Top 20 Places I've Slept

The following is a list of the places that I have slept (yes quick naps count!). It is organized from my favorite places to sleep down to my least favorite.


1. My Bed – it may not be the best in the world but it is mine. Sleeping in my bed also means that I know where everything is and I can find pretty much anything without turning on the lights.

2. Other people’s beds – this includes hotels and the spare bed at my parents’ house… this even includes strangers’ beds. The point is, a bed is the ultimate trump card.

3. My couch – I have spent many a quality night (and don’t forget Sunday afternoons) while crashed on the couch.

4. Any hammock – hammocks are stationary (relatively) and therefore easily in the top 10. I prefer them when they are in Mexico looking out on the water.

5. Beaches – beaches are good, as long as you aren’t sleeping at Black’s Beach north of San Diego.

6. Poolside – a nap by the pool is always good (as long as its outdoors). Indoor pools have a strong and unpleasant chlorinated scent which makes sleep uncomfortable and tiled walls tend to reverberate the sounds of the children splashing which will probably make any sleep impossible anyway.)

7. My parents’ couch – this is one place that I find myself sleeping quite often. One of the best times to catch some z’s is after thanksgiving dinner (while the game is on)

8. An air mattress – I think you will agree that with the air mattress location is not a necessary piece of information.

9. A friend’s couch – It is always great when you discover that you friends are so kind as to offer their couch for your dreaming entertainment.

10. A stranger’s couch – Although it is great to be offered a couch, sometimes you just have to wonder if you are going to wake missing a body part or any personal item for that matter (dignity is included in the list of possible missing items).

11. Car – Because of the nature of cars, I feel that it is necessary to point out that they rank differently depending upon the circumstances. In this case, the backseat of a car is a great place to catch up on some sleep. This is also the first time that I will mention not only location, but inertia as well. Cars are not nearly as good if they are in motion. However, that being said, sleeping in the back of a parked car in TX during the summer is going to be way worse than sleeping in a moving car with an operational A/C.

12. A stranger’s floor – Much like the strangers couch before, you never know what you are getting into here. To make matters worse, the stranger being discussed either doesn’t have a couch or someone else has beaten you to it. Either way, you aren’t at the top of the pecking order here. If someone else is on the couch, it is also quite likely that you will be stepped on while the couch-dweller is making their way to the bathroom for some late-night relief.

13. Car – While sitting in the front seat of the car, sleep is possible and can be quite rewarding… It is also pretty cool because you are going somewhere new. The downside is that I never sleep that well while I am traveling. I quickly enter a coma like style of sleep and find it quite difficult to wake.

14. Tent – tent receives a low spot on the list because I have already mentioned the air mattress post stays constant regardless of the location. If you have a tent in your air mattress, you can easily expect me to feel like I am sleeping in one of my top 10 favorite places.

15. Airplane – Much like cars, I find it difficult to wake from my coma sleep while traveling. The added problem of airplanes is that I always get kicked in the back (if I’m near the window) or get hit by the drink cart (if I’m in the aisle seat).

16. Black’s Beach – I know I already mentioned beaches but this one is worthy of its own post with a lower ranking for sleep. I love that beach and it is absolutely beautiful. My reluctance to sleeping there is that it is a clothing optional beach and I have seen some freaks there. Plus, you never know where you are going to get sunburned… Although I have caught a few winks at Black’s, they were short and not nearly as satisfactory as your typical beach nap.

17. Bench – On more than one occasion I have caught a quick 15-minute nap on a bench. These occasions have always been unintentional. Sleeping in public isn’t the best because you are putting yourself at risk to whatever strangers want to do to you (Am I starting to sound paranoid?).

18. Classroom – During middle school and HS I got a lot of sleep in the classroom. I didn’t like it, but it was necessary. I still remember being used as an example in a biology class in HS. My teacher wanted to know how I slept through the majority of classes and yet still received higher grades than the majority of the class. It was not one of my favorite moments in school.

19. In the airport – A few years ago I had a layover in ATL from 2AM until 8AM. Rather than getting a room I decided to lie down and get some sleep in front of my departure gate. I had a very nervous sleep constantly worrying about someone stealing my bag that was also acting as my pillow. The worst part was waking up to find that my flight was boarding and that everyone was just stepping over me. No one had even bothered to nudge me or tried to wake me in any way. This has led me to feel that Atlanta is a crap city. Hopefully, time will change this perception.

20. On the ground – Offhand I can’t think of sleeping on the ground, but if I had to, it would probably be pretty miserable.