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[starlagurl]

Have you ever slept in an airport?

Which one? Where?

Would you do it again?

[greekcypriot]

I was returning from Sophia with the choir.
The others were coming by coach, but I had to fly back to Athens and get the plane for Bali.
The coach left me at 8am and drove away, while my flight was at 4.30pm.

Nobody had got any sleep the previous night, as the hotel was awful. We had been invited by another choir there, and I was all by myself at the airport, not knowing the language, and not many people could understand English. It was terrible! An awful experience.

I remember putting round my legs the straps of my handbags, and I was Sooo sleepy, I could not have my eyes open. I was afraid to sleep in case somebody stole my belongings.

I never felt so sleppy in an airport before! Not even when returning from really long trips in Asia or China. No, I did not sleep that time.

But on the trip to Beijin, and Bali, I caught my self having a light nap.


http://www.travelpod.com/members/greekcypriot

[starlagurl]

So what airport were you at? The Sophia airport?

[yafnaf]

i slept (if you can call it that) in London Gatwick for 3 days, and Denver for 1 night, and I think that is it, I tried Atlanta once but it was boring and didn't actually feel safe and around 4am I got a hotel. I would do it again, I mean if you are stuck, it really is better than spending all that money on a hotel room. I will tell I was stuck in Gatwick for 4 days total, the first day i did get a hotel because the idea of staying at the airport sucked, but you do get used to it, the best thing to do is just accept it and keep yourself entertained, you can always meet new people too.

[raniroo]

Gatwick! Rolled out the sleeping bag on the floor hooked my backpack through my arm and fell fast asleep! Come to think of it it was a great sleep!

[greekcypriot]

So what airport were you at? The Sophia airport?

Yes Louise I was at Sophia airport.

However I cannot imagine myself sleeping in airports!

Yiafnaf.."I would do it again, I mean if you are stuck, it really is better than spending all that money on a hotel room"

Raniroo "Come to think of it it was a great sleep"

Some people are so lucky to just close their eyes and sleep!
And to be honest, I would have preferred to stay at home and not travel, if I had to sleep in airports to save money. Of course it is another thing if you are stuck in one either because of a strike or something else! But still I would go to an airport hotel to get some sleep, relax and take a bath.

http://www.travelpod.com/members/greekcypriot

[yafnaf]

Some people are so lucky to just close their eyes and sleep!

Well I did not sleep for 3 days, I took little naps maybe an hour at the most, but mostly just ate sandwiches, drank a coke, and sat and smoked with people, stuck up conversation where and when I could, there was a few people stuck at the airport so I was not alone. In all it was not the worst thing that could have happened it was quite an experience.

[flewthecoop]

The Seattle airport. I was in high school; I think it was my sophomore year. My father had a ticket, but my brother and I were on standby and couldn't get on his flight. The next was in the morning. It was before the security checks and anyone could wander in off the street. That meant that we met some strange people looking for a place to get over their bad nights. One gave us a great tip -- the Alaska Airways gate had leather seats that had no armrests. We stretched out on them and got a little sleep. The most wonderful part was that we saw Mt. Rainier at sunrise.

[starlagurl]

Yafnaf: Why were you stuck there?

Flewthecoop: Lucky you to get that good tip!

I slept in the Philadelphia airport once. It was terrible. People were singing and having a great old time cleaning the floors of the airport at 3 a.m. while I was trying to get some sleep. Awesome.

I would probably do it again. But not until I exhausted all other options... I'd probably look around harder for a quieter spot too.

[sianeth]

I've napped! Slept at a bus station in Malaysia, with my head on my backpack - that was quite good.

I think I would sleep at an airport, yeah... maybe after I've tried it once I won't be so keen!

[kathryn77]

I slept at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, waiting for my connecting flight to Rio last December.

There aren't any flights during the night, so it was quite quiet - plus the security lady was directed me to the exceptionally comfy chairs upstairs - overall it was quite a pleasant experience in the end!

[jeremystravels]

I'm going to camp out in Cairo next month. My flight lands at 1am, and I don't want to get a hotel for the night and pay for an expensive taxi, so I am just going to stay in the airport until 6, take a bus to my hotel, drop my bags off, then go site see for the day.

Hopefully i'll get some sleep in the plane from Athens to Cairo, even though it is only like 3 hours... that should be plenty to stay awake until 10pm though. Last three hour flight I had I was asleep before the plane even took off, so I think i'll deal.

[aopaq]

Back in my younger travel days Hurricane Andrew forced me to sleep at the La Paz and Miami airports. Both times I pulled out my sleeping bag and crashed on the floor.

I don't bring a bag anymore but am considering doing this again in BKK in October because of an early flight. We'll see how I feel at the time as to what I ultimately do.

[yafnaf]

Yafnaf: Why were you stuck there?

I flew to europe on a buddy pass in the middle of summer. haha. It worked out, i flew to amsterdam and stayed there for 3 days and finally got a flight out.

[barsie]

Slept in manchester airport overnight whilst waiting for my last minute holiday.

Slept outside Milan train station- really not good with roving gangs of theives outside.

Slept inside Kings Cross overnight- which is an achievement in itself- about an hour after last train goes they kick everyone out of station (homeless problem in area) a very kind manager took pity on us and let us sleep in reception, rather than kick us out into one of most dangerous parts of London.

Slept in Barcelona airport after a 12 hour flight delay- was ok as we had a football from the barcelona club shop in airport

There's actually a few more airports i've slept in but not for more than like 5-6 hours. One thing i've always found- airports are designed not to be good to sleep in, always rock solid floors and steel seating.

[starlagurl]

Kathryn: It's nice to have helpful (quiet) security staff, lucky you.

Barsie: "ROVING GANGS OF THIEVES!" That sounds frightening, tell us more.

Re: airport design
Yes, I have noticed this in lots of places, however you can usually find SOMETHING that's not too bad. I've always been jealous of leaving the Ottawa airport, because they put in brand new coffee shop style comfy couches a few years ago.

[barsie]

Well me a friend both managed to get pick pocketed, we were in same position as a number of people that night due to major sports event there was no hotels and a lot of people got robbed around station. We did not get a lot of sleep that night.

Gangs of kids 10 -13 years old trying to pickpocket anyone around are. Then in full view returning to groups of severely menacing looking men, who we observed were also the local pimps. You knew you'd been robbed and by who and there was not a lot you could do about it unless you wanted to get a knife in you.

[starlagurl]

Wow...those poor kids... I guess they didn't have school in the morning...

[kilgiraffe]

Never had to fully camp out in the airport before, although in some particularly long layovers like coming back from Costa Rica via Miami I just passed out in the departure lounge

May have to do this in NYC next month though, depending on when my plane gets in..

[starlagurl]

Your "first time"?

Did you do it again after that?!