Some thoughts on airport parking for motorcycles and sleeping in airports.

I often come across travel articles about how to avoid steep airport parking costs, such as off-site parking or staying in an airport hotel with free parking.

My husband and I ride motorcyc!es in the UK and to us this is the perfect solution. Airports in Britain usually have free motorcycle parking near the terminals, and it will often be undercover as well. We have left a motorbike for up to to 3 months on occasion, though I would recommend carrying a set of jump leads in case you return to a flat battery.  The only drawback is a limitation on the amount of baggage it is possible to carry, though on one memorable occasion I do recall trundling down the M4 with a set of skis.

However, I am not good at early starts, especially if they involve getting on a motorbike in the middle of a cold winter’s night. We have discovered that it can be much more relaxing to cruise in leisurely the night before and sleep at the airport. We usually have camping gear with us anyway, so with a foam mattress and a sleeping bag it is possible to have a good night’s sleep. In the morning, it is a simple stroll to check in and away you go.

Thus it was recently when we found ourselves enjoying the hospitality of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport, in NSW, Australia.  A 6 am international departure would have meant a 2 am start and an expensive taxi ride as the only option. Neither did it seem worth paying for the hotel for such a short night.

We left our luggage at our hotel reception and had an enjoyable last day in Sydney. At 7.30 pm we caught the last shuttle bus to the airport and had a nice free hot shower on arrival.

However, as the evening drew on, it dawned on me that the airport was too quiet. From past experience, there are always people staying overnight and this was just too deserted.

On googling the excellent www.sleepinginairports.com, I found out why. The terminal actually closes down between 23.00 and 03.00, with any overnighters restricted to a small area between the locked railway station and the locked airport on arrivals level.

We duly found the spot and were probably more comfortable than most people who were less well prepared. However, the really bizarre thing was that at about midnight, several security people came round to check passports and tickets to see if we were indeed on a flight the next morning. There was even a headcount.

I did not see anyone fail the requirements, but would be interested to see what happens to those who do – I gather the nearby 24 hour McDonalds is another possibility. It all smacked a little bit of totalitarianism and a police state and I would have hoped for better from Australia.  Maybe they should tackle the tented cities which are springing up in their downtown parks, instead of annoying legitimate travellers.

Sweet dreams.