A Year of Sondering: Reflections on a Life Lived in Motion

2025 was a truly wonderful year. It marked the beginning of my solo journey of sondering and sauntering, travelling mainly across Asia but ultimately spanning five continents, thirteen countries, countless cities, and far too many beds and accommodations to track. I moved through the world by aeroplane, bus, train, cruise ship, ferry, motorcycle, car, and bicycle, with each mode offering its own rhythm and perspective.

Entering my sixth decade, I made a conscious decision to live differently. I wanted to experience travel with freedom and flexibility, without rigid plans, rules, goals, or objectives. The intention was simply to be, while remaining as safe and secure as possible.

With a medium-sized suitcase and a backpack, I stepped into a life journey focused on growth, experience, human connection, and discovery. I wanted to meet interesting people, see extraordinary places, and repeatedly step outside my comfort zone. Along the way, I created wildivalife.com, not with the ambition of becoming a content creator or vlogger, but as a way to share moments, thoughts, photos, and videos so others could travel alongside me in spirit.

Over time, I was asked many questions such as what do you eat, how do you stay fit, and what do you do every day. I tried to answer these directly, sometimes through blog posts or a periodic newsletter. I am deeply grateful to have a young man assisting me with archiving, posting, and updating content, which allows me to remain present in my experiences rather than distracted by administration.

It would be impossible to fully describe everything that unfolded during my travels in 2025, but I will reflect on a few of the most common questions.

What was your favourite place?

This is perhaps the hardest question to answer. I do not have a single favourite city or country. Instead, I would say my most memorable experiences were in Bhutan, Laos, and Japan, each for very different reasons.

Bhutan had been on my bucket list for years. I designed my own itinerary centered on spirituality, nature, and cultural immersion, choosing not to join a tour group. Instead, I travelled solo with a guide and driver for two weeks, the three of us journeying through Bhutan together.

The experience was deeply transformative. My soul felt awakened and able to breathe. There were no towering buildings, only rivers, creeks, waterfalls, endless greenery, birdsong, and an almost complete absence of noise and light pollution. The peace and serenity among both people and nature were profound. It was everything I had hoped for and more.

Bhutan is one of the few places I plan to return to, perhaps even as a nun, that is another story entirely. I visited several nunneries and met some of the most welcoming, gentle, and beautiful souls, young women training as monks who are known there as nuns.

From Bhutan, I travelled overland through Thailand to Laos, with no expectations, and while awaiting approval of my Vietnam visa. Laos offered a twofold experience. For two days, I travelled by boat down the Mekong River with seven others. It was a serene and spiritual journey, especially after leaving Bhutan. Floating along the river and observing daily life, children playing freely, villagers working, temples standing quietly, elephants and water buffalo moving through the landscape, it felt almost like a safari of human connection and nature intertwined.

Later, I experienced my third artistic epiphany of my life at the Laos Contemporary Art Museum. The museum is set in the middle of a lake and features primarily wood sculptures and carvings. I spent an entire day there, utterly mesmerised. The artistry, effort, creativity, and energy of the artists were palpable. It was indescribable and unforgettable.

Japan challenged me emotionally

Japan nearly broke me, and taught me some of my most valuable lessons. A fellow traveller had warned me that Japan is highly organised, systematic, and structured. Once you understand the system, it is incredibly efficient, but structure governs everything, such as which side of the pavement to walk on. No eating or drinking while walking. No phone use on public transport.

For someone who wanted to simply saunter and be, this was confronting. I did not want systems or rules. I wanted freedom. Instead, I had to constantly learn, think, observe, and adapt. After one week, I wanted to leave.

I was convinced to stay, and I am grateful I did. I ended up mastering the transport system, travelling all over Japan by bus and train, armed with Google Translate and the kindness of strangers. I spent a full month journeying up and down the country, meeting some of the most fascinating and helpful people I have encountered anywhere. Japan stretched me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and in doing so, taught me invaluable life lessons.

Antarctica

There are simply no words to describe Antarctica.

It was another long-held bucket list destination, my final continent, and one I was fortunate to share with my sister. Imagine heaven, pure peace, silence, and serenity, wrapped in extreme cold. It was humbling, breathtaking, and absolutely worth every moment.

How have ten months of travel transformed me?

I am more patient. I worry far less about "what ifs". I am more carefree, humble, joyful, and free. I have learned to let go of rigid goals and objectives, choosing instead to be fully present in the now.I have gained knowledge, insight, and perspective simply by observing, listening, and experiencing. I have learned that when I do not know what comes next, I can release it to the universe and trust that it will come when it is meant to. I travel now with a different set of tools and skills, internal ones.

Other unforgettable moments

Staying in a literal tree house in Chiang Dao, Thailand. Riding motorcycles through Vietnam, chaotic, thrilling, unforgettable. Living with an Indonesian family. Spending time at a rustic spiritual center in Indonesia, practicing silence. Yes, no talking, and yoga. Renting a car and spending two weeks driving across New Zealand’s South Island. WOW WOW. There is truly no other way to experience it.

2025 was not just a year of travel. It was a year of becoming.