Natural Historian Sir David Attenborough Proclaims: “Plane Travel Isn’t As Thrilling Anymore.”

by Alan Davison | December 29, 2020 12:01 am

Sir David Attenborough states that he may never film abroad again after nearly 70 years of travelling the world.

David Attenborough, or as he is officially titled, “Sir David Attenborough”, is a world-famous natural historian who is known for his incredible documentary work.

At 94, he has lived a life that most people have only dreamt of pursuing. He has made his life’s mission to explore the beauty of nature specifically related to animals and planet Earth.

So why is he hesitant about filming abroad all of a sudden? Well, it hasn’t really been all of a sudden.

The decrease in travel has occurred throughout recent years. In fact, for some of his more recent works, he only boarded a plane twice.

Attenborough has expressed in interviews that flying doesn’t really bring him any pleasure anymore.

Moreover, he’s been quoted as stating that his old age probably has a lot to do with his lack of desire to fly. He simply gets dispirited boarding a plane anymore.

While a majority of his career has been focused on travelling to various locations, waiting for dreadful periods of time for planes just isn’t his cup of tea anymore.

Who could blame him? People of any age could find waiting on a plane to be awful. As we get older, it is surely understandable that the whole flying experience is something to detest.

It is important to note though that the loss of thrill behind flying isn’t the only reason he’s boarding less and less. He reportedly is flying less to reduce his carbon print as well.

Considering his connection with the naturalistic world and the animal kingdom, this makes total sense. His views on flying have turned tables recently as he considers “flying just for the hell of it” to be quite foolish.

This isn’t to say that the work that he has done throughout the years is in any manner a form of getting on a plane just to fly. His flights certainly have had a strong purpose in his productions.

It just doesn’t make sense to hop on a plane every time he wants to talk about a specific region of the world.

To really put his previous plane travels into perspective, it is important to look at the previous big projects that required him to fly quite a bit.

For his 1998 series The Life of Birds, Attenborough had to visit over 40 countries which took him to countless filming locations.

This foot traffic on planes really added up in the long run. Sure, that was quite some time in the past, but it goes to show where he came from and where he’s headed when it comes to hitting the skies.

However, just because he isn’t boarding planes to set out on a filming adventure doesn’t mean that he isn’t working on what he loves. Attenborough has been working remotely to do voice-over work and narrating for his documentaries.

Specifically, he is going to be featured in the BBC and Discovery series A Perfect Planet which is slated to premiere sometime in January 2021.

This isn’t a terrible gig and apparently, he has been enjoying it given the current state of affairs in the world. He has been reducing his flying time since 2019 so anything concerning current flights only aids his desire to stay off planes anyway.

Attenborough is no stranger to putting his time and energy to good use. His reduction in flying has a lot to do with his lack of desire to board as well as the effect that planes have on the environment as a whole.

As a way to continue speaking on global conditions that concern him, he joined Instagram[1]. He reportedly joined this social platform just this year and gained over 6 million followers![2]

While his account gained plenty of recognition from millions, his primary purpose was to speak out about issues that are threatening our planet.

His passion for speaking about sustainability and saving the planet from unclean air etc is very clear on his Instagram. His account showcases some video recordings of himself speaking up about the profoundness behind saving the planet.

His journey on the social platform ended just as soon as it began, but he left the platform stating that the account will remain open for his followers, and others, to have access to his important messages.

The messages he left on his Instagram could be interpreted as a way to reach out to all walks of life to understand the importance of saving our precious planet.

In fact, on his last post back in October, he stated that he wanted his Instagram to become a “springboard” for ideas.

Considering that his account had some great insight to encourage people to think about where the planet will be in the future, this is certainly a great way to utilise his account.

Moreover, his passion for the planet is definitely noticeable in his long list of projects throughout the years. It should come as no surprise to people that he is loving life outside of the airport.

His priorities for the planet are certainly aligned, especially during the pandemic situation, but his proclamation of flying less isn’t completely set in stone.

He has been quoted as saying “No, not a lot” when questioned about filming abroad for his documentaries and other projects.

His age definitely plays a large role in this but ultimately he is aiming to travel by plane as little as possible, if ever again. For him to state “No, not a lot” leaves it a little open-ended for interpretation.

While his statement could be taken with some interpretation, the messages he conveys about the planet are quite a crystal clear picture.

Travelling less plane simply helps him to meet his own goals for the planet. Perhaps he also sees it as a way to set an example for people.

If the current state of the world ever returns to a bit of normalcy, perhaps some plane travel could occur for the documentary star.

However, for now, he is able to really enjoy doing his part to stay off of planes.

Endnotes:
  1. joined Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidattenborough/
  2. 6 million followers!: https://www.instagram.com/davidattenborough/

Source URL: https://www.newsinsider.org/534/natural-historian-sir-david-attenborough-proclaims-plane-travel-isnt-as-thrilling-anymore/