Booking an Airport Nap: What It’s Really Like to Use a Snooze Cube

27.07.2023 - 18:39 / smartertravel.com

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be able to sleep on command. As a frequent traveler, passing out at the exact moment I’d like to is easily the one super power I would pick if had the chance.

I rarely sleep soundly on the road, and I’m constantly looking for new ways to fight jet lag. I’ve tried natural sleep aids and teas, neck pillows, meditation, weird sleeping positions, white noise—all without much luck.

Until recently (and probably because my frequent travel partner is a very skilled airplane sleeper) I thought I was largely alone in my struggle to catch some shuteye in any new place. But many people have this problem—sleep researchers have found that the left side of the brain remains somewhat awake for the first night’s sleep in an unfamiliar spot. I learned about this common behavior—dubbed the “first-night effect“—around the same time that I booked a long-layover nap in one of Dubai International Airport’s Snooze Cubes. I wanted to find out if airport napping, my newest sleep solution, was doomed from the start. And a 24-hour return trip from Sri Lanka seemed the perfect time to test the theory.

Experts say sleep depth in a new place is markedly interrupted because half the brain is on “night watch” mode. Knowing that I’d be exhausted from 14 days of exploring Sri Lanka with Intrepid Travel and the first of two lengthy return flights, I wondered if for once my body would give in and take the four-hour nap opportunity. A 12-hour flight to Boston loomed—would my instinctive left brain let me sleep?

The answer turned out to be yes—but only because the conditions were right. Airport napping is a science worthy of perfecting: It’s ideal for those layovers that are too long for lounges yet too short for hotels—but it’s not quite luxurious enough to go into without some handy accessories.

With the right information and a little planning, here’s how a Snooze Cube can vastly improve your long-haul flying experience.

Snooze Cubes are similar to the nap spaces in other airports, like Munich Airport’s Napcabs and Tokyo Narita’s Nine Hours. They’re makeshift rooms that are larger than nap pods, but much smaller than a hotel room—Dubai Airport also has its own hotel. Just big enough to fit a twin bed and your carry-on luggage, a Snooze Cube is one in a row of about a dozen separated by thin, stopgap walls. Wallpaper depicting clouds and waterfront views are pasted above and around the bed. The space includes a touch-screen computer for entertainment or accessing the internet, an outlet to charge electronics, plus a thermostat and lighting controls.

I booked my stay ahead of time. Single Cubes are $20 per hour (75 AED, see