Taxi from Muiden to Schiphol. From €50.

Your holiday doesn't start at Schiphol, it starts at home.

An alarm goes off while it's still dark outside. The suitcases are already packed. The kids might still need to wake up, or perhaps you're barely rested yourself. At that moment, there's really only one thing you want: to arrive at Schiphol without any hassle.

Muiden has no train station of its own. For many travellers, the holiday therefore doesn't start relaxed, but with rushing: first to the bus stop, then waiting for the train, changing with suitcases, hoping everything runs on time. And if there's a disruption, strike or engineering works, a relaxed departure can suddenly turn into stress.

The car seems like an alternative, until you see the parking costs. What's more, your car then sits unused in a car park for days or weeks while you're on holiday.

A taxi takes all those worries away. The driver arrives at your door at the agreed time, helps with the luggage, and drops you off at the correct departure hall. No searching for a parking space, no changing transport, no crowded trains, and no getting soaked if it rains.

Travelling as a couple or with the family? A taxi often turns out to be less expensive than many people initially think, especially once you factor in the cost of bus, train or parking. And for early morning flights or late-evening arrivals, a taxi is often simply the most relaxed choice.

Let's be honest: the trip to Schiphol isn't the highlight of your holiday. But it does set the tone for how your holiday begins. And that first impression might as well be comfortable.

Muiden, a historic fortress town at the mouth of the Vecht.

Muiden takes its name from "Amuda," meaning mouth of the Aa, the old name for the river Vecht, and was first mentioned in 953, when Emperor Otto I granted the settlement to the Chapter of Utrecht Cathedral. It received town rights in 1122, the same year as Utrecht. In 1281, Count Floris V took control of Muiden, and in 1296 he granted the town its rights again; that same year he was murdered near neighbouring Muiderberg.

The medieval Muiderslot castle, still in excellent condition today, is inseparably linked to the Muiderkring: the literary circle around magistrate P.C. Hooft that met here in the seventeenth century. The Groote Zeesluis lock, built in 1674, controlled shipping traffic between the Zuiderzee and the Vecht for centuries. As part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, Muiden was reinforced with the fort island of Pampus, positioned as an outpost in the IJmeer.

With over 5,000 residents, the fortress town is today a distinctive centre within the municipality of Gooise Meren. Muiden has no train station of its own, which often means public transport to the airport involves bus connections and transfers. A taxi from Muiden to Schiphol solves that: no timetable, no hauling suitcases around, just door to departure hall.