There is a rare kind of peace that comes from being on airplane mode. For however many hours, you are suspended above everything. The emails, the group chats, the constant hum of notifications all stay grounded while you drift quietly out of reach. The world continues moving below you, but for once, you do not have to.
Somewhere between takeoff and landing, time stretches out in a way that feels unfamiliar. You become aware of how fast your days usually move, how tightly packed they are with noise and urgency. At 35,000 feet, there is none of that. Just a seat, a window, and permission to stop.
The Pause You Didn’t Know You Needed
We spend most of our lives connected to something. Phones, laptops, Slack messages, and social updates compete for our attention before we even finish our morning coffee. When the plane door closes and you switch your phone to airplane mode, that connection disappears. It feels foreign at first, like you are missing something essential. Then, slowly, it begins to feel like relief.
The absence of noise reveals how much you were missing in plain sight. The sound of the engines turns into background music. The soft glow of the cabin lights becomes strangely comforting. Even a cup of coffee feels more intentional when there is nothing to distract you.
Airplane mode isn’t just about being offline. It is about remembering what it feels like to exist without constant interruption.
Unplugging Without Guilt
We like to talk about rest, yet most of us do not actually allow ourselves to experience it. Even on vacation, we check emails “just in case.” We scroll through social media at the gate, halfway present but still somewhere else. On a plane, the rules change. No one expects a reply. No one assumes you are available.
That absence of expectation is freeing. For a few hours, you get to exist without reacting to anything. You can read the book you have been meaning to start or stare out the window and think about nothing in particular. You can just be.
There is a reason people say travel is restorative. It is not just the destination that changes you, but the stillness in between.
Relearning How to Be Still
Stillness can feel uncomfortable. Modern life teaches us to fill silence with sound and space with activity. The first few moments of disconnection might feel awkward, like forgetting what to do with your hands. But the longer you sit with it, the more natural it becomes.
Being unreachable is not the same as being alone. It is a reminder that quiet moments are allowed to exist without being productive. You do not have to post about them or explain them. You can let them belong only to you.
This is not about rejecting technology entirely. It is about taking a break from the constant input and letting your mind breathe. The world will still be there when you land.
Bringing That Calm Back Down to Earth
The real challenge begins once the wheels touch the ground. The phone reconnects, the notifications rush in, and the quiet evaporates. But the peace you felt up there does not have to vanish with the altitude.
Try recreating that sense of space at home. Leave your phone in another room for an evening. Take a walk without headphones. Read something that isn’t a headline. These are small ways to bring a little airplane mode into your everyday life.
That stillness you found at 35,000 feet isn’t about being disconnected from the world. It’s about being reconnected with yourself.
All this is to say, if you decide not to purchase Wi-Fi on your next flight, consider it an act of self-care.
