A mini hotel room for just under $40

Passengers stranded in an airport are less likely to get a comped hotel room from cash-strapped airlines these days, according to a story in the NY Times. So what's a lonely passenger to do? Pop a tent and make a night of it.

That is now possible with Frank Giotto's Mini Motel, "a one-person tent complete with air mattress, pillow, reading light, alarm clock and pillow (which he now sells for $39.95)," the story says. (The price has gone up to $49.95 since the article was written.) Giotto created the tent kit after he got stuck in a German airport on a business trip.

Of course, the problem is you never know when a flight might be canceled or delayed. Do you really want to carry around the Mini Motel just in case? It weights 4.7lbs and measures 17" x 12" x 3" folded up. Set up it measures 80"L x 25"W x 35"H.

The Mini Motel has many uses outside of airports (house guests, college visits, children's sleepovers, disaster relief), Giotto's site points out.

For more tips on sleeping in airports, including the best airports to have a sleepover at, visit SleepingInAirports.com.