Thread: Sleeping in Airports Survey is Open..

Like I want to go around and sleep in airports to help out with this survey. What? Now travel journalist want you to do their job?

Originally Posted by MRSDS1DONNA

I've never actually slept in an airport.

I don't think I ever actually SLEEP in an airport either. Too much commotion going on, always thinking about your bags and no privacy. Kind of like sleep with one eye open kind of thing. I've opted to try to sleep in the airport to connect on an early flight and maybe having to kill some 8 hours or so. Like in Lima for a flight to Cuzco, and like in Guam for a NRT flight in the morning. Best sleep I've gotten in an airport was in NRT but I paid some 8 bucks per hour or so some 15 PLUS years ago or so in some cubical with bathroom and shower and privacy and bed. I lied down some 4-5 hours all freshen up for a IAH flight. If you have at least over an 8 hour layover, best to do a hotel. But for me to do this on Guam, would have had to leave the secured area, and having to come in again, too much a hassle.

I have slept in many airports, sometimes by default, sometimes planned. When I went to HNL for 3 days, I would list for a flight at night and checkin so I could get through security, then sleep in the Japanese garden. I spent 3 days in HNL for $50 and most of that was food. My last night, when I actually got stuck, I spent $10 to sleep in a grass hut on the beach on the north shore.

I've slept in ATL (many times, only once by choice), AGS (when my credit card was missing so I couldn't do a rental car and it was so late at night, I couldn't get anyone to pick me up), I got my best sleep ever in ATH (I never even realized 2 other people came to sleep beside me, SEA twice, AUH (as a confirmed pax with a long layover), SLC more times than I can count, HNL (once when I was stuck, on the next trip, 2 times to save on hotel costs), DTW, MSP. I know I'm forgetting some, these are just what I can think of off the top of my head. I am more of a budget traveler than a comfort one. I can sleep anywhere, I've always been that way, might as well save some money. I also pack light (I can use one backpack for a weeklong trip) so I use my backpack as a pillow, put myself in a corner where access is limited and hide anything important on my person.

Interestingly enough, I'm going to SIN next week, in part just to visit the airport since I've heard so much about it. I am getting a hotel room there though for the night and I'll do a quick tour of the city, not just visit the airport.

Oh, I forgot about DFW, they have some comfortable areas and youused to be able to stay in the nonrev lounge overnight with cots and all but not anymore. I also had to do LGA (not by choice, got stuck) and that was the first time I'd been somewhere where you couldn't stay on the secure side (at least at a major airport). I also slept a few hours in DCA, I only got about a 3 hour nap before I had to leave but it was also outside security. The police came 5 minutes before my alarm went off because they thought I was homeless. In LGA, one of the thinfs I didn't like was that they openly let the homeless sleep there and one of them had mental issues. Of course, by this time, I only had about 4 hours left in the night, so definitely not worth the hotel.