Flying Above the Clouds

Some people are afraid of flying. Some dislike the confinement of being in an airplane. And some just hate the stress and hassle of it all. I love it—the possibility of where the plane is taking me, the anticipation of where I’m going, what new place I will soon discover. I especially love getting a window seat so I can see what’s below: cities in miniature, pillowy clouds, tiny boats on white-capped seas.

We're flying above the clouds, so beautiful & clear
We're flying above the clouds, I can see happiness from here

- Amber, singer-songwriter

While going through my photos, I found several shots that I’ve taken through airplane windows. The one above was on my way to the Azores islands, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Below are some more of my favorites:

This is what a tropical rainforest looks like from 30,000 feet. I took this photo on my flight from Puerto Iguazú, Argentina en route to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Also in South America, the photo above shows the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world. I took this photo on my way from Lima to Cuzco, Peru.

This photo was taken on my way home from Lisbon, Portugal. I love ethereal beauty of the light on the clouds.

The shamrock on the plane’s winglet is a dead giveaway that I was flying with Aerlingus. I was on my way to Dublin, Ireland for a long weekend getaway.

Here’s another plane with painted winglets. The American flag on this one appears to be waving with the wind. This was from a Virgin America flight to San Francisco, California.

This is one of my older photos, taken over Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I can almost feel the heat and humidity down below. Makes me want a piña colada!

This photo was taken above the Río de la Plata on the short flight to Montevideo, Uruguay. The city in the background is none other than Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Here are some awesome photos sent in by my readers:

Jackie from TravelnWrite is contributing this shot, taken through her airplane window above Iceland. (Notice how green it is?)

By way of contrast, the above photo was taken by Leigh from HikeBikeTravel flying over Greenland. (It’s awfully icy!) I hope this was a telephoto lens—those mountains are a little too close to comfort, if you ask me.

I think I’d prefer to be here instead. Carl Dispenziere sent this photo of Bora Bora in French Polynesia. How spectacular is this?

Here’s another gorgeous shot of a beach resort from above. This time it’s Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, submitted by Diana from Just Wanderlust.

This is taking off from Honolulu International Airport on my way to Maui. Can you see the silhouette of Diamond Head volcanic crater in the far distance? All of those high-rises are the resorts on world-famous Waikiki Beach.

Do you have any photos taken from airplane windows? I invite you to share them with me! I’ll upload them to this post, and of course will give you attribution and a link back to your own blog (if you have one.) Send to struxtravel@live.com.