Hi Reader

After spending the last couple of weeks talking about holidays, I have a confession…

…I am already thinking about the next one!

Not necessarily another big, expensive, long-haul trip. My bank account would probably like a word with me if I suggested that quite so soon after Malaysia.

But I do think I've learned something from the whole experience.

"I'll book a break when I need one" is apparently not a very good strategy for me.

Because, as we established a couple of weeks ago, when I really need a break I'm also apparently the woman insisting that she's absolutely fine and saying "maybe later" every time someone suggests otherwise.

So I've been thinking differently about breaks altogether, and particularly about having things to look forward to before I desperately need them.

I don't mean living from holiday to holiday, wishing away all the ordinary Wednesdays in between. I'm a huge believer in building a life you actually enjoy living day-to-day, and I certainly don't want to spend 48 weeks of the year tolerating my life so I can escape it for four.

I mean creating little pockets throughout the year where life gets to feel different.

Sometimes that's a big adventure.

Sometimes it's really, really small.

And I think we underestimate how valuable both can be.

Malaysia happened to be what I needed this time. I wanted somewhere familiar enough that I wasn't using loads of mental energy navigating a completely new country, but new enough that I could explore parts of it I'd never seen before. I wanted to hike, ride horses, eat ridiculously good food, wander around new places and wake up wondering what I fancied doing that day.

I wasn't exactly lying horizontally beside a swimming pool for two weeks.

For me, that was restorative.

Someone else might look at my itinerary and need a holiday just from reading it!

And that's sort of the point.​
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We talk about "taking a break" as though there's one universally restorative way to do it, but what actually feels replenishing depends enormously on what you've been carrying before you go.

If you've spent the last three months making decisions from the second you open your laptop, perhaps your nervous system doesn't need a meticulously planned city break where you've booked breakfast, lunch, dinner and a museum into seventeen-minute windows.

Maybe you need somewhere where the biggest decision of the morning is pool or beach.

On the other hand, if life has felt monotonous and you've spent months sitting behind the same desk looking at the same four walls, perhaps lying still for seven days will drive you absolutely mad and what you're craving is novelty, movement and adventure.

If you've been socially "on" for weeks, you might need some time by yourself. If you've been feeling disconnected, perhaps what you really want is a few days laughing with people you love.

There isn't a one correct answer.​
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Which is why, rather than immediately asking "Where should I go?", I've started thinking there's a better question: What am I actually craving a break from... and what do I want more of?

Maybe you need less decision-making and more ease. Less noise and more nature. Less responsibility and more play.

Maybe you don't need less of anything at all. Maybe you've just been craving more connection, adventure, novelty or fun.

That answer can completely change what a restorative break looks like. And importantly, it doesn't necessarily require a plane ticket.

A break can be two weeks in another country, yes.

But it can also be a weekend somewhere an hour from home, taking a Friday off and going hiking, staying with a friend you haven't seen for ages, booking a spa day, trying a new restaurant, going somewhere beautiful for the day or using your annual leave to stay at home with absolutely nowhere you need to be.

I think we sometimes make rest so grand that we accidentally make it inaccessible.

We tell ourselves we'll take a proper break when we have enough money, enough annual leave or enough space at work, and meanwhile there are lots of smaller opportunities to change pace that we completely overlook.

This is particularly important when your job asks a lot from you mentally.

A week away once a year is wonderful.

It can't be the only time your brain gets the message that it is allowed to switch off.

So one thing I'm going to be much more intentional about from now on is having the next exhale somewhere in my calendar.

It doesn't have to be another big holiday.

It could be something I'm looking forward to next month, a weekend away in a few months and perhaps a bigger adventure sitting further out on the horizon.

Just something that breaks up that endless feeling of work... weekend... work... weekend... work.

Because I've realised I don't want my year to become one enormous stretch of responsibility punctuated by an emergency holiday when I finally can't keep going anymore.

And I don't think we need to wait until we're exhausted to deserve something lovely.

So here's my little invitation for you this weekend.

Open your calendar and look at the next few months.

Where is your next exhale?

If you can't see one, perhaps put something in.

It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to involve travelling anywhere. It doesn't even need to make sense to anyone else.

Big or small, adventurous or gloriously boring, give future you something to walk towards that isn't another deadline.

And while you're there, ask yourself what you actually need from it.

Rest?

Adventure?

Connection?

Solitude?

Fun?

Nature?

Absolutely nothing whatsoever?

You might find that question tells you much more than searching "best holiday destinations 2026" ever could.

And because I've spent the last few weeks sharing my travels with you, now I want to be nosy...What's your next exhale?​
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Hit reply and tell me what's coming up, however big or small. And if the answer is currently "nothing", perhaps tell me what you'd like it to be.

You may accidentally inspire my next one too!

With care and wellness,

Cat