Driving after overnight flight

[luckystrikes]

I have driven from Manchester to near Edinburgh.

Wasn't too bad if I'm honest once we were on the road. My wife found it harder trying to stay awake to keep me company than I did driving.

[Briggykins]

Thanks for all your thoughts...hopefully someone will be able to pick us up from the airport, but if not it sounds like it's going to be worth picking up some train tickets! It's all motorway down to Devon which isn't great when you're tired in the first place.

[ChrisS]

Please don't drive after a long transatlantic night flight, tiredness kills, it's not worth the chance of a serious accident involving other vehicles and their pax.

Bout 15 years ago we drove twice, from Man and Gla, never again, we've since let the train take the strain, far easier and safer.

[MillyMoo]

We have never driven home, I dont think its worth the risk. I dont drink, kind of nap on the plane and even on the train home i never fall asleep. However, there's a kind of drowsy fog over me and I know that driving like that would be so dangerous for us and others. It's just not worth the risk

[TheRobsters]

I did it once from Manchester to Hove.

Normally I can stay awake for ages even after the flight home but traffic delays meant what should have been a 4 1/2 hr journey was probably nearer 6.

By the time we were close to the M23 it was getting tough.


Would definitely not do it again so I would pay and go by train.

[lfc_sarah]

Me and my husband are very used to driving, we travel to collect our son throughout the year, Kinloss - Dover and it's LONG. Sometimes we get a flight but much easier to drive if travelling to see family/friends on the way.

Even we won't travel more than hour and a half after a night flight though and that is powered by lots of coffee. It's just not worth the risk.
Once and only once I drove tired and that feeling of nodding off on a motorway is the worst feeling in the world. Obviously I stopped straight away but that feeling has never left me. You just can't control it.

Definitely better to purchase tickets for the train and ease the worry 😊

[Smilesonfaces]

Husband has driven to Lancashire from both Glasgow and Gatwick. He is used to working nights and he says he doesn’t find the drive a problem. He sleeps the whole flight as he has no issues sleeping anywhere and he doesn’t drink alcohol.

Would it be possible for you to drive an hour or so and then stop in a premier inn/ Travelodge, have some sleep and then continue your journey later. Do the airport hotels still do day rooms ? You could have a few hours and then set off in the evening when it is quieter on the roads ? I can’t really be doing with public transport so would try to find a way to be able to drive.

[sam7]

We will have this dilema as well for our next flights. We used to live about 45 minutes drive from Gatwick - an hour from Heathrow and DH manages to sleep most of the flight so driving home was ok, but we have now moved about 3 hours away from the airport, so will need to rethink options.

[Scotsmomma2]

It's scary reading the stories of those who have nodded off at the wheel, we've done the 4 hours back to Scotland twice with my son driving,It was snowing a blizzard one time and was terrifying as he was so tired,we pulled over often.After that we always got the train and stayed in a Premier Inn and came home the following day..if you get a cheap rate we now always book the day we're flying home and the day we arrive,nothing beats getting off the long flight and being able to have a Premier Inn breakfast and then head to bed to watch TV and doze on and off,next morning,after breakfast and fresh as daisies we head home.We have 2 nights this time for £62,well worth it.

[americanv8]

It's horrible, we used to travel out of Manchester and have to drive home to Sunderland after the flight. That was purely because flying from Newcastle was always so much more expensive, then the price gap narrowed so we switched.
I would have been flying out of NCL this year in August but having to move it meant back out of MAN again Not looking forward to the drive home .. although i've got a Tesla so it can just drive us home