It’s not something that most people would look forward to but sometimes you just don’t have a choice.  Maybe your flight was delayed, you don’t have a visa for the transited airport or your connection is in the middle of the night.  If you arrive after 10pm and your flight out is early in the morning, it may not be worth it.

• Go through customs
• Find a hotel you can afford
• Pay for transport (shuttles may not run at night)
• Get checked in
• Attempt to get a few hours sleep
• Check out and pay your bill
• Get transport back to airport
• Check in and go through security
• Get back to your gate

The one thing you can count on is that this option won’t be comfortable.  The best you can hope for is to at least be safe and secure and maybe catch a few winks.  The website Sleeping in Airports has a list of the top 12 airports that meet their criteria for being the best airports to spend a night in.

Comfort: Seats (and lots of them) without armrests and non-metallic.
Conveniences: FREE WiFi, 24-hour food, showers, and activities to do in transit.
Cleanliness: Bathrooms that don’t make us want to gag when we enter and clean floors for those of us who have to sit on the floor due to limited seating.
Customer Service: A smile and friendly attitudes go a long way. We thank the kind airport workers who give us blankets and pillows when we’re stranded and share their tips about the best sleeping spots.

.

Over the years, I have personally slept in Singapore Changi Airport, the old Bangkok Airport, Dubai Airport, Papeete Airport (not waiting for a flight, it was just too expensive to get a taxi and a hotel for a few hours), Auckland and more recently Santarem, Brazil.  Eco-travelers are likely to find themselves in this situation as we travel long distances to far-off exotic lands and we have to be flexible when using miles to get an award flight.

Like I said, it’s not the best solution in the world but in a pinch you sometimes have to make the best of it.  The better airports will have seats that aren’t divided so you can stretch out across them.  I try to push a bank of seats against the wall, use my backpack for a pillow and use a sarong to cover up.

.

If you aren’t lucky, the seats will be divided so you can’t stretch out.  In this case, you’re stuck with the floor.  Once again, put your backpack against the wall, use it as a pillow and try to cover up as much as possible with a sarong.

.

One small consolation is that you probably won’t be alone!

.

In the morning, you will probably be woken up early by the cleaning crew.  If you are lucky, there will be free public showers in the bathrooms.  If you aren’t lucky, you can do your best trying to wash up in the sink. Sleeping in an airport won’t be a pleasant experience but if you do get stuck, make the best of it and focus on the trip ahead.  Maybe even treat yourself to a massage at the destination!