A Little Privacy During Your Airport Sleepover

Layover Innovation: RESMO

You can write on your iPad in relative privacy at the airport with RESMO

(Image copyright Red Dot)

Before you say, "I'd never use one of those!" or "Who would lug one of those around, even if it does fold up small?", listen to the concept behind the RESMO design.

Picture a large airport, a hub for many airlines, filling up with people during a weather delay: departing flights don't, arriving flights are grounded, and passengers keep arriving on the faint hope that maybe their flight will take off. It doesn't take long for every seat to fill, then every carpeted spot, then just anywhere with a wall to lean against, then finally the middle of the floor. And people are miserable.

If you've been there, you know what we're talking about.

Many large airports (thankfully) have folding cots that they bring out in these situations, but they are limited in their functionality (aka flat). Great for lying down, but not so great for sitting, lounging, writing, reading or just hanging out, killing time until things get moving again.

What if those cots were more flexible (allowing different configurations), offered just a bit of privacy (no, you can't read over my shoulder!), absorbed some sound (special cushions) and provided a bit of cheer (I want an orange one!).

RESMO adds a little comfort and privacy to the discomfort of the airport layover

(Image copyright Red Dot)

Airports could benefit from just how flat the RESMO folds, making for easy storage. And distribution would be easy: the RESMO is lightweight enough for each passenger to tuck one under their arm, find a comfortable spot and configure their airport camp to their liking.

The semi-private airport camp cot concept was dreamed up by designer Ko Chien-Hui when she was a student at Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weisensee. The result, RESMO, won her international acclaim when she was recognized with the Red Dot Award Design Concept 2014.

We love it, and thought you would too. Now all we have to do is convince airport executives around the world to make the investment. Hey, we're looking at you [insert name of your most dreaded layover airport here].

You can write love letters on your iPad in relative peace with RESMO

(Image copyright Red Dot)

It could all lead to a new kind of people-watching: observing how different people set up their RESMO and what they are doing. Oh, no, wait, you just might not be able to see... Which is the whole point!


Sources worth following: @airportsleeper, @designtaxi, @leahgonz, @PSFK, @reddot, @smowblog, @yankodesign

Related resources:

• A Folding, Private Bed for Travelers Stuck at the Airport
• Collapsible, Transforming Seat Gives A Little Privacy For Napping At The Airport
• A Frequent Flyer’s Best Friend - lots more pictures
• Resmo by Chien-Hui Ko - the models in miniature!
• Weather Channel's Top 10 Airports for Flight Delays
• An interactive map of the world’s best and worst airports for flight delays
• Airports with cots

Layover ideas:

• Berlin: drop by the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weisensee
• Berlin: layover ideas and stuff to do

A Double Layover Premiere!

The LayoverIdeas.com team has been planning a blog for some time now, so we figured what better way to premiere the new LayoverIdeas Blog than by blogging about last week's announcement of the WORLD PREMIERE of the new LAYOVER film?!?!

Too cool for words... but we'll try.

The film's premise is that a young Parisian woman, Simone, is flying from Paris to Singapore, with a connection in Los Angeles.

So far, so good, right? Well, if you're reading this, you probably travel a fair bit, and know all about flight delays, cancelled flights and unplanned layovers.

A missed connection or a new opportunity?

Simone finds herself at LAX on a layover. Soon, a mysterious motorcyclist convinces Simone to ride along through the glittering nightlife scene of LA. Sometimes the places you don’t plan visiting are the best.


We're intrigued. How about you?

If you're thinking like we were when we first learned of the film, you're wondering when you can see it, right?

Well, last week's big announcement is that Layover will have it's World Premiere in competition at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival later this month.

Joshua Caldwell (@Joshua_Caldwell), the film's Director, Executive Producer and all around brainchild (what do you want to bet that the plot was cooked up on a cocktail napkin on one too many airport layovers?), is from Seattle. Here's what he said when asked about the decision to premiere at SIFF:

"I was born and raised in Seattle. Travis (Oberlander), my producer, was as well. In fact, we met each other in elementary school. As such, SIFF felt like the perfect venue to World Premiere our film. We couldn't be more excited to be showing our debut feature film at our hometown film festival."

Layover | USA | 2014 | 83 minutes | Joshua Caldwell

About the Layover film:
Premiere announcement
Layover film trailer
Layover film website

40th Seattle International Film Festival
(May 15–June 8, 2014):
SIFF Layover listing
SIFF program
SIFF Box Office

If you go, please tell us all about it, here or on Twitter (use the #LayoverFilm hashtag).

If you can't go, add yourself to the list of people rooting for Layover and want to see it at a theatre near you! Or on the seatback of your next flight...

CONGRATULATIONS to Joshua and his Layover film team - thanks for giving us the perfect excuse to kick off our new LayoverIdeas blog.

Related resources:

• Layover ideas and things to do in Los Angeles 
• Layover ideas and things to do in Paris 
• Layover ideas and things to do in Singapore 
• Layover ideas and things to do anywhere - popular places 
• Layover ideas and things to do almost anywhere - the l-o-n-g list!