John Travolta Is Back in the Pilot’s Seat and Going on ‘Road Trips but With His Private Jet’

John Travolta is ready to embrace a new chapter of his life at 70 – and the sky’s the limit now that the Saturday Night Fever actor is back putting his pilot’s license to use. 

“He’s been holed up at his Florida compound for too long,” a source exclusively tells Closer, adding that the actor “has a desire to get his thrill in the air and see exotic places,” which includes, “the highest mountain peaks in India, historic spots in Europe and smaller towns in America that hold so much charm for him.”

The Pulp Fiction flyboy first earned his private pilot’s license in 1978 – when he was only 22 and just when his hit film Grease was propelling him to stardom – and works to keep his licenses on the up-and-up via a four-day refresher course every year. 

To date, the actor has built up an impressive list of qualifications that includes eight different jet certifications, most recently the go-ahead to pilot a Boeing 737 in March 2022, and reportedly owns at least seven airplanes and a house in Florida with his own private airstrip. 

As the source notes, the aviating A-lister loves to tool around in the air, but also sees his flying freedom as a way to escape the pressures of Hollywood. In fact, John views his soaring sojourns “as a road trip but with his private jet.” 

The star’s fascination with flying is so well known he even has a spot on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian’s National Air And Space Museum.

“John wants to experience it all. He’s got itchy feet. One of life’s joys is traveling and meeting people and John also has a taste for good cuisine, as most people know. He keeps his own personal chef very busy. Now he wants to fly to Michelin-starred restaurants around the world,” the insider says, adding, “He has the time and the money to do it.” 

The Carrie actor married his late wife, Kelly Preston, in 1991. After nearly 30 years of marriage, the Twins actress died at age 57 in July 2020 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. The couple shared three children: Ella Bleu, 24, Benjamin, 13, and Jett, who died in 2009 at age 16 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas.

The tragedy of losing his wife shook John to the core, with the source adding that, “When he lost Kelly, he needed to retreat and grieve.” The actor took almost two years off from filming, “but he’s doing a lot better now with the help of family and friends,” the source tells.

With two more films in the pipeline for the screen icon – That’s Amore! and Cash Out 2: High Rollers – John seems to be back to his old self, which also means he’s picking up his high-altitude hobby again. 

“Everyone’s behind him and telling him he should do whatever makes him happy, and if jetting halfway across the world to see the Northern Lights or have a fabulous meal rocks his boat, he should do it now rather than later.”