Gatwick is a large airport with two separate terminals, and a handful of practical details make a real difference if you're travelling in from Kent rather than somewhere closer to the airport itself.
North vs. South Terminal
Gatwick has two terminals, North and South, linked by a shuttle train that runs every few minutes and takes about five minutes to cross between them. Knowing which terminal your airline uses before you travel means your driver — whether that's a pre-booked taxi or someone dropping you off — goes straight to the right one, rather than needing to backtrack or use the inter-terminal shuttle with luggage in tow.
The Drop-Off Charge
As of January 2026, Gatwick charges £10 for a 10-minute stay at the terminal forecourt if you're being dropped off, with additional charges for longer stays up to a 30-minute maximum. Blue Badge holders are exempt. If you'd rather avoid the charge entirely, dropping off at the long-stay car parks is free, with a free shuttle bus into the terminal — worth factoring in if someone's driving you and would rather not pay the forecourt fee.
Onward Connections
Gatwick connects directly to more than 120 train stations, and plenty of local bus routes serve the airport around the clock — genuinely good public transport links if your journey starts or ends somewhere well-served by rail. The catch for Kent travellers specifically is that very few of those connections are direct from towns like Maidstone; nearly every rail journey from this side of Kent involves at least one change, which is exactly where a direct road transfer tends to save real time.
Planning Your Journey From Kent
From the Maidstone area, Gatwick is a genuine cross-county trip — around 42 miles and 45 to 60 minutes via the M20 and M23, not a quick local run. Weekday mornings before 7am tend to clear the M25 fastest; the 4-7pm window is typically the slowest. Building in a bit of extra time, especially for an early flight where missing it isn't an option, is worth doing regardless of how you're travelling.