A life + travel visual diary

The end of 2025 and the beginning of January felt full and fast. We spent Christmas with my boyfriend’s family in Victoria, then flew to Sydney to welcome the New Year. After weeks of movement and celebration, we finally returned to Phuket — right in the busiest season of the year. Somehow, in the middle of it all, I learned how to slow down.

Phuket is lively and charming, a place that can easily pull you into constant activity or late nights. But this year, we chose differently. We decided to stop drinking alcohol altogether, and I made a quiet commitment to reduce processed sugar as much as possible. While my boyfriend spends up to three hours a day training in Jiu-Jitsu, I fill my time working on personal projects and keeping our home grounded and calm.

After months of travelling around Southeast Asia, we’ve grown used to living out of suitcases — packing, unpacking, adjusting to new spaces, rebuilding routines over and over again. Phuket feels different. There’s a sense of staying, of settling, even temporarily.

Our days are simple. We wake up around 5:30 or 6 in the morning, open the blinds before the sun rises (sunrise comes at 6:40 here), and make our first coffee of the day. Breakfast is usually oatmeal or yoghurt. I cook a big, nourishing lunch with vegetables and meat, and dinner is made up of whole, uncomplicated foods. Life in Rawai moves at a slower, steadier pace — and so do we.

I used to think healthy living required discipline, rules, or motivation. Phuket taught me otherwise. When life slowed down, my body followed. The more consistent my days became, the less I felt the need to control them. Wellness stopped being a goal and became a byproduct of how I was living.

We’re counting the days until we move to Australia, and I feel genuinely excited about the decision. The slower pace, healthier choices, and more conscious way of living we’ve found here are things we’re carrying with us into our next home. If you’re still here, still reading along — thank you. I hope you enjoy witnessing this transition as much as I am living it.