The Thoughtful Travel Podcast · Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Amanda Kendall recounts sleeping on plastic benches at a closed McDonald's in Vienna's airport after a flight delay made it impossible to catch the last transport back to Bratislava. While surprisingly comfortable at the time, she notes that she would opt for actual accommodation if faced with a similar situation today.
“Uh, I was living in Bratislava at the time, right nearby, and we had flown back in from a trip to Tunisia, but there was heavy snow and it had delayed all the flights landing.”
“So it was midnight, I think. And rather than spending money getting accommodation in Vienna, until the morning, which is what I would do today, uh, we just slept on the plastic benches at the McDonald's at the airport, it was closed, so we just slept there.”
“And I remember it being surprisingly comfortable, weirdly enough.”