Savoring Those ‘Shining In-Flight Moments’
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 09.19.07 | 12:00 PM ET
Sure, there are countless reasons to complain about air travel these days—security lines, delays, ridiculous fashion controversies, just to name a few—but what of the pleasures? Thomas Swick reminds us this week of those rare, precious moments when our worries can disappear: “There’s something about the lightheadedness produced by free food, piped-in music, fussing flight attendants and wine at 30,000 feet that makes you susceptible. Especially when it’s added to the relief of finally being airborne and free, at least for a few hours, of all responsibilities. You enter a strange and wonderful stillness, suspended, literally, between earth and heaven, past and future, home and abroad, the deadlines of departure and the confusions of arrival.”
Related on World Hum:
* The ‘Salmon-Thirty-Salmon’ and the Rise of ‘Specialty Aircraft’
* Three Travel Tips: Fly Like a Professional Dancer
Photo by contraption via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Rachel at The WindowSeat 09.19.07 | 2:37 PM ET
I agree that once I get past my nerves, the crowded conditions, and the occasional turbulence, there is something very liberating about no longer being rooted to the ground. Some of the most spectacular sunsets/sunrises I’ve ever seen have been from planes, and those moments spent watching them always fill me with wonder, especially because there is nothing to distract me from them.