Is your holiday the only exciting thing in your life?
I wasted £100s doing this
The longest trip I’ve ever booked is a few weeks away now and it’s given me a chance to reflect on how I used to prepare for holidays:
I wouldn’t look at my wardrobe, decide I need entirely new outfits and go high street shopping to spend £100-£200+ on ‘holiday bits’
I’d avoid my daily habits, waiting for the holiday to be the thing that makes me feel better
It’s part of a vicious cycle that kept me in consumer debt, in a scarcity mindset and most alarmingly… nurtured a life that I convinced myself was worth ‘escaping’ via going on holiday.
The worst part is that I know I’m not alone in feeling like this.
So let’s talk pre-holiday spending and life routines.
P.S. check out the comment prompts at the bottom of the email. I’d love to hear from you about your travel routines and the social media pressure of having to have a holiday wardrobe!
1. Embrace a challenge
You know me by know. I love a good challenge—but I’m also focussing on enjoying the journey this year.
I heard a quote recently that’s changed my life a little bit:
“Success is just more of what you’re already doing”
And it really put into perspective why I love challenges so much. It’s because for the duration of the challenge, I’m committing to only the habits that align to my highest self. The version of me I dream about.
Then after the challenge, I start to let excuses take over a bit more. My boundaries loosen up. I slowly fall back into my ‘lowest’ self.
Embracing the fact that success is more of the challenge mindset, I really love to commit to a challenge before a big milestone. Last year, it was doing 75 hard before Mexico. I did my 100 day sprint before fully committing to content creation in January.
And now, Project 60 before my South America trip.
Constantly striving to be my highest self for 8 weeks before this trip is making it all the more rewarding: I feel and look my best. It means I don’t necessarily need the holiday itself to do that for me. A mindset a lot of us fall into.
For 6-8 weeks, I’ve worked on building a life I don’t feel the need to escape from.
It saves me financially AND mentally.
2. Audit your wardrobe
I must sound like a broken record for the amount of times I say this online. But it’s so important to like, know and love your wardrobe. You gotta be excited about the stuff you already own!
So much so, that as your body changes with your life you’re able to keep those things with you.
Tailoring my favourite items gives me the same buzz that buying new stuff used to give me—except it’s 10 times better because I know I already love them, plus they fit me like a glove!
The confidence you have wearing things that are custom fit vs new things just because they’re new is unmatched. I really think you should try and it and just compare the feelings between the two.
3. Reset your relationship with "treating yourself"
Instead of viewing holidays as an excuse to abandon your financial goals or healthy habits, I've learned to reframe "treats" as investments in my highest self.
That might mean:
Investing in experiences over things (cooking classes in my destination vs. new outfits)
Focusing on wellness prep (getting my sleep schedule sorted, establishing a travel workout routine)
Setting intentional goals for the trip that align with my personal growth
This removes the scarcity driven anxiety I get before a holiday when I feel like I have to see, do and eat everything because I’ll never get this opportunity again.
4. Travel-proof your routines with micro-habits
I’ve discovered the beauty of balancing your baseline routines with travel and it has really helped me to not need that post-holiday holiday.
A big part of this is maintaining some kind of focus on fitness and nutrition:
5-minute hotel room stretches (no equipment needed)
Meditation or journalling in the mornings (perfect time to practice presence)
Packing your supplements (daily vitamins)
One protein and fibre-rich meal commitment per day (flexibility without abandoning habits)
Soundbites you missed out on 🎧
60. Are you chasing the wrong dream? On quiet luxury vs authentic living
Double Life · Episode
This week Farah and I talked about quiet luxury and how it’s potentially influencing your goals in a weird way. What does true wealth even look like these days? What is luxury? How can we be more intentional with our money without being materialistic, and does that make you a bad person?
Have a great week!
Devamsha xo
💬 This week’s comment prompts:
What's one 'holiday habit' you're trying to break? Mine was definitely the last-minute shopping spree 😅
If you could design your perfect day at home, what would it look like? (Bonus points if it doesn't involve spending money)
Do you think social media has made us feel more pressure to have 'Instagram-worthy' holiday wardrobes?
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are some ways I could (hopefully) help you:
Become a creator the clever way:
Grab my free Strategic Niche framework (The exact method I used to find my sweet spot)
Get 15% off the Part-Time Creator Guide (Because you don't have to quit your job to build something amazing)
Book a 1:1 coaching call, we'll audit and map out your unique path to standing out online.