Slight change on our site…Conquering the “fear of flying?”…

An array of pocket watches were on display at Le Louvre in Paris.

A long-term reader wrote yesterday that our dark gray font was hard to read. After reviewing past posts, I agreed with the reader and contacted our web people. By this morning, our font had been changed to a regular shade of black. I wrote back to our dear reader, Linda, to thank her for bringing this to my attention. In the past, I took our font for granted and never questioned it. Hopefully, all of you will find this darker font easier to read.

Also, this morning, I stumbled across an article about the “fear of flying,” thinking we’re long overdue on addressing this critical issue that plagues many travelers and is often ignored when it may bespeak a lack of travel experience, self-control, and self-confidence. Many of us prefer not to appear so vulnerable by admitting to such a perceived “flaw” in our travel experience.

I used to believe I could outgrow fear, like an old pair of shoes. But when it came to flying, that fear clung to me like a stubborn shadow, refusing to fade no matter how many flights I experienced. For years, the thought of being thousands of feet in the air, suspended in a metal tube, sent my heart racing and my palms sweating. Yet, as someone who’s been living a life in motion for the past 12 years, I knew that conquering this fear was essential to continue exploring the world. Here’s how I began to embrace the skies and leave that fear behind.

It’s estimated up to 40% of people have some fear of flying or aviophobia.

The first step in conquering my fear of flying was understanding it. I realized that my fear wasn’t really about flying itself but rather the loss of control it represented. I could drive a car, sail a boat, even navigate the chaos of crowded city streets, but once the airplane doors closed and the engines roared to life, I felt utterly helpless. Acknowledging this was pivotal; I had to accept that control was an illusion, both on the ground and in the sky. This understanding didn’t eradicate my fear but gave me a framework to start dismantling it.

I began by educating myself. Knowledge, as they say, is power, and in this case, it was also a balm for my anxiety. I devoured articles and watched documentaries about flight mechanics, the rigorous training pilots undergo, and the safety measures in place. I learned that turbulence, which once felt like the beginning of the end, is a natural part of flying, no more dangerous than driving over a bumpy road. The more I understood the science and safety behind flying, the less mysterious and threatening it seemed.

Mindfulness became another powerful tool in my journey. I started practicing deep breathing techniques before and during flights, focusing on the rhythm of my breath rather than the what-ifs swirling in my mind. Visualization also played a crucial role—I would close my eyes and picture myself calmly boarding the plane, enjoying the journey, and arriving at my destination with a sense of accomplishment. These mental exercises didn’t just distract me; they helped rewire my brain to associate flying with positive outcomes instead of fear.

However, the real test came when it was time to step onto the plane. I tried to fly more often, not shying away from opportunities. Each flight was a chance to build confidence. I started with short domestic flights and gradually worked my way up to longer international journeys. I celebrated small victories along the way—the moment I realized I was more excited than anxious before a flight, or the first time I looked out of the window during takeoff and felt awe instead of dread.

What surprised me most about this journey was how it paralleled many other aspects of my life. Conquering the fear of flying wasn’t just about being able to board a plane without panic; it was about learning to trust the process, to let go of control, and to embrace uncertainty. These lessons learned 35,000 feet above the ground have grounded me in ways I never expected.

When I fly, I no longer feel like I’m battling fear. Instead, I feel a sense of calm and even a bit of pride. Every flight reminds me of how far I’ve come—in miles traveled and personal growth. Once a source of anxiety, the sky has become a place of possibility. And with every journey, I’m reminded that the most significant adventures often begin with a single step—or, in this case, a boarding pass.

Displaying my fear while on a flight was a fear unto itself. After many years, my dear friend Carol, a retired captain with Delta Airlines who worked for Republic Airlines when I met her in the 1980s, knew I was uncomfortable flying. Knowing this, she agreed to fly with me on a shared flight to a mutual end location. The following interaction on a flight finally freed me of my fear of flying.

