Catching zzz’s at the airport
Published: July 25, 2008
Some Web sites are great to visit because they impart a wealth of information. Others are just plain fun. While I found www.sleepinginairports.com to be less of the former and more of the latter, there may be something there that adds comfort to your next flight that doesn’t go quite as planned. And these days, which ones ever do?
I found this Web site by way of an article in the July 15 edition of the International Herald Tribune, titled Snoozing at the airport terminal, in a tent. Seems that nowadays it’s not only budget traveler types booked on an early flight out who are scrambling to claim that prime floor space.
If you’re stranded in a European airport, consider yourself lucky to find yourself in Amsterdam or Helsinki, whereas the stars were definitely not shining on you if you ended up in the transit lounge of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-II or either of Rome’s major airports, Ciampino or Fuimicino.
This Web site offers interesting tidbits to not only overnighters but also those just passing through the airport — for example, there’s free Internet in Athens, and a kids’ play area in Copenhagen. Do be aware though that some travelers’ comments date back some time, and what was valid back in 2002 may well not apply to the present day.
My last “camp over” at an airport took place in Split, Croatia. With a 6 a.m. departure, I wasn’t about to spend more than 100 euros for just a few hours in a hotel in the nearby town of Trogir. Split’s airport offered free access to an upper, carpeted floor in front of what appeared to be airport officials’ offices, and foot traffic was light — optimal conditions for a wee bit of shut-eye.
If you think you might ever have the need to crash out at an airport, what are the essentials to have on hand? I’d personally like a fleece jacket to serve as blanket or pillow, a bottle of water for drinking and tooth-brushing, a thick book, plenty of snacks, a small pack to strap on my person to deter theft, and a mobile phone to serve as my alarm clock. Frequent Space-A travelers undoubtedly display even more savvy than I do in this regard. What do you keep close at hand when a delay is all but inevitable?
