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You’ve arrived hours before your flight, checked in in no time, and gone through the routine security checks. Or perhaps you just have a long layover in Amsterdam, but not long enough to actually leave the airport. So what do you do? Luckily, Amsterdam Airport is one of the best airports to be in, whether you’re looking to take a nap or stay awake and find something to do.

The airport in Amsterdam has a wide variety of places that will keep your stomach happy, and even a casino (that will hopefully keep your wallet happy).

Cafe Amsterdam offers a glimpse into a typical bar you would find in the city. The atmosphere allows you to just order a pikketanissie, a traditional Dutch drink, and join others at a central reading table. Cafe Amsterdam also offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

If Japanese food is more appealing to your senses, the Shirasagi Sushi Bar has sushi made-to-order. Open from the morning until evening hours, you can dine at the sushi bar or take your food elsewhere, even onto your flight.

The Bubbles Seafood & Wine Bar is not only visually appealing, but it also serves gourmet seafood dishes, both raw and smoked. You can get a taste of traditional Dutch dishes, including raw herring. The extensive wine list provided by the restaurant has varieties that will go with whatever you choose to eat. Not all airports can say they have a casino, but if you’re not hungry and you like to gamble, Bubbles Seafood & Wine Bar in Amsterdam Airport is also a casino. For a strictly gambling experience, Holland Casino is another place to visit in the airport.

No matter what airport your stop over in though, it is always wise to go through the checklist that all travelers find helpful. The checklist that you go over time and time again before you embark on your trip is good to go over once again during your layovers. Good2Go travel checklist covers issues from your safety to documents and visas in order to ensure your trip goes smoothly.

Once you’re done going over your checklist one more time, this airport offers a unique opportunity for travelers who need to spend time there: the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol. Amsterdam Airport is the only airport in the world to have a museum as part of its establishment. Part of the initiative of the national Dutch museums, art exhibits change frequently, and you can find the most current exhibits online. Admission is free and the museum is open everyday from 6am until 8pm.

The airport also has an extensive library, called Holland Boulevard due to its position in a long corridor connecting the airport’s two main terminals for international flights. The library offers over 1,000 books, and is a haven if you’re looking for a place to sit down with your laptop. There are plenty of seats and tables, and the library also offers iPads for use in order to more easily peruse the library’s contents. The books are free to read, and travelers are encouraged to donate unwanted books, keeping the stacks in a state of constant change.

Amsterdam Airport is unique in what it has to offer those who are in transit. From casinos and restaurants, to a museum and a library, you will always find something to do here. And if you’re too tired to do anything, you can find a convenient place to sleep for free.

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Copyright @2012 Best Airports To Sleep In

Sleeping in airports is an art and with some work, experience, and an idea of what to look for you can scope a good place to sleep in any airport around the world, even if it’s not one of the best. Here’s what you can do to get the best place in the airport and make the most of your time so you arrive at your destination refreshed.

1. Start Early! You need to begin looking for a good place to sleep in the airport as soon as you arrive. A crowded flight with many tired passengers with long layovers might be landing right as you walk around strolling the duty-free shops. Do whatever you need to do fast and first then go look for a spot.
2. Get A Corner. You’ll want a wall on at least one side but two is better. This makes you a much more difficult target for pickpockets and other types of opportunistic thieves. It’s also a bit more comfortable and can be warmer than having nothing to lean against.
3. Try To Get Between A Bathroom and A Cafe. Try and find a spot between a place you can grab a bite (or some coffee) and a restroom. You don’t want to be too close to either, especially not the bathrooms, but since these are the two places you’ll frequent most it’ll lessen the time you have to be away from your ideal sleeping spot. The closer you are the less likely someone will get a chance to steal it.
4. Keep The Volume Low. Don’t blast your iPod speakers to drown out the world around you. Aside from making it easier for someone to walk away with your stuff, you’re libel not to hear your cell phone alarm or announcements of gate changes. If you really sleep late you’ll also miss the last minute calls for your name and miss your flight.
5. Stock Up. Places to eat and drink open and close at various times depending the airport you’re stuck in. Stock up on the snacks and drinks you want so you don’t have to keep getting up every time you get the munchies. There’s nothing worse than sleeping in an airport without anything to eat in the middle of the night.

