A little Know How about Sleeping in Airports, if you must…
Written By Jennifer Zivic
George Clooney never had to do it in "Up in the Air". But then again that's the movies… Down here, If you travel enough the law of probability will likely catch up with you and may put you in a situation where you must sleep in an airport…literally. I mean not in a hotel next to the airport, or a cat nap between connections or even a bad hotel in that city. I mean actually sleeping in the airport for lack of other options due to weather, strike, overbookings, cost of accommodation, lack of visa or some other unfortunate chain of events.
If or when this happens to you, I have learned three things I would like to share that can help make this situation better and if nothing else give you a chuckle at the situation. The ideal situation first. When getting stranded in Delhi airport after coming off of Everest Base Camp without a shower for 16 days and only eating rice, beans and porridge more or less, I was dumbstruck to be told by the nice man from Air France that I had missed the connection and would not be able to depart for home until well over 24 hours from then on a plane that left at 3:00 the next afternoon. "Ok I can handle this, suck it up." I say to myself. That lasted 5 minutes until I realized that due to the lack of an Indian Visa because this was not a planned layover I was not able to leave this obnoxiously bright orange yet new foreign terminal. The color alone made you feel like you were in a 70's flashback and should be a fan of kaleidoscopes or psychedelics. After shopping the terminal's massive international bookstore, duty free shops and my favorite boutiques like Mango I ate my way through the early evening.
Time to scope out for a "comfy" place to set up camp for the evening. One last scour of the bustling terminal and there it is a beacon, an oasis, a mirage maybe. The sign reads "My Snooze" above the row of white pristine pod-like structures. Walking up to the desk I think this cannot be real but please be real. The woman at the desk gives me the details; 8 dollars an hour, each of the 10 pods is set up with a bed/couch, flat screen TV, DVD player, desk, chair, blinds and a wake up call if you like. "Wow! Sign me up! I'll make a reservation from 10pm to 6am." I chirp excitedly. The tour of the "pod" confirms this might be the greatest idea ever – clean, cleverly furnished, just the right size and even some abstract art hangs on the wall. Plus it's a better deal than any hotel out there which would require transport, extra time etc. even if you did have the proper Visa in hand.
The uncovering of idea number 2 unfolded in Washington/Dulles Airport. Walking off the jetway at 12:30 am I knew there was no longer going to be any more flights back to New York until morning. Dragging my feet and tired body after giving a quite intense presentation to a client that day, I feel like a week has passed since leaving the Dallas hotel room that morning. The expression on my face must have read like I felt. An older gentleman, a security personnel I realize as he gets closer, waves for my attention. I look around "Does he mean me?" Well, not many others here so I guess so. We have a quick chat about exiting the terminal and going back through security in the morning – no one can stay in the actual terminal for security reasons. I ask him where if anywhere there is to get a snack and make myself comfortable as all the hotels in the area are booked due to some political convention that week. Looks to be a vending machine in sight but the man decides to share a secret with me since I am a female traveling alone. Apparently there is a chapel in every major international airport around the globe. Not many know about this. And in this airport it is also located next to the police "station". This is his golden nugget of information gained from many years at his job. Figuring I have nothing to lose I pick up my bag of Sun Chips in the vending machine and head towards the entrance hall with said chapel, still feeling a bit skeptical yet oddly curious.
The small room is dimly lit and actually has about 10 pews lined up like it is a mini church. Bibles on each pew (hmmmm…pillow?) and they are filled with stranded travelers – 1 pew left, I grab it. This is a wonderful place I conclude; quiet, peaceful, safe, comfortable relatively speaking i.e. no annoying armrests in between seats, warm and free. Four hours sleep and a wake up call from my phone at 5 for a 6:15 flight – not so bad. Had I gone to a hotel I would not have gotten there until much later and would have had to leave much earlier getting only about 2 hours sleep. I'm thinking I was watched over in more ways than one and I netted out with 2 extra hours of sleep, 100 bucks left off my credit card and only one question! "How did the other 9 people find this place?"
And finally I commend American Airlines for their tremendous efforts. Landing in Chicago O' Hare airport in the winter is basically a gamble. Will you be stuck or will the weather Gods get you where you need to go without a whiteout derailing the travel plans. When finally a gate emptied and we were allowed to deplane it was the sweet yet burden laden stewardess that had the pleasure of informing me and the other 192 passengers that we were not going to get a flight out that night to anywhere or a cab to any of the local establishments surrounding the Midwestern hub. However, in her most glass is half full upbeat tone she informed us we had one option available if we hurry. "Go to Gate K2. American is setting up a number of cots for their stranded travelers." "OK, where else do I have to go?" I mumble as I hobble my twisted plane seat shaped body towards the K wing.
Low and behold, she was right. The employees are rolling over crates of fold away cots and unloading them into a large cleared out area. It is starting to look like a bit of a homeless shelter but ah I have never been happier to sleep in rows with strangers, barrack style. After tying my bag to the leg of my cot, accepting my "overnight kit" from American which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, socks and an eye mask, and watching an elderly woman get folded into her cot when her weight was not enough to hold it flat, the lights went out and I actually dozed as security guards trolled the aisles. A nice touch in my mind. The experience topped off with a whistle style wake up "call" at 5:00 am when the troops had to get the cots back into the wooden crates and roll them back to storage so the regular bustle of the airport and in particular K terminal activity could resume.
So, if you must sleep in an airport keep alert for one of these three obscure shut eye options to ease the pain and worry of being stranded.
