The Magic of Modern Air Travel: Refuge in the Sky

I wrote this post after a trip to Australia. It should be magic that I’m leaving Perth on a Saturday morning and arriving Saturday morning in San Francisco. And this is a 22 hour trip btw, so not short. It never ceases to amaze me about the miracle of international air travel. 

It should come to no surprise that I really enjoy flying. It’s tiring and not good for your health with the radiation exposure but I’ve been sucked into the romance of air travel since I was a kid. Walking into the airport and knowing that everyone there was going someplace else. The airport for me symbolizes adventure and an escape from the mundane and everyday. 

It’s almost become an addiction to me. But it’s also become a refuge. A refuge from the ubiquitous phone and Internet. A refuge from the disturbances and chores of everyday life. A refuge from business challenges or family problems. A place I cannot be reached by others for a period of time. Pure introvert-time. 

Flying is more than a distraction from my normal life, it’s a place for my personal growth & self development, where I can read and write without guilt. It’s a place I can catch up on movies and television shows I normally do not have any time for in my regular life. It’s a place for me to discover new shows and movies typically from Japan, Korea, China, India or some non-Hollywood. An opportunity to expand my perspective. 

So while flying might be a chore for others, it holds a special place in my heart. A place and time of discovery and reflection. If you reframe the experience, maybe you will end up enjoying it as much as I do.