Too much travel? - Sunday Surprise [18-May-25]
Writing newsletters on the road...
Hello from Perth! Somewhere between time zones and boarding gates, I realized something strange: I might actually prefer staying home…
Have you been travelling recently? Or are you currently? Hit “reply” and let me know! Housekeeping stuff below as usual!
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Over the past few editions, I’ve mixed things up—sharing a weekly monologue when I’ve got something to say, and skipping sections if I don’t have fresh finds. I used to feel anxious if I hadn’t discovered something newsletter-worthy by Friday.
But this isn’t just about what I think—it’s about what you enjoy. So what do you think of the new rhythm?
Too much travel?
This morning, as I packed my bags for the fourth longest flight in the world, a surprising thought crossed my mind: I’d rather stay home.
Not exactly the kind of sentiment I would’ve expected from younger me—the one who idolized perpetual motion and saw airports as portals to freedom. Back then, the dream was to travel indefinitely. Before digital nomads were a thing, I already wanted to be one.
But now? I crave stillness. And for the first time, I think I’ve discovered my travel limit.
It’s not that I’ve stopped enjoying travel entirely (although that was a genuine worry I had for a hot minute). It’s just that the way I enjoy it has changed. I used to get a thrill from hopping cities, chasing time zones, and mentally high-fiving myself every time I added another stamp to the passport. These days, I feel every hour of jet lag. My sleep gets weird. I get sick more often. What used to be “minor inconveniences” are now very loud, very opinionated party guests who refuse to leave.
And yet, here’s the twist that softened the melancholy: I realized that back then, travel represented freedom—an escape from routines I didn’t love, a way to remind myself that life could be bigger and wilder than the 9-to-5 I was stuck in.
Now? I like my routines. I like my life. I like coming home. I’ve even caught myself experiencing... the opposite of holiday blues? (Holiday greens?)
And as I sat reflecting on all this during the first leg of the flight, I realized this isn’t just about travel. I think most of us have something we once adored that now has a different shape. Sports, food, hobbies, relationships—what once lit us up might now feel distant or even exhausting.
For a while, I took that as a sign of becoming cynical, or worse—old. But maybe it’s just... normal. Natural. Healthy, even.
Like with books: if you love reading, you don’t read the same story forever. Maybe you move from quick, glossy magazines to a novel you can sink into. Maybe you used to live for epic sagas but now prefer short stories that leave space between the lines. The love of reading doesn’t go away—it just finds new forms.
So no, I haven’t fallen out of love with travel. I’ve just stopped speed-dating countries. These days, I’d rather settle in, get to know one place slowly, and maybe even learn how the locals take their tea.
This trip, ironically, is going to be one of the fast-paced ones—lots of jumping around, not much time to pause. And it’s made me even more aware of how my desires have shifted.
But that’s the gift of discomfort, isn’t it? It shows us where we’ve changed…
Or maybe it’s just that I miss my cats when I travel?
Creative updates
It’s been a fairly productive week of creating things. We’ve finally recorded and released the newest episode of the podcast. And I released another Youtube videos…
randInt podcast - Free Food! - Chandra discovers something that civilisation has known for centuries…
Youtube - Boox Note Air 4 C - I love e-ink tablets so I bought a colour one for my birthday. Here’s a first look.
Interesting articles
Tesla Self Drive is (kinda) working in Melbourne!
Self-driving Teslas in Melbourne?! It’s happening. Nearly 10 years after Elon’s promise, here’s the first glimpse of it in action down under.
Real-life alchemy? LHC is turning lead to gold
Turns out, the alchemists may have been right: turning lead into gold MAY be possible, if you have the perfect scientific accident…
Great tech
Eyemask with bluetooth - I use my Manta Sleep eye mask almost daily but on planes, I like some background music or white noise to drown out the inevitable sounds from other passengers. This looks like the perfect combination - unfortunately it didn’t arrive in time for this trip!
Weekly Update
This week has been a whirlwind of work, conference, tidying up and being a bit ill… Here’s a quick summary.
Given that I’m on this trip, I only booked the last few things in the last few days (in fact, there is one night of accommodation that I’ll be booking after this email goes out.🤣)
Digital Health Festival was on this week and our start-up, i-scribe had a great booth set up! Lot’s of interesting innovations on the horizon
Had multiple dinners to attend this week - One at my favourite Vietnamese Steakhouse. Something didn’t agree with me though
Woke up at 1am with cramping pain and… well, lets say I was going to the bathroom. It settled a bit by 330am but I still wasn’t quite right so I phoned in sick
By the afternoon I was feeling tired, but back to normal - queue the guilt for the rest of the day!
Another friend invited me over for a dinner a day later - I kept things light on the food front. They’re renovating and I was blown away by their renovated guest bathroom- the sink is carved from a solid block of stone!
As always, pics and more over on the blog…
Quote of the week
This week from an author who really wrote some interesting books on expanding the mind…
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