Sleeping In Airports - Advice For The Uninitiated

Welcome to Europe, where a flight is sometimes cheaper than a bus ride. Seriously. It was cheaper for me to fly from Stansted Airport near London to Jerez, Spain, than to take the bus, within the United Kingdom, from Bournemouth to London. With Ryanair, my round-trip flight to Spain came to a grand total of 28.67 (approximately $50).

However, many of these cheap flights come with a catch. Lets use Stansted as an example.

If youre traveling on a limited budget and dont actually live in London, the cheapest bus rides to get to Stansted usually have a nocturnal schedule, and the cheapest flights leave in the morning. Or your incoming flight to Stansted from another country or European city lands at 10 p.m., and your connecting flight leaves at 7 a.m. the next day.

Therein lies the catch: Cheap travel sometimes leaves you stranded. And chances are that if youre flying budget airlines, youre not too eager to throw away vacation money on a few hours in a hotel bed. Plus, sometimes the hotel selection is slim. For example, Stansted is 34 miles from the city.

The happy camper alternative is perfectly valid, however -- even if youre not a professional globetrotter and youre a light sleeper to boot. The good news about spending the night at an airport like Stansted is that, although it may be ranked as a highly used airport (Stansted is the fourth busiest in the UK), you can actually doze off for a few hours -- and then catch up on the airplane.

Some useful information for the uninitiated:

Safety. The airport information line will tell you all you need to know. When I called Stansted (44(0) 870 0000 303), I was told that security patrols the airport regularly. Its true.

Also, if numbers are a comfort to you, you wont be the only one spending the night at any given European airport. At Stansted, the cushioned airport waiting seats are the first to be filled and then the pajama party spills out onto the floor. I watched two nuns curl up on a bench, a family of five put their children to bed, and a group of teenagers pull out their sleeping bags.

If you are traveling alone and dont want to lose winks over your suitcases, you can look for a luggage check-in. At Stansted, the Left Luggage facilities can be found opposite check-in at row A. You will be charged 4 (roughly $7) per suitcase up to 6 hours or 4.50 ($7.90) from 6 to 24 hours.

Airport environment. You can count cleanliness in most European airport terminals. Stansted, our example, has only one terminal, which is clean, up-to-date and spacious, with designated smoking areas and easy-to-find toilet facilities. The padded waiting area seats are comfortable, and the floor is relatively clean. The bus and train terminals clearly indicated and within 5-minutes walking distance. Some convenience shops and cafs stay open all night. The rest open around 4 a.m.

Tips

• Try not to arrive too late. All the best sleeping spots will be taken. If youre traveling with family or a friend, claim your territory first, and then tend to everything else, like finding the toilets or eating.
• Avoid sleeping near ticket counters, especially the ones with early flights, and closed shops. You may be asked to move at 4 a.m.
• Bring along a small blanket. If you cant get a coveted row of seats to lie on, the floor is cold and hard. Some people bring mats, blow-up mattresses or sleeping bags. You can cover up with a coat or other clothes.
• Rely on earplugs, blinders and an alarm clock! Airports quiet down when the shops close for the night, but you may have to deal with wailing babies and floor waxing machines and, on the visual side, some distracting lights. At 4 a.m., shop attendants raise noisy shutters and airline employees arrive.

When its time to rise and shine, treat yourself to a large cappuccino at one of the coffeeshops. As you savor it, youll be smiling and thinking that overnight airport camping isnt so bad after all!

For more opinions about sleeping at Stansted and other airports, check out the website: Sleeping In Airports

• Author Profile: Elizabeth Clark Wickham

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