While we flew together, Carol explained every sound and change occurring during the flight, which incredibly put my mind at ease. As Tom and I began traveling the world, flying on countless flights, some as long as 17 hours across the ocean, I found myself more at ease. It was only during takeoff and landing and severe turbulence that I’ve become uncomfortable since. Overall, my fear has been combatted.

We hope you can find ways to reduce your fear of flying if this has been an issue for you. If not, good for you! Continue to enjoy traveling wherever you may choose to go.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, August 12, 2014:

In taking this photo of the courtyard from a window at Le Louvre in Paris. I later thought it looked like a painting. For more photos, please click here.

Beauty is all around us…Past and present photos…Big and “small things”…

A few roses remain in Trish and Neil’s garden as summer comes to an end.

As we continued on our travels throughout the world we found one commonality is each location…beauty is all around us. We need only stop long enough to spot it.

Strawberries growing in their garden, well protected from birds in the enclosure.

The idiom, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” holds true. We each have our own unique perception of what we discover as beauty. For us, in our constant search for “the interesting” with the intent of sharing it with our worldwide readers, we find that which may be of interest, to possess a beauty of its own design.

Whether it’s an interesting insect, a blooming flower, an animal’s face, or form in the wild we often take a photo in nature we find most appealing. No doubt, many of our readers have no interest in many of the subjects of our photos or for that matter, what we’ve found to be beautiful. 

Here on the grounds, we noticed these flowers we’d also seen at the Pukeiti Gardens at Mount Taranaki.

Many are more interested in photos of familiar points of interest they’ve already seen in photos, online or in their own travels:  a historic building, a popular tourist attraction, a public venue, or familiar work of art. 

Were one to go back through our 1,313 previous posts, many such photos are contained therein.  From our photos in past posts, as shown below in the photo of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain in May 2013 to the Venus de Milo statue at Le Louvre in the August 2014, we’ve seen so much.

Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch, also known as Aphrodite of Milos. It was amazing there was a momentary break in the number of onlookers when 100’s had been crowded around this famous statue also trying to take photos.

Over the next two to six months we’ll be visiting and/or staying in such countries as Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Bali when we’ll be taking photos of familiar and significant works of art, historical buildings, and endless points of interest and beauty that may appeal to a wide faction of our readers who prefer to see more than nature shots.

Sagrada Familia, the famous church in Barcelona that has been under construction for over 100 years.

For us, there’s a tremendous amount of enthusiasm as we anticipate these exciting countries we’ll soon visit.  The prospect of taking and sharing photos along the way, only adds to the excitement.

Sure, we spend a tremendous amount of time in quiet, remote locations constantly on the lookout for even “the small things” we’ve found unique and perhaps interesting to many of our readers as shown in this post and photo below.

This was our first photo of the dung beetle in action. The female often sits atop the ball of dung while the male moves it along using his back legs while his front legs grasp the ground for stability. The female lays eggs in the ball so she tags along as he rolls the ball, as they search for an adequate hole in which to bury the ball. The ball is used as sustenance for both of them as well as for the maturing larvae.

Whether it’s a small thing, a historic location, or an environment such as here on the alpaca farm in New Zealand, we expanded our personal horizons, perceptions, and expectations of that which is truly beautiful as we wrap our arms and minds around that which is located in our close proximity at any given moment.

We’ve never known the name of this dark-colored bloom although we’ve seen them in a number of countries. Any comments?

It is through this window we peer out at the world often from the lens of our camera to capture the beauty we find in our path. This, dear readers, is what brings us this infinite sense of joy and belonging.

Tomorrow on our 21st wedding anniversary (based on the date in this part of the world) we’ll be back with more on a unique, although “small” point of interest we discovered last week when we toured the quaint town of Opunake that, in our perception, we found to be “beautiful.”

Have a beautiful day!

Photo from one year ago today, March 6, 2015:

Partway down this steep trail in Kauai, we spotted this view on the steep path down the cliff Hideaway’s Beach. For more photos from that date, please click here.