Mileage Run Deals - Sleeping in SAN

Thought I'd post this here since there is not much action on the Lindbergh International Airport board and I'll be doing a MR with a 5 hour Saturday overnight in Terminal 2. According to sleepinginairports.com there is an all night coffee shop outside security in Terminal 1 which doesn't sound like a bad place to catch some zzz's. Can anyone confirm this? Wouldn't want to be stuck outside security.

Any other insights into sleeping at SAN?

You better hold onto your wallet. The coyotes heard the illegals onto late flights through there. There's a park across the street from the airport that is bayside that might be a nice place to hang

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According to sleepinginairports.com there is an all night coffee shop outside security in Terminal 1 which doesn't sound like a bad place to catch some zzz's. Can anyone confirm this? Wouldn't want to be stuck outside security.

Any other insights into sleeping at SAN?</font>

For me at least, an all night coffee shop would not be a good place at all to catch a few zzz's. It's bright and noisy, being a magnet for all the late night employees and those travelers who, for whatever reason, can't sleep.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by not wanting to be stuck outside of security. From my recent experience, most U.S. airports don't allow passengers overnighting to stay on the secure side.

It's worth trying to get some sleep, even if it's only three or four hours. Finding a good place to sleep in an airport is mostly a matter of common sense. Look for a place that's quiet and not too bright. Stay away from places where people will be walking right past you in the early morning hours.

If you know in advance that you're going to be sleeping over in an airport and you're not squeamish about sleeping on the floor, here's a couple of pointers:

* Bring a sleeping bag or blanket along. Some airports can be pretty chilly at night.

* Bring a Thermarest (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/thermarest/standard_series.asp?Action=Standard) type pad along. They sure take the edge off a hard floor, particularly a non-carpeted floor.

* Bring an eye mask along. Sometimes you can't always find a darker place. You can buy these at most any department store.

* Try and bring a pillow along. I have an older backpack that's now relegated to air travel duty and has plenty of room for a full sized pillow. If you can't do this, try and bring something soft along to use as a pillow. It can make a huge difference.

* Bring an alarm clock if you have to get up early. Most people aren't used to sleeping only three or four hours and it's very easy to oversleep, even in an airport.

* Finally, if you are going the floor route, it doesn't hurt to check with the airport police that the area you've chosen to crash in is cool with them. I tend to look for remote areas away from everyone else, so occasionally that in itself may draw attention to me from the authorities. Nine times out of ten they have no problem with it, but the main reason for checking with them is that they now know about you and are less likely to wake you up at 3:00am asking if you're truly a passenger.

Finally, I travel with a backpack so I can take these things along without a problem. If you're a roll-on bag type of traveler, well, do the best you can. Good luck!


[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited Jan 16, 2004).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by CVGHostage:
Any other insights into sleeping at SAN?</font>

There is no coffee shop outside security at the airport in Terminal 1; there are food courts, but no restaurants with table service. Moreover, since SAN has no late night/very early morning flights (due to noise ordinances) I would be flabbergasted if any of the restaurants inside security are open 24 hours (since there is no night activity after 11 pm or so).

Assuming for a moment that you want to stay on the airport grounds and will clear it with security before doing so, I've got two recommendations. The first is on the outside of security in an older wing of Terminal 2 (if you look at the map shown here (http://www.san.org/maps/images/maps_t2.gif), it's the small building in the lower right corner where the USO is). That part of the airport used to be for Terminal 2 baggage claim, and there's not many people that would have a reason to be in that area now. So in terms of quiet, low traffic places at the airport, that would be one specific suggestion. Alternatively, if you want to remain on the inside of security, I'd try to find a nook on the far right of the airport, somewhere near where the map shows gates 20, 21, and 22. That is just inside the security gates for the AA wing, and I would think that would make a nice combination of "easy to spot by security" and "easy to tell when the airport is starting to come alive in the morning".

Good luck.

The best resource for information on sleeping in airports is www.sleepingingairports.net (http://www.sleepingingairports.net)

People post their experiences of sleeping in airports, and you can usually get good ideas of where to go in the terminal.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MeLike2Travel:
[B]The best resource for information on sleeping in airports is www.sleepingingairports.net (http://www.sleepingingairports.net)
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This site is pretty cool! Having spent the night at AMS, BCN, and LHR, it's interesting to read about others' experience... The correct link, though, is http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

I suppose this is one way to proceed :
"After searching Amsterdam for accommodation for about 4 hours, we had no choice but to head back to Schipol for the night. Since it was such a warm night, myself and my mate sat ourselves down on the benches outside as we proceeded to smoke reefer after reefer of the finest skunk that had ever graced our lungs. With the big cinema screen opposite us and an outdoor stereo playing the craziest Dutch tunes you could imagine, it was one funny experience that I'll never forget. At about 6am we headed indoors and I planked myself down across the most uncomfortable plastic chairs I had ever rested on. Less than an hour later, I was dazzled (not to mention still stoned) to find 2 huge security guards abruptly shaking me roaring "WAKE UP, WAKE UP, THIS IS NOT A BED!!!" and a dirty German Alsation sniffing at my head."