a pay as you go journey as these drivers can take you on longer routes to drive up the price and you may also be charged hidden costs such as airport parking fees, toll / road fees, etc.

• Personalised. Think carefully about the kind of service you require. Drivers who are operating alternate pick up and drop off 'shuttle' type services can be under much more pressure to meet deadlines and commitments than a driver of a private door-to-door service. With a shuttle, there is little margin for flight or traffic delays and actual point to point travel times are much longer than those of a direct service. A reoccurring trend in the industry, which works in favour of the customer, is that small to medium businesses have the ability to provide more extras at a lower cost than larger, corporate companies. Smaller businesses have more versatility to accommodate the everyday traveler's needs.

Private airport transfers are excellent for families with children in that as soon as you depart, you are travelling directly to your destination. This is also valuable for business travel as it provides a more comfortable option than queuing for a taxi and a more direct option than choosing a shuttle bus.

There are many companies that offer private airport transfer services, just ensure you utilise one licensed with relevant qualifications for the services they provide. Choosing your transport option based purely on cost can in fact be more costly in the long run.