Woman Goes Viral After Explaining Why She Prefers Sleeping at the Airport Overnight: ‘I Planned It’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Santeon Brown saved on accommodations after booking a spontaneous $20 flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco by sleeping on the airport floor

• The actor and nanny says staying in the airport feels safer and more comfortable than sleeping in her car on camping trips

• For travelers looking to do the same, Brown recommends packing light and bringing familiar bedtime essentials like a cozy sheet

When Santeon Brown booked a $20 one-way flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a whim, she had no concrete plans on where to stay overnight. So, the 29-year-old actor and nanny reverted to her tried-and-true budget-friendly solution: sleeping on the floor of the airport. 

During the short escapade, the Los Angeles resident pulled out her phone and documented the experience for her followers online. 

“I just stayed here overnight,” Brown said in her Oct. 15 TikTok video, filmed inside San Francisco International Airport. “I didn’t get stuck, I planned it, and it was a good decision and a good time.” 

She cited three reasons for her decision to stay, the first of which was avoiding the cost of other accommodations in the city. “We got in at night, so it didn’t make sense to spend money on a hotel just to sleep,” she said.

Staying in the airport is also a safer option than trying to navigate an unfamiliar city in the dark, according to Brown. If travelers have already passed the TSA checkpoint on the secured side of the facility, “everyone’s been vetted, you know no one has any weapons or anything crazy,” Brown said.

Brown also described the experience as “kinda fun,” “relaxing” and “novel,” adding that it works out for those who come prepared. 

However, many users in the comment section disagreed. “As a flight attendant… hell to the naw,” one user wrote.

“I did this once and it was one of the worst nights of my life,” another commented.

“This is all fun until you’re over the age of 35,” another wrote. “My back would hurt like hell not having a bed to sleep in.” 

The response wasn’t all negative. Some users commented with their own positive spin, with one writing, “With a good attitude life is so much easier and fun!”

Brown — who has slept in airports multiple times before, both alone and with a group — tells PEOPLE she was surprised by the “visceral” reaction online.

“Some people thought it was insane or dirty, but there were also people that were very excited about it, or like, ‘Oh, I haven’t thought of this,’ ” she says.

Brown admits that she’s an avid camper, so she has the necessary experience and equipment to pull it off. She says the experience actually “feels nicer in airports” than when she sleeps in her car or on free Bureau of Land Management land. 

“I feel like people sleep in the airport all the time; I just feel what’s crazy about it is that I planned it,” Brown tells PEOPLE. “So I had my little pad and my bonnet and a sheet, like, I was ready to do it.” 

While Brown doesn’t have access to the shower, she still uses the public bathroom to freshen up in the morning. She brushes her teeth, washes her face and uses baby wipes as needed. 

For anyone tempted to trade a pricey hotel for a terminal gate, Brown’s top piece of advice is to pack light and lean into your usual bedtime comforts.

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“Think through what your bedtime routine is,” she advises. “I like to be cozy and warm, so I made sure I had a cozy sheet.” A jacket and her bonnet are also things that make her airport stays feel as close to her normal setup as possible.

Read the original article on People