Use the vibrate function on your cell phone and keep it in your pocket. Set it at least an hour and a half before you’re boarding time to give you enough snoozes to feel rested but without missing your flight. You may not think an airport can be a comfortable place but you’d be surprised what flight and travel fatigue can do to you. With some planning you can make any airport into a nice temporary hostel on your way to another destination.

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Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a comfortable place to sleep, even for those travelers who simply can’t stand sleeping in airports. Physically the facility has many great places to sleep, including reclining chairs, adjustable armrests on many seats, and foot rests. The airport does seem to be a place where you’ll find the most interesting people who you might not feel completely comfortable sleeping around. The airport itself is rather well patrolled by security and theft, while an issue at most airports, shouldn’t be a major threat if you decide to take a nap.

The security at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol isn’t the most enthusiastic about people sleeping for too long or throughout the night and you may get woken up to make sure you’ve got a valid ticket and reason to be sleeping in an airport. It’s easy enough to move along though and find a comfortable place to sleep without going through a maze of terminals. The entire airport is designed with a single main terminal where all of the gates, shopping areas, and lounges can be found.

Due to its design, finding a quiet spot to rest can be difficult as there is heavy foot traffic around the clock. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is Europe’s 3rd largest airport servicing approximately 48 million passengers per year. There is a large shopping center in the middle of the airport that has food, mall shops, and duty-free items. Do your best to find a comfortable place to sleep as far away as you can from the shopping center (literally in the center of the airport) and find a nice reclining leather chair with a foot rest. You’ll be more than comfortable if you have to spend more time that you’d like at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

There are plenty of places to grab a cup of coffee or tea as well, but not many open in the late evening hours. It will be a bit of a challenge to find food or drink 24 hours a day but you’ll most likely be spending the late night hours counting sheep anyway. The airport has large luggage lockers that are very inexpensive places to safely store your carry-on and other luggage so you don’t have to worry about it as you sleep. If you have insomnia make sure to check out the Rijksmuseum exhibit of art or the rooftop airport view area, Panoramaterras.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a wonderful place to sleep, if albeit it’s not the quietest.

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Much like its Asian counterpart, Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport is a spacious facility with passenger comfort built into the design. The airport has a number of good places to sleep although you’ll have to look around to find seats without arm rests. The seats are also high up and it’s possible to sleep under them. For all of its comforts however Hong Kong International is a busy airport servicing over 45 million passengers per year. Unless you happen to be there during the late night hours (or early morning depending on your view) between 230am and 5am you’ll find it hard to avoid the commotion of travelers coming and going.

The airport itself has plenty of distractions if you find you’re having difficulty sleeping and is a nice alternative to Hong Kong airport hotels. There are Internet kiosks throughout and free wi-fi as well. The wireless Internet at Hong Kong International is rather shoddy however so don’t count on a great connection everywhere throughout. You’ll have to make your way to the area between terminals, which seem to have the most reliable connections.

The design of the airport itself is simple as there are only two main terminals. Finding your way around is easy so you just need to find a good spot to nap. Try to stay away from the plentiful shops and duty-free stores since they seem to be constantly busy. Several cafes, including a Starbucks, are open late or 24 hours so you can grab a quick pick-me-up cup of coffee before you head to your next flight.

Hong Kong International has won numerous awards including World’s Bes Airport from Skytrax, Conde Nast Traveler, TravelWeekly. The airport also has wonderful lounges and showers available if you want to go to sleep or wake up clean. Food can be found 24 hours a day and the airport is cleaned very regularly throughout the day. You won’t notice the cleaners too much if you want to catch a nap when it’s busy but might keep you light sleepers up during the middle of the night.

It’s one of the best airports in the world, and Asia for that matter, to get stuck in which is saying a lot. Asia has some of the world’s most comfortable and best airports to sleep in. (Remember Singapore Changi Airport?) Just remember to pack up a cheap travel blanket in your carry-on to use as a pillow or bedding for the hard plastic chairs in Hong Kong International Airport. You might also need one to stay warm – the air conditioners will be on full blast at all times of the year.

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Unfortunately South America’s airports aren’t the best selection to sleep in although it’s one of the best places to backpack. The infrastructure simply isn’t there in most South American major cities, although Argentina and Chile aren’t bad a great airport in the region is Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. The airport itself sees about 10 million passengers per year and is often busy during the late evening and throughout the night. If you plan your trip well you’ll be able to catch an afternoon nap before an evening flight. While security is visible throughout the airport it’s best to have a good handle on your carry-ons and luggage before dozing off. The airport is known for more-than-usual pickpocket activity so it’s best to be wary. Like in John F. Kennedy International Airport it’s best to pick a spot close to and within visual range of one of the security booths.

