WELLNESS TOURISM

Wanderlust When I think of the ultimate traveller, birds come to mind. Watching one disappear into the horizon, wondering where it came from, and where it is heading next. Some birds spend most of their lives in flight, constantly travelling around the world guided by instinct, weather and light. Others return to the exact same patch of earth every season. Filling the sky with motion and bringing song to our lives, no landscape picture quite captures their omnipresence. Yet, they’re there,...

Wanderlust Somewhere right now, in a packed stadium, in living rooms, in pubs and sports bars with the volume turned all the way up, people are watching the FIFA World Cup. It has held a global audience captive for the better part of a month, with a viewership split of roughly 70 percent men to 30 percent women worldwide. The World Cup is just the loudest example right now. Because while the final whistle has blown and the win is celebrated, there are also cycling, golf and tennis...

Meaning Mid-Year Reflections We're halfway through the year already. Midpoints have a way of turning into audits of everything we set out to do: the wishful thinking, the resolutions and the goals. The mind can have a tendency of loudly counting what we missed rather than crediting what we did build, or focusing on highlights rather than how we felt and our own wellbeing. Somehow, it reduces our time to the human doing over the human being. Before stepping into the second half of the year,...

Integration Trigger warning: This text discusses death, bereavement and loss. This week I am sharing the inspiring story of Rachel Tan, whom I contacted for an interview. I am delighted she agreed. Raised with a strong work ethic, she worked hard to get a degree from Uni, build a stable career, following a traditional formula many of us were taught to pursue. Soon she landed a job which brought her to corporate London, living as an expat overseas. There was no resting on those laurels. A...

Meaning Across cultures, islands have long represented escape, solitude and survival. By the sea, life is more exposed to the elements, and you quickly learn to adapt to them. Island life tends to be about keeping things simple and finding practical solutions. Sometimes a rediscovery of old ways of doing things. When everything is stripped back to essentials, much of what goes on in the world becomes noise and you make do with what is in front of you. While island life has universal appeal,...

Action People tend to play more to their strengths and less to their weaknesses. In social settings, at work, in relationships, in life. It is logical and good, but there is nuance in everything. Because when it comes to movement, the body will tolerate playing to strengths while ignoring pain or adapting around injuries only for so long. Longevity, physical health and athleticism are a sum of both strengths and weaknesses. Movement patterns often end up looking like this: those who are...

Equanimity Envision reading your book on a sun lounger in Barbados, the Caribbean in every shade of blue beyond your bare feet. Going for a dip in the sea. Someone passing to kindly refill your glass. The sea breeze caressing your skin. Your eyes, drifting up to the blue sky, relaxing on the glittering water and horizon, then returning to your reading. Or imagine staying in a Moroccan seaside medina. You have just enjoyed hammam and a massage. Settling in with a book on the rooftop terrace,...

Action Certain life chapters, seasons or even ordinary days can bring out feelings of overwhelm. Sunday evenings can be particularly challenging. We finally had a moment to disconnect from routine and forget time altogether. Still in weekend bliss, someone mentions tomorrow and there it is: the reality of Monday hitting us with force. The stomach drops. The mind starts racing. As the week towers ahead, we think: Oh no, here we go again. A horrid sensation of being behind on everything,...

Wanderlust Some of travel used to be for stimulation. Novelty. Entertainment. More. But a lot has changed. Modern life is already accelerated through a novelty spiral. Man-made environments are designed to stimulate us, conditions that are intended to distract and draw us away from ourselves. The devices we carry around also compete for our attention. With the average attention span per social media post at 8 seconds, content is aimed at hooking us in less than 3 seconds. Think about that....

Meaning Birthdays come and go, but certain milestones warrant more significant celebrations. Career accomplishments can fly under the radar but achieving meaningful goals merits reward. Similarly, a wedding anniversary may be acknowledged privately, but being in love is worth celebrating daily. Life’s special occasions; honeymoons, retirement, friends’ reunions and spontaneous vacations, all draw global visitors to The Riviera, a region synonymous with elegance and celebration. All year round...