Most of us have created at least a couple of paper airplane tattoos in our lives, so it should come as no surprise that the paper airplane tattoo holds a special meaning for some people.
Just like with every other tattoo design, people will get a paper airplane tattoo for a variety of different reasons. Below you will find just some of the most popular paper airplane tattoo meanings.
Rather than simply getting a regular airplane tattoo, many people will get a paper airplane tattoo to show that they love to travel. To some people, traveling is just about the best thing that you can do in life, so it makes sense that they want to get a tattoo to show their love for moving around the world. There are plenty of designs used to express these feelings, but a more common one is when they have paper airplanes flying around the globe.
Similarly, some people will get a paper airplane tattoo to show that they have an adventurous side. Sure, there are some more obvious tattoos used for this meaning, but the paper airplane can get that message across if designed correctly. It’s a more subtle way to show off someone’s adventurous side, which might be what the owner is going for. Also, the fact that there is an airplane (paper or not) in the tattoo implies that the owner has at least a little bit of adventurousness in them.
Some people will get a paper airplane tattoo to show that they have a carefree attitude. There are plenty of people who want to express that they will “go where the winds take them,” and there aren’t too many better ways to do that than with a paper airplane tattoo. In fact, when this meaning is used, some people will get those exact words (or words like them) tattooed along with the paper airplane.
Most of us made hundreds of paper airplanes as kids, which is why some people like to get paper airplane tattoos to remind themselves of their childhood. In fact, there aren’t too many tattoo designs out there that accomplish that feat on their own like the paper airplane tattoo can. Every time you look at it you can both remember the imaginative times you had as a kid and perhaps tap into that a bit as an adult. Now that’s a pretty powerful tattoo!
If you consider yourself to be a dreamer, you could definitely get a paper airplane tattoo to represent that part of you. While the paper airplane alone can represent your dreamer side, it perhaps works a bit better if you add in a couple more images to make the message a bit clearer. Of course, you could just get the paper airplane by itself if you want to make the meaning a little more personal or if you’d rather tell people the meaning.
Believe it or not, the paper airplane tattoo can also represent more somber things. For example, if someone recently had a tough breakup and wants to learn from those experiences, they might get a paper airplane tattoo to remind themselves that they are carrying their past with them. In this way, it can be a reminder of some bad times, but it can also be a motivational tattoo since you can use it to be a stronger person moving forward.
Conversely, a person can get their paper airplane tattoo as a reminder to let go of the things that have held them back during their lives. These are the paper airplane tattoos that usually have trails behind them, representing letting go of the past. This is a unique take on the paper airplane tattoo, but remember that you can always use this meaning along with some of the others listed on this page.
The paper airplane tattoo can also be used as a reminder to keep moving forward in life. It’s easy to make the paper airplane look like it’s moving on your skin, which is what you probably should do with it if you want this meaning to be clear to outside observers. This is an especially great meaning to use if you are stepping into a new stage of your life and you want to remind yourself to get the most out of each day without dwelling on the past.
The owner of a paper airplane tattoo might just be a writer or they simply love to write. In these cases, the paper airplane tattoo often represents their words taking on lives of their own. It can also show that they can use their words to go anywhere in the world. This is a newer tattoo design for writers, but it’s a more fun design than the classic pen-and-paper tattoo.
Pilots and those who want to be pilots will often get a paper airplane tattoo to show their love of flying. Again, they might get the paper airplane rather than just getting a real plane since the design is a bit more arty and fun. You will often see these paper airplanes broken up into three parts to represent each of the licenses that the pilots needed to get to be able to fly commercial jets. If the owner is currently a pilot, you might see the initials of the military branch that they fly for or the company that they fly for.
Like most origami In Japan, the paper airplane has its own meaning. The paper airplane represents starting all over or “throwing yourself” into the future. While these are Japanese meanings, many people in Western countries will get the paper airplane tattoo for the same reasons since they want to use the tattoo as a way to motivate themselves throughout their lives.
Sometimes people get their paper airplane tattoos simply because they love the look of the design. Actually, that’s a more common reason than you might think. While it’s true that many people want to put as much meaning as they can into all of their tattoos, designs like the paper airplane kind of have simple meanings built right into them. Plus, this is the type of design that gets the “cool tattoo” comment because everyone has at least a couple of memories of making paper airplanes when they were younger.
As you can see, there is a lot more meaning in the paper airplane tattoo than most people would assume. It might look like a simple little design, but it can have more meaning to the owner than some of the other more complex tattoo designs out there. Yes, some people will simply get a paper airplane tattoo because they like that simple design, but those same people have a whole host of other meanings that they can attach to their tattoos later on in life.
Are you thinking about getting a paper airplane tattoo? It’s a good idea to think about exactly what type of airplane design you want to get before committing to anything. You can stick with a simple plane with creases, or you could add more elements to make the tattoo more personal. You might even decide that you want to have a smoke trail behind the plane with some words on it. Just like with most other tattoo designs, the possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to picking out a paper airplane tattoo design.
Many people assume that the paper airplane tattoo has to be a black-outlined tattoo no matter what. Well, the truth is that plenty of people who get this tattoo decide to get it either with a splash of color or even in full color. You could give the wings a little bit of color to make it jump off the skin a bit more, or you could even keep the plane back and gray but have it traveling through a bunch of colors. There are a lot of creative avenues you could take when designing your paper airplane tattoo.
You’ll also want to think about the area of your body where you will get the paper airplane tattoo drawn on you. To come up with the best location, you’ll want to think about the paper airplane tattoo that you are going to be using. For example, if you are using a meaning that you’ll want to be reminded of often, you might want to get a paper airplane tattoo on your wrist or forearm. If it is a private meaning, you might choose to get it on your back or your leg.
The paper airplane tattoo might not be the most popular tattoo design out there, but it’s not surprising at all that more and more people are deciding to get this design over many others. There are plenty of paper airplane tattoo meanings to choose from, and it also happens to be a very cool-looking tattoo for such a simple design. It won’t be surprising at all if the paper airplane tattoo continues to be a top choice for people who have fond memories of making them when they were kids.