Awesome Airport Sleeping Pods

In early 2013, I had to catch a flight from Brisbane to Auckland, but because of the time of the flights, I had a sleep in the airport overnight.

This was a backpacking trip, so I had no cash for hotels or hostels. “How hard can it be to sleep on some chairs?“, I thought.

Very hard, as I found out.

Kids crying, the air conditioning blowing down my neck, never comfortable with the metal bars digging in my side, constantly aware someone might steal my luggage and the final straw was the cleaner, buffing the floor with her fancy machine, right in front of my face at 4am.

Since then I’ve been on the lookout for funky airport sleeping pods, to banish my memory of Brisbane Airport, and feel happy that fellow travellers can get a good nights airport sleep.

Schipol Airport has plenty of loungers, but no pods. Gatwick has the awesome YOTEL, but you have to pay for your little room.

I found out Abu Dhabi Airport, Dubai Airport and Munich Airport starting offering sleeping pods, but I’ve not travelled to Dubai or Abu Dhabi since 2012, and didn’t see any at Munich Airport on my way to Mayrhofen in 2014.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw some cool little sleeping pods at Tallinn Airport at the weekend.

Made by Go Sleep, these are simple oversized seats that recline back into a flat bed, and even fit a 6ft person like me. How cool are they?!

Based on a business class airline seat, these little capsules also safely store your baggage, provide charging facilities, and provide some privacy thanks to a sliding shade, keeping your away from the busy hub of the airport.

You can rent them by the hour, but I would happily pay £20 for 2 hours sleep!

Have you seen them in airports you’ve visited? Have you used an airport sleeping pod!? Let me know in the comments below!