• Sleeping in an airport terminal can help save money or avoid an early alarm. • I gave it a go, but the noise and eerie setting left me struggling to settle down. • I've got one piece of advice to share: don't do it.

Considering spending the night in an airport before an early flight?

Don't.

I gave it a shot and ended up sleep-deprived and with a healthy dose of regret.

Friends who have done it before reassured me that London Gatwick Airport had plenty of space to settle down for the night. But the noise and the nerves throughout the small hours left me convinced that I'd rather splash out on an airport hotel or brave an early morning journey.

My flight — for a work trip to Dublin — was at 8:50 a.m., which would have meant getting out of bed around 5 a.m.

After finishing work on

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