Destination weddings these days have become more of an easily accessible dream for all couples alike and being at an age where majority of my friends were currently in long-term relationships, marriage was only a natural progression for many of them. One of my very first weddings as an adult was luckily a couple of my best friends and this time it was in Phuket.

Whenever I’m travelling I always somehow end up using my time to reflect on my life. So on my connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Phuket, I did exactly that. The thoughts that ran through my head were things like “have I made enough progress in three months,” “am I a failure if I still miss home,” “will I even want to go back to London after this trip,” “what other life admin do I need to do when I get back” and “I can’t wait to see friends from home.” Looking back on this now I can see I was definitely a bit too hard on myself on top of all of the other pressures that come with moving overseas but I think that’s what every expat tends to do to themselves unknowingly. Not wanting to fail and call it a day as it would be the worst conclusion to a dream all expats have had.

SUNSET WEDDING

A sunset wedding on the cliffs of Phuket, overlooking Naithon beach. It was the perfect setting to celebrate the love between Ana and Alex. Seeing some of my closest friends was one of the most comforting feelings. My home away from home for a week. Picking up from where we left off, the same mannerisms, the same banter as I remembered it, the same inside jokes and realising that life of your closest friends goes on even when you move away. Yet no matter how long you go with not seeing people, nothing really changes with your true friends. Just more life stories to update each other on. I could feel like myself again, without having to try. Which is exactly how the vibe of the wedding felt like. Natural and effortless. Watching a childhood best friend of mine, marry the love of her life. Phuket will now always be where Ana and Alex began the next chapter of their lives together.

MAXIMISING YOUR TIME IN A NEW COUNTRY

Having been away from home for a few months had allowed me some time to reflect and really appreciate what I had before I left home. Not just Australia, but my own cultural background of being Filipino. In ways I found Thailand to be similar to Philippines in many ways. Which is why I think I was able to really take in the Thai culture when I was exploring.

Now it may sound glamorous to say that you’re earning Pounds instead of the Australian dollar, but let’s be completely honest here. Using pounds in London doesn’t really get you far. In fact because of this, you either learn how to be frugal with your money quite fast (bye-bye weekly high-maintenance routine) or you end up draining all your savings and live pay check to pay check. However one of the perks of earning pounds is its high value in so many other countries. This meant I could splurge a little bit in Thailand. Minus all of the catching up with friends and wedding related events, I blocked out my last day for proper sight-seeing.

How do you cover as much of a new city in Asia and maximise the limited amount of time you have? Hire a driver for the day. It’s something I can’t vouch enough for. I did some quick research on the best things to do, asked a couple of locals and was able to chop and change the day based on traffic & priority. In the span of half a day, I managed to cover: Old town, Tiger Kingdom, Temples, Big Buddha and lastly ending my trip at the airport. So if you’re running extremely short on time, consider this as another option to be able to see as much of one place as you can.

From now on, whenever I think of Thailand, I’ll always remember the beautiful newly weds Ana and Alex and how Phuket was my home away from home, even for just a week. This was the break that I needed to reset, recharge and mentally prepare myself to tackle the next chapter of my expat experience.

Your sincerely,
Paola
The seasoned traveller