Which comes first the chicken or the egg? Well the same applies to ones trip to Florida. Do you sort out the flight first or the accommodation. Obviously if you choose to buy a package this doesn’t apply but do consider if this is the best way to enjoy your holiday of a lifetime.

Our villa is located at the junction of the 192 and 27. This means it is centrally located for a wide variety of trips and outings. Be it the coast, which is only just over an hours drive away, a trip to see the manatees, or the usual theme park visits, anything from 10 minutes to 30 minutes drive away.

My advice is to look at both flights and villas simultaneously but realise that there will have to be give and take for both arrangements especially at busy times of the year. The key factor is can you hold the bookings while you confirm the other details.

Most people when looking for flights only consider Orlando International airport, thinking this is the only option. Most charter flights now use Sanford which although slightly further away is only a matter of a few minutes extra drive and can make a big difference to the cost of the trip.

There are many other airports to choose from and I only consider a few. Miami is also a popular consideration about 4+ hours away from Orlando, it is an easy main highway drive and is often linked with a stay in Miami at the beginning or end of a trip. However the airport most people don’t look at is Tampa. This is located on the Gulf coast near Clearwater, yet it’s only an hour’s drive to the majority of villas near Disney.  

Tampa airport is much quieter than the favoured Orlando airport and this has many advantages. The main ones are the lack of having to wait in long lines of people to check-in, go through security, get food, and pick up the car rental.

We landed recently to find we got through security just as our bags appeared. Having picked them up, we walked to the car hire desk and in a matter of minutes were on our way. This can make a big difference especially after a long flight so next time you fly look at Tampa