The Airport as Hostel: How to Sleep at London Stansted

The budget airline business in Europe has exploded over the last decade. Gone are the lazy days of riding the rails -- young people and the budget cognoscenti now zip between destinations via Ryanair, easyJet, and Aer Lingus.

But like any vein of budget travel, flying cheap can mean sacrificing creature comforts. In order to get the best deal, travelers often have to travel at designated hours, flying out in the early morning or late at night, or a combination of the two.

Enter the seedy underbelly of airport lodging. Enter London Stansted.

Once a WWII airfield, London Stansted is now a hub for about two dozen budget air carriers and a handful of charter operations. It has also become a de facto hostel. Because the lowest rates are often attached to late night and early morning departures, many budgeteers have taken to bridging their time between flights sleeping at Stansted. While it's no bed of roses, it cuts costs by combining your transportation and accommodation expenses. By taking a few precautions, it might even turn out to be an amusing road tale you later tell while trying to convince friends that you're worldly.

Sleeping

Your first instinct might be to find a bench to sleep on. Forget about it. The benches at London Stansted are partitioned by welded armrests, so unless you're a contortionist, you're in for a long night. When I slept Stansted-style, it was easy to tell the pros from the novices: the uninitiated shifted restlessly in the benches, while the more knowledgeable snoozed away on lightweight sleeping pads. Designed for camping, sleeping pads are ideal for airport overnighters. They're light and compact (generally 14 oz., a half-inch thick) and retail for as low as $22.95. If you plan a string of these overnight layovers, you'll want to invest in one. Search an online camping supply store for the best prices and availability.

Staying Warm