When You have no place to go... - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Canadian Dude** · 06-29-2003, 08:02 AM

In a last ditch effort to find a warm dry place to stay, after exhausting all other avenues, you could prob sleep in a train stn or a airport, use the lockers ( if you can find on these days) to store your gear and find a couple seats to take up, it will most likley be the most uncomfortable sleep you will ever have but hey, your desperate right? If you have to keep you pck with you, tie your shoe string around the a ringlet on the pack and tie the other end to your wrist, try to keep the string hidden so no one can cut it.

If the security show up, tell them your going to try and get a stand by flight in the morning, or an early train. That should keep them at bay.

I ONLY recommend doing this if you feel safe doing it, and ONLY if you have no where else to go. I have slept in 2 airports in my travels and it worked out fine, I actually met other packers there aswell, and I have done the complete oposite, i slept in a ditch one night o nthe side of a road in the middle of no mans land Cuba, I can tell ya, the airport would be much better. B) B)

**travelpunk** · 06-29-2003, 01:43 PM

Dude, you´re like the "Rambo" of backpacking! Awesome tip about the shoe string thingy(yeah, make sure it´s hidden so someone can´t just cut it off while you´re sleeping!)

.

After 2 hours of walking around the vicinity of the Barcelona bus station looking for a nearby hostel vacancy, I tried sleeping at the bus station in Barcelona because I had a 8AM ride to Alicante the next day. The bus station closed at 1 or 2 AM (forget which one)and the ONLY vacancy was the hotel across the street at a rate of $105 per night. Had to pull the trigger- no choice

! It was my most expensive hotel in the month that I backpacked (first time around) and I was only able to enjoy it for 5 measly hours

Bus stations do close, but airports don´t (Train stations too?).

Glacier · 07-07-2003, 12:46 AM

I've come across a quite useful site on the topic of sleeping in airports:

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/airports.htm

The site discusses and rates airports from all around the world. It's really quite interesting to read other people's experiences and which airports are good and those that aren't.

I never thought about this option. But I'll be considering it on my next trip.

**travelpunk** · 07-07-2003, 02:16 AM

Thanks, Glacier! This is definitely something that every backpacker going on the super-cheap should peruse through. Included are experiences from other travelers that slept in airports to give you a better feel of what to expect.

It´s always nice to know all of your options. :P

**llemus7** · 07-07-2003, 08:05 AM

When I went to greece, I slept outside the airport waiting for the busses to start running. It was really scary. there were a couple of locals just hanging aroung the airport. My friends and I figured that they were just waiting for us to fall asleep. We were really tired. So what we did. We all carry a swiss army knive. Two of usl fell asleep, and one stayed guard. We all had our swiss army knives handy just incase we needed them. It all went well, and those were the best 3 hours of sleep I had in a while.

**travelpunk** · 07-08-2003, 03:00 AM

Now thats guerilla style! Smart and safe way to play it , bro B)

**crionnacht** · 07-08-2003, 08:05 PM

went to my city's airport link. Nice to know it was so hospitable.

*beams with pride*

crion

**Canadian Dude** · 07-08-2003, 09:20 PM

I slept in Vancouver Airport, it was not that bad, now that i think about it, its one of the bests sleeps i have ever had!!! Thats pretty pathetic huh....

**travelpunk** · 07-09-2003, 03:31 AM

There´s something peaceful about chillin at airports. Everyone seems to be in their own heads and minding their own business and there seems to be a lot of security(maybe except for the baggage claim areas). It makes sense they would offer reasonable shelter for the night, but they´re just always far from everything.

PhilBill · 08-06-2003, 01:50 PM

An old friend of mine told me he seldom paid for accomodation while he traveled Europe. Either he'd get invited to sleep on the couch or floor of someone he met partying in some local bar or pub OR he would go to the top of 3 to 5 star hotels, find the stairway which lead to the roof and sleep on the landing out of sight from hotel staff and guests but with enough space to stretch out. When I heard that the first time I was really surprised somebody was more of a diehard budget traveler than myself and friends.

**Canadian Dude** · 08-07-2003, 06:18 AM

Another good tip on being desperate and finding a place to sleep

please remember boyz and girlz the key question here is:

DO YOU FEEL SAFE?

If you do, then sleep where you want, If you do not, then bite the bullet break out the visa card and stay at a hotel. B)

**travelpunk** · 08-07-2003, 08:20 AM

Now that true guerilla backpacking B) Your friend would be rich if he wrote a book on how he did it