Camping in the Concourse

Although I tend to get teased by our friends about my love for luxury travel, for the most part, our strategy with travel is quite simple: it is all about efficiency and the most cost-effective solution (whether that is dollars or points) with the occasional luxury experience thrown into the mix. As much as I love Centurion Lounges and Park Hyatts, I am totally flexible and fine with flying red eyes in economy and sleeping in airports. Sure, it may not be the most comfortable, but it is worth it in some cases, and they are experiences we can look back on and remember. The memory of attempting to sleep in a small lounge in Lima is still fresh in our minds and the sound of shaking drinks still makes us laugh to this day. I wrote a little about that experience from this past summer here.

I would think that for most travelers sleeping in an airport is an inconvenience or last resort option. For us, it is one of the best options. Not only is it free, but it saves us time transiting out of the airport to a hotel for the night and the time getting back to the airport and through security early the next morning.

This time around it was an overnight at Chicago-Midway. The flights were split allowing us to work a full day, arrive at Midway at 9:00 p.m. and leave the next morning at 5:50 a.m. By doing so, it allowed us to make best use of our time by arriving in NYC mid-morning rather than mid-afternoon.

We fly through Midway frequently, and as much as landing and taking off scares me at this particular airport, we like it. It is small with only three Concourses, but Concourse C in particular is usually very quiet even during business hours. It has three gates, a mothers' room, a USO lounge, and a yoga room. Upon landing last Thursday night, we headed straight for Concourse C for our campout, complete with a Christmas tree!

The concourse was empty, and the next flights out were at 8:30 a.m.

The bathrooms are down a small hallway in the very corner of the concourse. They had already been cleaned and were very nice with granite counter tops.

By the time we were ready for bed, it was probably only 10 p.m., so we sat around and read for a bit. We asked one of the janitorial staff if there were cots in the airport, and he directed us to Concourse A4. So, we gathered up our things and walked the nearly empty hallways over to A4B.

They seriously turn one of the terminals into a sleeping area at night, complete with cots, pillows, and blankets! Not only that, but there was a security guard watching us all night.

We grabbed two cots near a charging station and laid out our sleeping bags. It definitely was not the most restful night of sleep, but we managed to sleep for a couple of hours and would gladly camp here again.

We awoke around 4:50 a.m., packed up, watched the planes de-ice, walked over to our gate in Concourse B, and enjoyed breakfast on the plane.  

Frugal Travel Tip: Bring instant oatmeal packets and ask for hot water as your beverage of choice to make an inexpensive breakfast!

Tips for Camping in Concourses:

1. Carry-on luggage to make it more convenient. 

2. Consult this website for recommendations from other airport campers.

3. Bring an eye mask and ear plugs.

4. Seriously try it sometime. We can guarantee that it will be an adventure to remember.