Happy Trails from The Adventure Travel Gal!
http://www.adventuretravelgal.com
Written By Jennifer Zivic
George Clooney never had to do it in "Up in the Air". But then again that's the movies… Down here, If you travel enough the law of probability will likely catch up with you and may put you in a situation where you must sleep in an airport…literally. I mean not in a hotel next to the airport, or a cat nap between connections or even a bad hotel in that city. I mean actually sleeping in the airport for lack of other options due to weather, strike, overbookings, cost of accommodation, lack of visa or some other unfortunate chain of events.
If or when this happens to you, I have learned three things I would like to share that can help make this situation better and if nothing else give you a chuckle at the situation. The ideal situation first. When getting stranded in Delhi airport after coming off of Everest Base Camp without a shower for 16 days and only eating rice, beans and porridge more or less, I was dumbstruck to be told by the nice man from Air France that I had missed the connection and would not be able to depart for home until well over 24 hours from then on a plane that left at 3:00 the next afternoon. "Ok I can handle this, suck it up." I say to myself. That lasted 5 minutes until I realized that due to the lack of an Indian Visa because this was not a planned layover I was not able to leave this obnoxiously bright orange yet new foreign terminal. The color alone made you feel like you were in a 70's flashback and should be a fan of kaleidoscopes or psychedelics. After shopping the terminal's massive international bookstore, duty free shops and my favorite boutiques like Mango I ate my way through the early evening.
Time to scope out for a "comfy" place to set up camp for the evening. One last scour of the bustling terminal and there it is a beacon, an oasis, a mirage maybe. The sign reads "My Snooze" above the row of white pristine pod-like structures. Walking up to the desk I think this cannot be real but please be real. The woman at the desk gives me the details; 8 dollars an hour, each of the 10 pods is set up with a bed/couch, flat screen TV, DVD player, desk, chair, blinds and a wake up call if you like. "Wow! Sign me up! I'll make a reservation from 10pm to 6am." I chirp excitedly. The tour of the "pod" confirms this might be the greatest idea ever – clean, cleverly furnished, just the right size and even some abstract art hangs on the wall. Plus it's a better deal than any hotel out there which would require transport, extra time etc. even if you did have the proper Visa in hand.
The uncovering of idea number 2 unfolded in Washington/Dulles Airport. Walking off the jetway at 12:30 am I knew there was no longer going to be any more flights back to New York until morning. Dragging my feet and tired body after giving a quite intense presentation to a client that day, I feel like a week has passed since leaving the Dallas hotel room that morning. The expression on my face must have read like I felt. An older gentleman, a security personnel I realize as he gets closer, waves for my attention. I look around "Does he mean me?" Well, not many others here so I guess so. We have a quick chat about exiting the terminal and going back through security in the morning – no one can stay in the actual terminal for security reasons. I ask him where if anywhere there is to get a snack and make myself comfortable as all the hotels in the area are booked due to some political convention that week. Looks to be a vending machine in sight but the man decides to share a secret with me since I am a female traveling alone. Apparently there is a chapel in every major international airport around the globe. Not many know about this. And in this airport it is also located next to the police "station". This is his golden nugget of information gained from many years at his job. Figuring I have nothing to lose I pick up my bag of Sun Chips in the vending machine and head towards the entrance hall with said chapel, still feeling a bit skeptical yet oddly curious.
The small room is dimly lit and actually has about 10 pews lined up like it is a mini church. Bibles on each pew (hmmmm…pillow?) and they are filled with stranded travelers – 1 pew left, I grab it. This is a wonderful place I conclude; quiet, peaceful, safe, comfortable relatively speaking i.e. no annoying armrests in between seats, warm and free. Four hours sleep and a wake up call from my phone at 5 for a 6:15 flight – not so bad. Had I gone to a hotel I would not have gotten there until much later and would have had to leave much earlier getting only about 2 hours sleep. I'm thinking I was watched over in more ways than one and I netted out with 2 extra hours of sleep, 100 bucks left off my credit card and only one question! "How did the other 9 people find this place?"
And finally I commend American Airlines for their tremendous efforts. Landing in Chicago O' Hare airport in the winter is basically a gamble. Will you be stuck or will the weather Gods get you where you need to go without a whiteout derailing the travel plans. When finally a gate emptied and we were allowed to deplane it was the sweet yet burden laden stewardess that had the pleasure of informing me and the other 192 passengers that we were not going to get a flight out that night to anywhere or a cab to any of the local establishments surrounding the Midwestern hub. However, in her most glass is half full upbeat tone she informed us we had one option available if we hurry. "Go to Gate K2. American is setting up a number of cots for their stranded travelers." "OK, where else do I have to go?" I mumble as I hobble my twisted plane seat shaped body towards the K wing.
Low and behold, she was right. The employees are rolling over crates of fold away cots and unloading them into a large cleared out area. It is starting to look like a bit of a homeless shelter but ah I have never been happier to sleep in rows with strangers, barrack style. After tying my bag to the leg of my cot, accepting my "overnight kit" from American which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, socks and an eye mask, and watching an elderly woman get folded into her cot when her weight was not enough to hold it flat, the lights went out and I actually dozed as security guards trolled the aisles. A nice touch in my mind. The experience topped off with a whistle style wake up "call" at 5:00 am when the troops had to get the cots back into the wooden crates and roll them back to storage so the regular bustle of the airport and in particular K terminal activity could resume.
So, if you must sleep in an airport keep alert for one of these three obscure shut eye options to ease the pain and worry of being stranded.
- My Snooze sleep pods, hopefully coming soon to an airport near you.
- The airport Chapel or Prayer Room in most major international airports.
- An airline coordinated sleep area in cities where this can be a common occurence.
Happy Trails from The Adventure Travel Gal!
http://www.adventuretravelgal.com
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