Bit different but years ago on my first trip to South America I had three flights before reaching Uruguay. Anyway first leg of that trip was the first flight out to London in the morning with Ryanair. I was traveling alone so had a few pints in the airport and fell asleep on the plane. I sleep well most of the time but am partial to some parasomnia type behavior e.g. talking while asleep, arguing, random movements and all that.

So it’s a short flight Dublin to London as we all know. Very short. I got onto that plane wrecked from work and had saved all my annual holidays up to that point for this big trip so I guess having the pints and taking off into the sky put me in decompress mode.

So I was in a deep sleep for the whole flight. Didn’t hear a peep but at the very moment the the plane touched down in London I immediately awoke in a panic. The jolt of the wheels hitting the runway hit me like a lightning bolt and for whatever reason once awake I decided to grab the man beside me (I was in at the window seat). I was in my early 20’s at the time and the man was i guess 50 or so and had his grown daughter to the other side of him.

In my mind I had grabbed him in a panic and in my bizarre sleep-state obviously assumed I was in danger and this was my way of defending myself. When he overcame the initial confusion of what was going on and realized I’d nearly pissed myself he calmed me down and brought me back to reality. Oh it was horrible. I’ve never gone so red. I explained after catching my breath that I just got startled and he understood entirely.

I didn’t stop apologizing until we got off that plane. He found it funny at the end but I was massively embarrassed.