Between departures & destinations
What airports and the New Year teach us about reflection, growth, and the art of waiting
So many of us find ourselves passing through airports this time of year—a uniquely chaotic yet reflective space. On December 1st, a new all-time record was set, with 3,088,836 travelers clearing TSA checkpoints in a single day. Each year, these numbers grow, underscoring how air travel has become both accessible and deeply woven into our modern lives.
Airports—and the airplanes that depart from them—are quintessential liminal spaces: transitional zones between where we’ve been and where we’re headed. They are spaces of waiting, filled with ambiguity and anticipation. As we linger in terminals or track our progress on a flight map, we’re reminded that life, like travel, is always in motion—ushering us from what has been towards what is to come.
This experience mirrors the metaphorical liminal space we occupy between the holidays and the New Year. During this pause, the usual rhythms of life seem to soften, offering us a rare opportunity to step back, regroup, and ready ourselves for what lies ahead. In both airports and this end-of-year period, there’s a shared feeling of waiting: for a flight, for the New Year, for that symbolic ‘next step.’ This waiting in itself creates a liminal space where people are between identities, places, or simply states of mind.
Just as air travel invites us to reflect on past journeys and envision future destinations, this collective end-of-year ‘waiting period’ encourages us to honor our milestones while embracing new possibilities. Both are rich with opportunities for transformation: one transporting us to new physical places, the other propelling us toward personal growth and reinvention. In either case, the journey leads to an exciting new destination.
Whether you’re navigating a busy airport or savoring quiet moments at home, these liminal spaces invite us to pause, reflect, and embrace the beauty of the in-between. They remind us that life is fluid, transient, and ever-evolving, and that within these transitions lies the potential for clarity and growth. So:
Where will the next flight take you? What will the next year hold?
Happy New Year, and thank you, as always, for reading.
Personally, I like to use part of this quiet time of year to reflect and set intentions for the future, make my own magic. My friend Erika Veurink writes a page of prompts each year that can help guide you in this practice—I’ve done them for the past two years and highly recommend them; they’re short and sweet but surprisingly impactful. Similarly, Grace Clark makes a Personal Annual Planner that I started using last year—my favorite part is the Bingo Board. I like to copy it into my Notion Year Planner and check in on it periodically. Why not gamify your goal-setting?
As I reflect, I can’t overstate how much joy writing Window Seat has brought to my life. Bringing each issue to life is one thing, but the fact that you’re here reading it is another. A couple of weeks ago, I published an article detailing the one-year journey so far, but if there’s one thing I love, it’s drawing out a celebration.
To show my appreciation, I’m doing a couple of things to give back:
Firstly, I’m removing the paywall from one of my most popular articles for the rest of the year. It includes a list of my favorite travel products in the luggage, tech, organization, and wellness categories.
Secondly, I’m doing a massive giveaway for paid subscribers featuring my favorite travel products (worth over $1,000!). Everything included is outlined in the footnotes.1
To be entered to win, all you have to do is be a paid subscriber. I’ll randomly select a winner and notify them via email tomorrow (1/1/25).
Paid subscriptions are discounted right now to just $4/month or $32/year — you can also gift a subscription to a friend if you need a belated gift idea. For fab newsletters to gift in other categories, check out 24 Killer Newsletters That Make Great Gifts from Jess Graves.
Tori Simokov is a Travel Writer and Graphic Designer/Strategist based in New York. To get in touch, email tori@v1projects.com. Want more? Check out Instagram, TikTok, or shop her curated favorites.
The giveaway includes: an Away carry-on suitcase, a large Away Featherlight Tote, an Away crossbody bag, an Away luggage tag, a Calpak luggage tag/phone charger, Goop cream blush and Instant Glow Exfoliator, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, The Outset Lip Oasis treatment, Vacation sunscreen, Soft Services Smoothing Solution, Necessaire Eucalyptus body wash, French Farmacie Elixir Exfoliant, and a black (one-size) set from NEIWAI (top + bottom)
Happy New Year! ✨💌
Another year of window seat!!!!!❤️