Man, just landed at ord and its honestly a miracle I even made it to my departing flight on time last week, that whole getting to the airport thing here is literally a gamble every single time, you gotta plan like its the olympics or something and I swear its always something new trying to screw you over, like traffic that appears out of nowhere or that one train delay that hits just when you think you have it all figured out, its basically a constant mental battle just to not miss your flight and ive learned a few things the hard way so im just gonna dump them here for anyone else stressing out about it because trust me you will stress out because chicago travel is never simple and you are dealing with a huge airport that feels like its miles away from everything and everyone.
My Go-To Transportation Picks
Ok so when im thinking about actually getting to ord there are a few things I always consider first off is the blue line and honestly its a lifesaver sometimes especially if you are coming from downtown or if you dont have a ton of bags because its cheap and it runs pretty frequently and its kind of cool seeing the city pass by but sometimes it feels like it takes forever and you get stuck standing for a long time and if you have to transfer its a whole other story with dragging your stuff up and down stairs which nobody wants to do but its consistent which is something you cant always say for chicago traffic and its generally safe during the day but late at night you might feel a little less comfortable depending on your comfort level and then there are the shuttles which are decent for certain situations but they can be a pain because they make a million stops sometimes and you just want to get there and not tour the entire city before you even hit the airport drop off point and sometimes you wait forever for them to even show up and its just a whole thing with coordinating everything and trying to figure out which shuttle company is even reliable anymore and then theres uber or lyft which are super convenient if you have the cash and you want to be comfortable and not deal with anyone else and you can usually get one pretty quickly and its a direct shot which is a huge plus but they can get super expensive especially during surge pricing or if its a holiday and its something you have to factor in because you dont want to blow your whole travel budget just getting to the airport before your trip even properly starts and honestly trying to figure out the pickup spots at ord for ride shares can be a maze in itself but its usually worth it for the convenience factor alone.
Is it worth the extra cash?
So heres the real talk about when to splurge for an uber or lyft instead of sucking it up with a shuttle or the blue line because honestly its a personal decision but ive got some strong opinions based on too many stressful trips and wishing id just spent the extra twenty bucks.
- if you are solo and only have a small backpack maybe a carry-on the blue line is totally fine dont even think about spending more its not worth it you will be fine just hopping on the train.
- if you have one checked bag and a carry-on and you are not in a huge rush the shuttle is probably your best bet its a good middle ground price wise and its usually door to door which is nice but be prepared for potential delays.
- if you are traveling with more than one large bag like a big suitcase and a carry-on and a personal item or two then honestly just spring for the uber or lyft because dragging all that through the blue line stations or trying to cram it into a shuttle with other peoples stuff especially if its full is a nightmare you dont need to deal with and your back will thank you.
- if you are with another person or even a small group and you all have a decent amount of luggage its almost always worth splitting an uber because the convenience factor goes way up and the per person cost becomes much more reasonable and you can all just relax.
- if you are literally running late and every minute counts ditch everything else and call an uber or lyft its the fastest most direct way to get there assuming traffic isnt completely stalled which is a big assumption in chicago during rush hour but still your best bet for speed and getting there quickly.
- if you have any kind of mobility issues or its really bad weather like a snow storm or a major downpour just get the uber or lyft its safer and infinitely more comfortable and you wont regret the extra money spent for that peace of mind and not getting soaked or slipping on ice.
Basically its all about balancing your stress levels with your budget and how much stuff you are carrying and ive learned that sometimes paying a bit more upfront saves you a ton of headache later and that’s priceless when you are trying to catch a flight and its already a whole thing with security and finding your gate and everything else you have to deal with, its just nice to start the airport process without being completely annoyed already, you know what I mean, its literally the start of your trip so why let getting to the airport ruin it before it even begins.