I’m a big fan of reading travel books, magazines and blogs. I scan the travel supplement of the Sunday newspaper every weekend reading about new and exotic travel places to seek adventure. I get excited reading about a place and then visiting it for the first time filling up my sensory organs with new smells,…
Having a sense of purpose can work wonders for your mental health and happiness. As you approach retirement, you may have mixed feelings: excitement for a new season and the end of your working days; as well as anxiety over the clean slate and how you will spend your time. While you are preparing for…
Lately I’ve been feeling unmotivated and guilty for not leading what I feel is a “meaningful” life. These feelings of despondency, boredom with my life and disinterest in things that I normally enjoy doing, has begun to worry me. I even started to think that I was a little depressed. This new year/new decade, I…
2019 has been another eventful year for me with plenty of happenings throughout the year. Not only did I move interstate into a new home, but I retired from my job, gained a new granddaughter, went on my first ever women’s health retreat in Bali, holidayed in Sri Lanka and The Maldives and spent some…
I’m a big fan of the Australian TV series titled “Escape From The City” on the ABC and the British version of “Escape To The Country” on the BBC. It’s interesting learning what motivates people to move from the city to the country or seaside. In most cases the people making the big move are…
It’s that time of year when we’re starting to think “good riddance to Winter”. We’re looking forward to seeing the last of the chilly weather, jeans, jumpers, boots and scarves, heaters, electric blankets and open fires. Although we enjoyed comfort food like soups, stews and casseroles, we’re looking forward to eating lighter with salads and…
So you’ve saved up for that once in a lifetime holiday and headed off to your dream destination. You’ve budgeted for visas, internal transfers, meals, accommodation and tours, but what about shopping for gifts and souvenirs? Most travellers like nothing more than purchasing a memento of their travels and bringing gifts back home to their…
Beware of affordable holiday packages! From our recent experience with the “cheap as chips” travel agency, TripADeal on a 14 day Sri Lanka/Maldives trip there is absolutely no flexibility. Once you’ve booked and paid there is no flexibility and no changes can be made. It doesn’t matter if you’ve moved interstate, had a death in the…
Retirement! It conjures up all sorts of images. Recliner chairs, grey nomads, endless cups of tea, lawn bowls, afternoon naps and $10 roast nights at the local club – just to name a few! Until I reached a certain age this is how I pictured retirement because this basically describes my parent’s or even my…
For the past six months or so I’ve been contemplating retiring from my part-time job as a hotel social media and communications assistant. Everyone said that I had the dream job. I worked from home with flexible hours, my work was interesting and varied and I worked with a great bunch of women. But something…