AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2023 - 24

FLYING LIFE
The transformative
power of travel
It's time to get your airplane out of the hangar
BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER
" OH MY GOSH, YOU FLY AIRPLANES? " The response is predictable
when people find out I am a pilot. " That's brave. You must
see really cool stuff. "
I'm not sure if the Mississippi runway and green fields of the
checkride area would count as cool stuff. But it's what my flying
days consist of, and I'm content in that routine. We used to go fun
places, my husband and I, just jump in the Cessna 172 and go, or
book an airline ticket when our own airplane couldn't carry us
far enough. But then our first daughter was born. And we heard
about terror attacks in the streets of Paris and the Brussels airport.
And then two more babies came. And then...COVID-19. Just one
reason after another why staying closer to home and driving to
comfortable haunts started to seem more attractive. I know how
this sounds. I fly airplanes! We pilots are travelers, adventurers. We
don't let a little discomfort or fear of some unnamed risk stop us.
So, around Christmas 2022, when my husband casually mentioned
that we should make another trip to Europe like we did
when we were first dating, I initially put him off. " Too expensive, "
I said. " Who would keep the kids? " All reasonable responses...that
made me feel like a part of me was slowly dying. Maybe it was
because I felt those three little human anchors exerting too much
of a pull on my day-to-day thoughts, or maybe it was the way that
absurdly handsome man smiled the way I knew he would when I
told him to pack his bags, but I booked the tickets. On the morning
of travel day, I climbed into seat 29J, a window seat of course.
When the big, beautiful wing of that Boeing 787 flexed in the wind
as we took off for a week of grand new adventures, I felt that old,
nearly forgotten sense of anticipation.
Europe did not disappoint. One day in Azpeitia, Spain, I saw
the same woman two different times. She showed up at the café
wearing shoes that were far too fancy for a Tuesday morning,
carrying a crossword puzzle and loaf of bread under her arm.
(People in Spain eat bread all day long. Apparently carbs are not
the enemy?) She proceeded to order a glass of red wine-at nine
in the morning mind you-and had a little breakfast party for one.
Later, I saw her in the town square, same fancy shoes, meeting a
group of friends for a leisurely lunch that extended well into the
afternoon. Did this woman not have a job? No daily obligations? I
saw all kinds of strange and wonderful things like that. We went to
a French chateau and met a fifteenth-generation wine maker who
passionately taught us about the interplay between " Lady Nature "
24
AOPA PILOT / June 2023
and the grapes. We happened upon cathedrals that were a thousand
years old and so stunningly ornate that I could not even bring
myself to take a picture. The space was too sacred. We ate food we
couldn't pronounce or identify and loved it so much that we didn't
care. In short, we came home feeling different, expanded somehow
(and not just because of all the bread).
It turns out there's research to suggest that travel changes us
for the better. Neuropsychologist and professor Paul Nussbaum
said, " When you engage in something that's novel and complex,
your brain thrives. We're all sort of routinized animals. It's when
we get out of that and challenge ourselves that there's a benefit to
brain health. " Nussbaum says when we problem-solve to navigate
a new landscape, our brain matter forms new connections that aid
in future functioning with memory and focus. And you thought you
were just sightseeing. Travel has also been shown to reduce stress
levels. A 2017 German study found that when middle managers took
a four-day vacation, their measurable stress levels were reduced for
as much as 45 days afterward. Another study found that women
who vacationed twice a year had lower levels of depression and
heart disease compared to those who traveled only every other year.
The studies cited " simply being away " and " changing the normal
environment " as the reasons for the improved well-being.
In her book, The Happy Traveler, Jaime Kurtz details scientific
evidence that travel can do everything from shaping our personalities
to be more open and agreeable, to boosting relationship
satisfaction and feelings of connection. " If happiness is our goal, "
she says, " spending money on life experiences like travel buys
us more than spending on material items. As aging people look
back on their lives, they often express gratitude for their travel
experiences, while others express regret for not having traveled
more. " The next time you look at your lonely airplane in the hangar
and come up with a million reasons why you can't take it out
and go exploring, I hope you listen to that voice of wanderlust that
encouraged you to buy it in the first place.
Think of my fancyshoed
Spanish friend, and
celebrate the adventure
that is your life. Get away
and go somewhere new.
You'll be better for it.
myaviation101.com
NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER
began flying in 2004. After
corporate and airline work, she
now serves as an FAA designated
examiner and chief instructor of a
flight school in Mississippi.
http://www.myaviation101.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2023
