01
Amsterdam
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I am writing this from my apartment in Kuala Lumpur, looking out at the city lights. Even from up here, I can hear the hum of the traffic below and the sound of motorcycles honking as they pass by. I’m going to close the balcony door now to lower the noise. The city never really stops, does it?
I’ve been traveling for a while now, and here’s what I’ve learned: the world keeps getting louder, but we need quiet more than ever.
Last month, I was in Sibu, Sarawak. The roads were empty, there were very few people, and life felt slow. But the next day, I was back in Kuala Lumpur for work. Everything changed. The streets were jammed, restaurants were crowded, and my WhatsApp was full of people waiting for me to reply. Sitting on my balcony, all I could hear were car horns. My brain felt like a computer with too many windows open at once.
I realized something: I hadn’t heard silence in days.
Quiet is not about running away. It’s about finding balance. It’s about giving yourself space to breathe, to listen, to feel. When the world shouts, quiet whispers: you are enough, you are here, you can rest.
Travel has shown me that quiet can be found in many forms:
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But quiet doesn’t always need a faraway destination. Sometimes it’s a cup of tea in your own kitchen, a walk in the park, or simply turning off your phone for an hour.
The world will always be loud—through traffic, through people, through the endless chase of life. But you don’t have to carry that noise everywhere. Find your quiet place. Protect it. Return to it often.
Because in the end, the journey is not only about where you go. It is also about where you pause, where you listen, and where you finally feel at peace.
I’m not a meditation guru or wellness expert. I’m just someone who got tired of feeling overwhelmed. Here’s what actually worked for me:
Listen to one good song. I pick a nice jazz or acoustic song, leave my phone in another room, and just listen.
Ten minutes of quiet. Every day, I spend ten minutes with no music and no phone. I just drink my coffee and look out the window.
Walking with my camera. I used to listen to podcasts while walking. Now, I just walk and take photos. I listen to the birds and let my mind relax.
Do one thing at a time. It sounds simple, but it works. When I cook, I only cook. When I eat, I only eat. When I am with friends, I give them my full attention.
Saying ‘no.’Â I don’t go to every party or say yes to every job. Sometimes, the best way to find peace is to stop adding more things to your schedule.
The beautiful thing about finding your quiet place? You don’t need to fly anywhere.
I’ve met people who found their quiet in:
Since I started protecting my quiet time, weird things happened.
I sleep better. I make decisions easier. I actually enjoy my loud, busy days more because I know quiet is coming.
I’m more patient with people. More present in conversations. Less anxious about everything.
The world didn’t get quieter. I just found my little pockets of peace inside it.
The world will never stop being loud. Social media will keep buzzing. Cities will keep honking. Life will keep demanding our attention.
But here’s what I learned while staying abroad: quiet isn’t something you find on a map. It’s something you create, protect, and return to.
So my challenge to you is simple: find your quiet place this week. Maybe it’s five minutes, maybe it’s an hour. Maybe it’s a physical place, maybe it’s just turning everything off and breathing.
The world is loud. It always will be.
But you deserve quiet too.
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Where’s your quiet place? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Sometimes we find our best quiet places from other people’s suggestions.
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