Getting to check-in 2 hours before takeoff usually means a very early start, which fuels fears that you might not wake up in time and almost guarantees that you will be driving tired to your flight and starting your holiday on the wrong foot.

UK government driving safety sites like http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk warn that tiredness, along with drink-driving and answering a mobile behind the wheel, is responsible for numerous accidents across the country every year. Add rushing to tiredness and you have a recipe for possible holiday disaster.

An alternative ensuring you don't have to go through this rigmarole is a stay an airport hotel the night before flying. An overnight stay at an airport hotel will guarantee you avoid all the usual rushing around. Now it is also possible to include cut-price airport parking in an accommodation package, something most flyers would have to pay for anyway.

Visit www.airport-hotel-discounts.co.uk for a broad range of different accommodation options in and around many of the UK's major airports, including at Heathrow. Long-stay airport parking can be optionally included in the package. To get a quick quote online, simply enter the necessary details of your travel itinerary including the point of departure and the date you wish to find a hotel.

Within the vicinity of Heathrow, there are more than 20 different options available starting at low prices. The airport parking option usually means choosing from a one or two-week stay for your vehicle. In most cases, you can check-in to your airport hotel after 14:00 the day before you fly, meaning you will have a whole afternoon and evening to relax and enjoy the facilities.

At the four-star Heathrow Hilton, for instance, take advantage of the swimming pool and leisure centre before heading to one of the restaurants on-site prior to a good night's sleep knowing that everything is ready for your holiday. In fact, your holiday will have already begun before you even receive the hotel wake-up call. Your car will already be securely parked waiting for your return, allowing you to walk to the terminal for your flight.

If you decide you don't need a bed for the night, it is still possible to arrange airport parking over the internet at discounted rates. Go to www.save-on-parking.co.uk/heathrow.asp and you can save up to 30 per cent on parking rates at Heathrow compared to what you would be charged upon arrival.

One of the most convenient airport parking services out there is the meet and greet service in which a representative of the parking company will collect your vehicle as you arrive at Departures, take it to a space and then return it to you on cue when you touch down again.

By confirming the details of your trip online, you can pay for your airport parking by credit card rather than rummaging around for the correct change when you get to the terminal, meaning you'll have another little detail of your trip prearranged before you even leave home.