I Slept At Heathrow Terminal 5 - Here’s How It Went

As I am writing this at 6.35am from a bougie lounge (thank you Trusted Housesitters for including lounge passes in your membership!) in Heathrow terminal 5, it is safe to say that I survived. Want to know how it went? Keep on reading!

_{Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you!}

I had a nights gap between a housesit ending and my flight to NYC so I initially looked into airport hotels. Wow they are so so expensive! We’re talking over £150 for a room. One that I would have had to vacate at around 5am anyway because of the time of my flight. My frugal little heart wheeped at this price and refused to even consider it.

Enter my crazy idea – why don’t I just sleep at the airport.

When I concocted my crazy plan to just crash in the airport, I went down a rabbit hole online trying to understand if a. this was allowed and b. what would it be like? And let me tell you, my experience was nothing like the horror stories I read online. It was actually very peaceful and I may even go as far to say I enjoyed it and would do it again 🤩.

MY EXPERIENCE

I arrived at around 11pm and there were already a few people camped out for the night. Not going to lie, an almost-empty airport is an absolute vibe. It reminded me of when I did rehearsals for my high school shows on the weekend and we would just walk round the empty school. You feel like a sort of VIP with privileged access.

As soon as I arrived, I went straight to the toilets to change into my comfy clothes for the night. I’d come straight from an evening out in central London so my phone was on its last legs. Priority number one was finding a plug. These were very easy to come by but getting one near an empty chair was rarer. But I succeed!

I sat there for about an hour, charging my phone and facetiming a friend about a show I’d just watched. It was after midnight by the time we were done chatting and I was yawning none stop, so I needed to find my base for the night.

I ended up relocating a few benches down where there were only 2 armrests so I could make a sort of bed. Thankfully I’m 5”3 so I was easily able to fully stretch out and even fell asleep on my stomach 😍.

Did I sleep a full night? Hell no. But I did sleep for 2 hours straight and compared to what I thought would happen, I am calling that a win! Plus I felt fully safe enough to sleep without worrying about my bags and wasn’t bothered by a single person! The dream!

I vacated my little base as soon as security opened and then went straight into the lounge, where I have been eating and drinking to my hearts content since!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Heathrow never sleeps

Although security and the check-in desks are closed, there are still workers doing their jobs overnight. Including the loud speaker announcements – they drone on all night!

Security closes overnight and reopens at 4.30am

I had the idea in my head that I would rock up around 11pm, head straight through security and sleep amongst the gates. Little did I know that security is not open 24/7 so this was not a realistic plan. If you are going to crash at Heathrow terminal 5, it will have to be landside – meaning before security.

They have plug stations

There are multiple plug in stations around the check-in area (where you will most likely have to base yourself) meaning you will be able to charge your devices.

They have free wifi

It’s not amazing but they have it! No rationing data here – you can roam until your hearts content.

Only basic facilities are open

According to the interweb there is a 24/7 Costa in Heathrow terminal 5, god knows where that is! I couldn’t find it for the life of me. The toilets are open and there are multiple water dispensers but other than that you’re on your own. Bring snacks if you know you’ll want them or you’ll have to wait until dawn for the shops to open.

TOP TIPS

Bring warm clothes

I got into Heathrow terminal 5 from central London, after going to see a West End show, so I was wearing evening clothes (read: jeans & a jumper). Temperature wise I was fine in this but not for comfort so I changed into leggings and a hoodie the minute I could. This was all I needed for the first half of the evening but when I woke up at around 2am, the temperature had dropped and it was freezing. It was like someone had switched the aircon on. Big winter coat to the rescue – I used that thing as a blanket!

2. Choose a good bed

And yes by “bed” I mean bench. Unfortunately they were not all created equally and some made better temporary beds than others. Approximately 50% of them had unmovable armrests between each seat, meaning it would be almost impossible to stretch out. So unless you like sleeping sitting up, make sure you choose one of the benches that only has one or two armrests. This means you will have two-three seats length to stretch out. Easy if you’re short like me!

3. Don’t forget headphones

Remember those loud speaker announcements? Yeah you’re going to want to drown them out! Whack in your headphones, play whatever suits your fancy and drift off.

The verdict – no where near as bad as I thought it was going to be and if I have an early morning flight again I will 100% just crash in the airport!

Have you ever crashed at an airport before? I’d love to hear all about your experience!