There are plenty of people who white-knuckle their way through air travel, but Travis Holland isn't one of them.

"I feel at home," says the Bellingham-based professional pilot of his air time. "A lot of people are uncomfortable flying, but between my passenger time and my pilot time I spend about 1,600 hours on planes (a year)."

And as summer travel season hits full steam, his flight time is only growing.

"I am, unfortunately, blessed with all this travel," says Holland, 34, who owns local bar and restaurant, The Horseshoe Cafe.

In the past month he's flown throughout the South Pacific, and in the next month he'll make his way to Nordkapp, Norway, known as the northernmost point in Europe.

"I don't have that many places to go, so it's good that I fly for a living," says Holland, who works as a contract captain for airline operators worldwide. "My imagination isn't as great as the clients'."

On his flight through the South Pacific, he stopped on Christmas Island, the largest coral atoll in the sprawling island group called Kiribati. The area was speckled blue with lagoons that cut into the crisp white sands.

"(I go to) some pretty remote and exotic places," Holland says. "I squander that opportunity usually and come home to my wife as soon as possible."

A few years ago, Holland was with his clients on a pristine private island, and though the scenery was spectacular, it was missing one key element.

"I should have been like, 'Oh, this is paradise,' " he says. "But I just wanted my wife there."

And when he does get home, he tends to enjoy a simple, grounded life.

"You can't match the views I get in an occupational setting," he says, "so with a house, all I really need is a yard."

Holland has been a professional pilot for four years, with many of his flights taking him over the Atlantic Ocean. But he still remembers that first trans-Atlantic flight. He made it over just fine; it was only when he landed that he got scared.

"That's when I realized all the things that could have gone wrong," he says.

Now travel to Europe is standard for him. His favorite places to see from the air and the ground are Reykjavik, Iceland; Vienna, Austria; and Belgium as well as Southern Italy.

"If you're going to go to one place in Europe, go to Italy," he says. "It's so rich in history."

One of his most memorable moments, though, took place a few years ago, when he flew over the icy cliffs of Greenland. The flexibility that allowed the up-close detour was one of the things that makes flying so rewarding. He asked his passengers if they'd be interested, they said yes and he made a slight change in course that altered the feel of the entire trip.

"It was a near-religious experience for everyone in the aircraft," he says of seeing the cliffs and the snowy white expanse behind them. "It was incredible."