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport is well maintained and a clean facility and you’ll find chairs and benches without armrests plentiful. The airport itself doesn’t have free wi-fi which is a bummer since you can find coffee around the clock at the 24-hour McDonald’s in Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. The relatively small size of the airport may also have you wandering around for a bit to find a good location to lay your head unless you’re lucky enough to have spot in a premium lounge.

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport will test your airport sleeping skills and you’ll have to be quick to grab a good spot and clever to anticipate where the best places in the airport to sleep in are (and available). The terminals are also quite a long walk from one end to the other so make sure and grab a spot close to your next gate in case you wake up later than you had hoped. As always, be wary of last minute gate changes and don’t forget to secure your carry-on luggage using twist-ties on your zippers and using your body as a shield against any opportunistic thieves.

The airport itself will try to draw you into purchasing some less-than-expensive snacks which are spread across many booths and stands within the airport. Coffee isn’t too expensive, especially at the McDonald’s, but other treats to pass the time are comparatively expensive, even for an airport. Overall Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport is one of the better airports within South America to sleep in but the competition is lacking. Hopefully future improvements to the airport will make it a better designed and more airport-sleeper friendly place.

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There are many people who may disagree that John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is one of the best airports to sleep in but there are many passenger-friendly qualities that make it a good place to get stuck in. For starters, JFK Airport is an extremely busy facility with 8 terminals to handle the nearly 48 million passengers it sees each year. At first glance JFK isn’t the best place to have a long layover at but if you know the right places to go you can easily catch a decent nap, get free Internet, and grab a cup of coffee around the clock.

Finding a good seat to sleep in around JFK Aiport isn’t easy. You’ll find that most of the lounge chairs and free seats not directly outside of any gates are along the busy corridors. Your best bet is to make your way near on of the larger cafes with large seats. Order a drink and you won’t be bothered if you sleep for an hour or two. In particular the area around the British Airways gates in Terminal 7 has both free wired Internet (for customers but nobody will check) and there are a nice set of sofa-type chairs with a nice view of the tarmac. Electrical outlets are also easy to find around the British Airways main gates so you can recharge your electrical gadgets while you recharge yourself at the same time.

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to your gate by setting your alarm early enough. The internal train at the airport will shuttle you around but during peak times it can be slow going. Keep this in mind if you decide to catch a nap at the far end of the airport. Also, gates tend to change rather frequently due to late flights or other congestion issues so make sure if you have to bolt in a hurry, you do so towards the right gate.

Even though it’s not technically being in the airport, the JFK AirTrain will also take you to the Jamaica station (part of the New York subway system) and you might be able to get a cheap hotel room for longer than normal stays. The seats within the airport aren’t too comfortable though and JFK Airport is designed to move passengers through. If you do end up getting stuck there due to a canceled or delayed flight talk to your airline and see if you can spend a few hours in their lounge. The lounges are littered throughout each of the terminals and a nice alternative to sleeping elsewhere within the airport.

Security is plentiful within JFK Airport and if you want some added security make sure to take a nap within eye sight of the guard booths you’ll find around the peripheries of the airport.

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Dubai International Airport is a huge facility with 1.8 million square meters of floor space. That size alone makes it already a good airport to crash in (no pun intended). There are many nooks and corners to grab a good spot to sleep in. Probably the most difficult aspect of sleeping in Dubai International Airport is that there is so much to do there. Dubai International Airport was designed to be a major hub in the region and has 4 large terminals and has huge areas dedicated to duty-free shopping (over 1 million square meters).

Security is tight at the airport due to terrorism concerns and the Emirates stance on drugs. Be careful not to take any strong medications to doze off on the plane if you’re planning on a nap at the airport without checking well in advance if they are acceptable in Dubai. Certainly don’t take any illegal drugs as Dubai International Airport has scanners that can detect minute amounts of drugs in the bloodstream, including codeine.

The airport itself is ever expanding although with so much area dedicated to shopping it can be hard to find a quiet spot to sleep in. Generally if you’re trying to catch up on a few hours of sleep in an airport you want to be where there’s little foot traffic. This is not only because it’s more comfortable to do so but also to avoid any opportunistic thieves who may want to take advantage of a sleeping passenger.

