We are back from vacation and I look back full of gratitude to almost two weeks in which we were able to recharge our batteries in the sunshine by the sea.
A little fun fact: For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have enough books with me. I usually carry several tactile copies with me – I leave the eReader at home because for me, turning pages is still part of the reading experience in 2025. This time I finished three days before departure and then read all the travel magazines I could find in the hotel. There is hardly anything more relaxing for me than lying on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves in my ears, and sinking into a good book.
We are always asked (and were asked in advance of the trip) why it is the Maldives that excite us so much. Why we keep returning to this destination that offers so little variety. Since we are otherwise such active travelers.
I’ll try to put it into words. It’s been ten years since we first traveled to the Maldives. A very special highlight at the end of our trip around the world. Do you remember?
I’ve always been a summer-sun-beach kind of kid and in my mind, the Maldives were the epitome of beach perfection. When I first saw the crystal clear water, the almost white coral sand and the countless shades of blue, I realized that the reality is even more beautiful than the expectation. A place that took my heart (and my husband’s heart as well) by storm.
A few days ago I read about the Maldives in a travel magazine: “There is no pressure of sightseeing, but more variety than you think.” – and yes, that couldn’t be better. When Chris and I travel, we always want to really get to know a place: immerse ourselves in the culture, see all the sights, experience the country and its people. And we do this professionally for many months of the year. Have I ever mentioned how much I love our job? Nevertheless, with all the input, all the stimuli and experiences, sometimes something very crucial falls by the wayside: finding peace in between.
That’s exactly why, after a very intensive year of travel, it was so important to us on this vacation to really focus on the essentials. The switching off. In a place that doesn’t have any famous sights, but has everything that makes a paradise for us: sun, sand, the sea and an underwater world that puts everything else to shame. As beautiful as a special hotel is, it is nature that makes this place so special for us. No luxury frills, just a focus on the essentials. The beauty of nature.
What really makes me happy? Snorkeling for hours and immersing yourself in a world that is so far away from my everyday life. Observe fish in all the colors of the rainbow, swim for a long time with a turtle, admire the graceful movements of a ray. Or watch the hermit crabs as they run through the sand with the most beautiful shells “as a roof over their heads”.
Just sit on the beach and look at the sea for hours. The water in the most beautiful shades of blue that seems to merge with the equally azure sky.
A flying fox flying from palm tree to palm tree, dolphins appearing on the horizon and the sea sparkling in the golden hour. Knowing that alongside all the problems we humans have caused in this world, there is also so much beauty – so much more than what sometimes makes our everyday lives stressful and burdens us. Just be and ignore the hustle and bustle of everyday life for the moment.
And that’s exactly why we weren’t bored for a second this time either. Because observing and experiencing this beauty without any distractions is simply activity enough. Sometimes all you need is sea, silence and time. This is true luxury for us.
