BACK TO THE SANCTUARY THAILAND
When I left The Sanctuary last year, I knew I would be returning someday, I just didn't know how soon. As I work my way up from Indonesia to Bangkok ready to fly back home for a family wedding, I decided to spend my last couple of weeks nestled in paradise. Reflecting on my first couple of months of travel, I decided to use this downtime productively.
My Goals
The Sanctuary Thailand
When leaving my 9-5 in March, my goal was not only to travel but also to build a location independent online business. I made it a priority when I landed in Bali and spent a month building my dreams online. Maybe it was naive of me to assume that I would be able to transition straight away after 8 years in corporate. Instead, I decided to visit the rest of Indonesia and South-East Asia. I needed to burn off some steam and I did just that.As I'm sitting here in a Bamboo Hut restaurant looking out onto the beaches of Koh Phangan, I realised that it is time to reset my goals and hold myself accountable to them. So here goes...Getting down to biz in my fave tea temple.
Go to Japan, Laos, Vietnam and Philipines
Even though I'm having a temporary break from my South East Asia travels to spend time with family, I will definitely be returning to the region. I may think twice about Japan due to the cost of travelling, however, I am determined to find a budget-friendly solution.
Step into South America
At the moment I'm dreaming of going to South America and spending a month or two in Colombia to start with. After reading about 10 solo female travel blogs advising of safety issues and problems they encountered, I'm not so sure. I'm also travelling solo which is feeding my anxiety of travelling to South American countries.
Let go and go with the flow
I'm an insane organiser and can easily plan a trip from start to finish. This time around I've been learning to go with the flow, showing up to a location and figuring out a couple of nights at a time. I'd like to feel like I have achieved this to some degree. Booking my flights the night before would have been unheard of five years ago and almost certainly I would have been planning every little detail. The best part is, if I love a place, I have the freedom to stay longer.
Fail more. Fail often. Take Risks.
The Sanctuary Thailand
One of my favourite quotes is that of Steve Jobs where you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. For months I was paralysed by fear into doing nothing which left me unhappy and largely unfulfilled in my daily life. Letting go of everything to start a fresh new life at the age of 30 was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. Yet it feels right. I don't know why but I feel freer and happier already even though I know I have a long way to go. I still have moments of self-doubt creep in and I have no idea where this road is heading. Yet I'd rather be facing the unknown than another year where I can see exactly where the road is heading.Love Why Nam beach!
Health and Fitness
I've been loving the yoga back here at The Sanctuary and the hiking has been so much fun on this trip. During the next few months whether it be walking, cycling, trekking or doing yoga, eating well and staying fit is high on my priorities. Not only does it keep me physically in shape, but also provides mental benefits too.Whilst, not a vegetarian, I've been embracing eating as little meat as possible in South East Asia. It's been really easy here. I'm loving the change in lifestyle. I have nothing against eating meat, however, I find that eating as much as I did really isn't necessary.I'm not sure how easy it will be to continue this trend in other parts of the world but eating well and foodie adventures are definitely high my list!
To Write my First Guest Post
I started my travel blog as really an online journal to my self and a place where I can store my travel photos and stories of my trips. Getting into the swing of blogging, I'll be sharing more and more on the blog and with the rest of the world.
Keep a Travel Journal
So far I've been pretty good at this. I love to read back in my journal and go back to thoughts and experiences that I've probably forgotten about but they bring me back to a moment in time or a place. Getting my fears and anxieties onto to paper is also a great way to let it out when I need to.
Become a location independent boss, running my online business
This in many ways sounds way too ideal to be true. But I've been inspired by so many women online turning their dream into a reality and I am determined to make it happen for myself. It also means embracing the art of slower travel and basing myself in locations for at least a month at a time. As someone who gets the itchy feet syndrome pretty easily, this is going to require some self-control. So what's the business? Funnily it's not my travel blog. You'll just have to wait to find out!One thing I have found is that working online and travel has its conflicts and I'll be using my time more wisely in the coming months to prioritise my online venture.
Back to The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary Thailand | Oops I Booked Again
So yes, back to The Sanctuary. I wrote a post about this last year if you're interested in a secluded island retreat on the more chilled out hip side of Koh Phangan. Not much has changed, the food is still awesome. Coming here during the wet season in Thailand has had its blessings too. The Sanctuary is currently running a discount where if you stay 6 nights, you get 3 free! Of course, I nabbed this straight away!! The weather has been hot and humid, so don't forget the mozzie repellent if you're coming here in June!
It's been a wonderful couple of weeks getting back into yoga, meditation and having time for myself to get clear on my future endeavours. Travel is wonderful and taking this time to clarify my intentions and goals for the rest of the year has been exactly what I needed!So yummy!