There are several premium lounges for passengers but the selection for regular travelers is limited. (Premium lounges run about $40 but get you nice bathrooms and bigger couches to sleep in.) There is free wi-fi throughout the airport and several benches at each gate which are great to spread out on. You can find some good sofa-life seats too but you may have to walk around to find any that are free. Being the 11th busiest airport in the world Dubai International is busy almost around the clock. One of the treats of the airport though is passengers who have layovers of 4 hours or more can get a complimentary meal at the airport buffet restaurant. In that case don’t sleep too long and take advantage of plentiful food that’s not too bad actually.

Dubai International Airport is constantly being upgraded with the passenger in mind. Restrooms are plentiful, clean, and near the gates. If you have a chance to make a layover in Dubai plan it out to stay for a bit over 4 hours, enjoy a nice meal, and relax on one of the common or premium couches before moving on to your next destination.

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Often overlooked, this airport is one of the best to sleep in among it’s North American counterparts. This airport has a large set of large sofas and love chairs before the security checkpoints and is close to the Ottawa Du-Lac Leamy Casino, just a short walk or cab ride away. The sofas inside the airport are isolated but not so much as to be cumbersome to get to and from a restroom if you need it. The love chairs can easily fit an average size person long with a carry on and if you get there anytime after 9pm you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a spot.

The airport has a number of guest services as well except free wi-fi. The food services are open until the late evening hours but you’ll have a hard time finding anything open past 10pm so make sure to get your snacks before laying your head down to rest. Ottawa Macdonal-Cartier International Airport also has many restrooms throughout the airport and it’s hard to walk a few meters without running into one.

One of the downsides to sleeping in this airport however is what seems to be never ending construction within the terminal. That makes it hard to find a quiet spot near your gate because work will almost certainly be getting done during the late hours. The couches, sofas, and love chairs before the security checkpoints, while very comfortable, are close to the entrances so there will be a lot of foot traffic nearby. Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is not the ideal airport to sleep in if you’re a light napper. The announcements throughout the airport are also very loud – which can be good if you want to wake up and catch your flight but also quite annoying if you want some good quality uninterrupted sleep.

Ottawa itself is a very cold place and the winter months can be brutal. The entrances let in a nasty draft and if you catch cold easily or need to stay warm to relax and sleep it’s not a good airport to be stuck in. Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport services many of the midwest cities in the United States and delays during the summer due to thunderstorms in the region are common. In the winter expect delays due to snow, ice, and loads of connecting flights getting tied up in various cities causing a chain-effect of cancellations.

In other words, your chances of getting stuck in Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport are pretty good at most times of the year so bring a sweater and prepare to spend the night or go gambling at the Ottawa Du-Lac Leamy Casino nearby.

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Singapore is a city-state that knows how to put comfort into the design of its travel services. Singapore Airlines is one of the most comfortable carriers around the world and it’s airport is a well designed and spacious compliment to the city. The airport itself sees about 38 million travelers a year but its 4 large terminals are well equipped to handle the traffic. There is plenty of things to keep you occupied including a large shopping mall in the center of the airport.

The gates and resting areas are located around the peripheries of the airport and you won’t be bothered by noise from security lines or passengers running to catch a flight. The airport itself is generally off peak from about 3am to the morning hours of 9am. Even during peak hours it’s difficult not to find a quiet spot in Singapore Changi Airport making it a nice alternative to Singapore airport hotels.

The nice thing about sleeping in Singapore Changi Airport is there aren’t arm rests on all of the seats – something that is important in any airport you want (or have) to sleep in. Of all of the airports around the world, Singapore Changi Airport is probably one of the best you’ll find, even in Asia. The entire region has great airports to sleep in, including Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong International Airport.

If you’re looking for a place to catch some shuteye with nicer surroundings than the typical gate or runway view, Singapore Changi Airport has 6 open-air garden areas. There are also two lounges with napping areas open 24 hours a day passengers can use. The entire airport is also under the supervision of the Singapore Police Force who keeps a watchful eye over the entire facility.

It’s still a good idea to keep an eye on your bags while you nap (or tie the zippers of your bags around your wrist in case anyone tries to make off with them) but it’s an airport with a low incidence of crime or theft. Singapore Changi Airport is one of, if not the best airport to sleep in around the world and a nice alternative to nearby Singapore airport hotels.

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