Getting there:

Ryanair fly to Gerona over the border in Spain with flights from Stansted, East Midlands, Liverpool and Bournemouth and elsewhere. This is our destination airport of choice, being small and compact (but growing fast!), and very simple to drive 'from and to'.
Other advantages are (i) it is right alongside the motorway to France (and Barcelona); (ii) car hire is cheaper in Spain than France (see below); (iii) it is an easy 40 minute door to door journey.
Ryanair also fly to Perpignan; Carcassone and Toulouse.

easyJet fly to Barcelona airport from various destinations. Barcelona airport is south of the city, and involves a white knuckle drive along Barcelona's many motorways. Strangely, the signed route never seems to be the one you have driven before - sometimes you are in tunnels, sometimes in the hills. Most odd.

We have found both these airlines provide a reliable service. For best prices, you must book as far ahead as possible, but the downside is that your money committed, and changes of plan become expensive.

BMIBaby and FlyBE fly to Perpignon from Manchester and Southampton, but we have not used these as yet.

Ryanair can be contacted at www.ryanair.com and easyJet at www.easyjet.com

Booking Tip - consider travelling a day or so different to your holiday rental period. Outside the weekends, flight costs can drop dramatically, and easily pay for an extra night somewhere else. We have friends in Ceret (about 20 minutes away) who have a beautiful town house for rental, and are more than happy to have short lets. (Ceret market on Saturday morning is not to be missed). Details of their property can be seen by clicking here.
We have also stayed in a number of small hotels in the area, including Spain. Contact us for advice and recommendations.

The route that you take through France depends largely whether your aim is to get there as soon as possible, or to take a few days for the journey. We tend to use Calais; Rouen; Chartres; Orleans; Limoges; Toulouse; Carcassone; Perpignan. This has a good balance of free motorway, good quality National roads, and super scenery. The alternative autoroute to the south passing near to Clemont Ferrand and Nevers is approaching completion, and now includes the astonishing viaduct over the Lot Valley at Millau.. Well worth a try - the scenery is spectacular.

We always try Holiday Autos ( www.holidayautos.co.uk )for a quote. Their prices are all-inclusive, and mostly are the best value. Having said that, we also try one or two others for price, and have tried a few. No complaints with any of the internet bookings, they have always been ready for us with a decent vehicle.

E-bookers looked to be a good prospect at one time, but have proved very inept at dealing with a mystery charge on the credit card after the car was returned. Eventually this was resolved, but since then, they have become relatively expensive.
Booking direct through the big international companies is rarely cheapest, so try the agencies, as you will still end up with an big company anyway. Somehow, booking with Hertz seems to turn out expensive, even if it seems competitive when you book. It doesn't make you warm to them when you spend half an hour looking for your car in a muddy field, and find it has unreported damage, requiring you to go back to the hire desk to ensure that it is documented.

Sadly the car hire companies are copying the cheap airlines and charging for everything. The latest one that caught us out is insurance cover for different countries - please check when booking, as it can cost several arms & legs on the spot. Also, we are convinced that there are scams going on at the hire companies regarding pre-existing damage. We strongly suggest that you inspect your car and photgraph it existing damage. Do not hesitate to go back and complain when you pick the car up - they back down surprisingly quickly!