How to Sleep at the Airport

It’s a very unhappy experience indeed when you find your flight has been delayed for hours on end or worse, cancelled altogether.  

Perhaps even you are on time, yet you have a long layover before your next flight out. While there are times you can be put up in a nearby hotel by the airlines, there are also times where you find you are needing to sleep at the airport.

That can be quite an uncomfortable experience.  Here are some tips on how to sleep at the airport rather than tossing and turning all night long.

ArchGroup from Moscow is in the process of building some passenger suites which are to be set up in international airports as a means for passengers to get some shut-eye. They are self-contained units with bunks, electric, Wi-Fi and air. It’s a nice temporary home for the traveller.

Carry your own blanket and pillow for those short over-nighters. There are small blankets and pillows you can fit in backpacks for easy transport.

A pool mattress or travel pad is compact and easily inflatable if you end up in the airport.  Pack along some shades, snacks, and reading material too to help you sleep.    

When trying to find out where to sleep at the airport, check with the security guards, they should know the safest places.  Also, if alone, try sleeping near other travellers.  Remember to keep your wits about you.

Are you travelling through one of the busier airports?  When you know you need to spend the night, arrive early if possible. When discussing how to sleep at the airport you will definitely want a good spot to lie down – and that certainly doesn’t mean in one of those uncomfortable chairs!

Make sure you have some snacks to eat if you’re there at the airport after all the cafés have closed. If you do this all the time, don’t look like it. Look like it’s the first time and show how unhappy you are.  When it comes time to showering, maybe you could use an on-site shower (if you’re lucky) or do a sponge bath in the sink in the bathroom.