Every new city; a forced reset

Landmark Onsen Ecopark, Hanoi, Vietnam - 2026

We just landed in Hanoi, Vietnam and I could not be more excited to be here. I have been waiting for this destination with so much excitement since we booked it 9 months ago but not for the reasons you may be thinking. With so much world to see and so many destinations on the list, sometimes, for us, the most exciting part is the reset that comes with moving and the properties we get to experience. 

We have just spent the last 5 months travelling around Southeast Asia. Spending 2 months in Thailand, one month in Cambodia and 2 months in Vietnam, with another month to go in our new location in Hanoi. We are still trying to find the sweet spot for how often we want to be moving locations.

With our slow travel lifestyle, we spend 30, 60 or 90 days in each location, depending on visa allowance, weather, season, cost, how busy we are with work and what we want to experience.

There is a lot that we take into consideration before we book.  

The worst part we have come to realize about moving so often is how disruptive it is to our lives and how much discipline it takes to not let a move completely throw us off our game.

It is so distracting moving to a new city or country and now that we are moving more often than we did when we were travelling around Europe, we have to be pretty strict with our routines, planning and schedules. There is always something new to see and somewhere exciting to go.

One of us is much better at being disciplined than the other, thankfully.

Surprise, it’s not me.

I find it difficult to keep up with my routines on a good day with no distractions, now throw in a new city, a new neighbourhood to explore and a new coffee shop to fall in love with and I’m out the door. But after 3 years of this I have had lots of practice, and I know that my routines and self care are crucial for my mental health. I am quite proud of myself at how consistent I have become while travelling. Surprisingly it has become one of my favourite parts of travelling that I would have never guessed.

Every time we move it’s a forced reset and it’s such a wonderful opportunity.

In my traditional life years ago, if I got off track, distracted with work or events or stressed, it could sometimes take so long to realize I wasn’t doing the things that make me feel good, or even worse, I kept doing things that make me feel bad. Like… how did I wake up one day and realize I’d been stressed and depressed for 6+ months… maybe even years? I’m sure this is very relatable.

Now, the beautiful thing is, that every time we move, we get to reassess what we are doing and if it is working for us or if we need to course correct. We discuss how we are feeling, we reflect on our time in that location, we look at what we have been eating, if we have been hitting our step goals, what we have been consuming (social media), how our spending has been, if we have been consistent with our self care, how are we managing work, etc.

We look at the big picture and see what has been working for us and what we want to tweak or change. We talk about what we want to accomplish, what matters most, and how we want to feel in the next place.

One of our favourite parts about moving to a new destination.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to be present and connect as husband and wife, business partners and travel buddies.

I can honestly say this has become one of my favourite parts about full time travel. Every move feels like a fresh start. One day, way in the future if we stop travelling full time and go back to a more traditional lifestyle, this is a practice I would want to carry with me.

Landmark Onsen Ecopark, Hanoi, Vietnam - 2026

After spending the last 5 months living in big city chaos, like Bangkok and Da Nang, kind of “glamping” in Cambodia, and having so many visitors in February, March and April (15!!), we knew it would be time to give ourselves a special experience with some intentional peace and quiet and self care.

We just arrived to a Japanese-inspired wellness residence located about 45 minutes from Old Town Hanoi. It’s designed around calm everyday living, with in-suite mineral hot spring pumped into our bathtub and our own infrared sauna. The building also has a shared Onsen, gym and pool and is set right in an Eco Park so we can walk in nature everyday.

It is a welcomed change of pace and now it’s time for my nervous system to do a little reset this month before we head off to more new locations and adventures.

I am very grateful to be here, at this exact time.

It feels magical.

Since Japan is known globally for their longevity, life balance and preventative health practices, the idea of living in an entire neighbourhood that is designed around Japanese wellness culture was an experience we did not want to pass up. How we stumbled upon this gem is a mystery and I cannot deny the divine timing of this opportunity. We just keep following the breadcrumbs and going with the flow and its amazing to see how everything plays out.

So we get to experience Hanoi, Vietnam in such a unique way. In the middle of a Japanese wellness bubble in the center of the beautiful chaos of Hanoi.

And with the new energy of this location, sitting in a new café, talking about our forced reset goals, I felt called to bring back the travel blog.

Two years ago, I tried to start this blog, but I wasn’t ready.

I was exhausted, figuring out who I was, how I wanted to show up, and worried about what people would think. Although I started writing a lot, it never saw the light of day. There was too much change going on in my life to ever figure out how to express it in words.

Now 3 years in to full-time travel, I feel purposeful, peaceful and inspired to start expressing myself, even if it’s just a little bit. Even though it’s uncomfortable. Even if I still have no idea what I want to say or what this will become. Maybe the knowing will come from the doing, as they say.

Either way, doing new things and getting outside of my comfort zone seem to be working, so it’s worth a try.