A Grown Up’s Gap Year Retreat – The Whitsundays 2026
Reinvigoration. Real-life escape. And a three-day/four-night circuit breaker for women ready to put themselves back in the picture.
A Grown Up's Gap Year
Don’t let your epitaph read: ‘F**k, I forgot to live my life
Wish you could run away… just for a bit? You’re not alone. I did – left the to-do lists, the family group chat, the mental clutter.
Not forever. Just long enough to come back clearer, braver… and put myself back in the frame.
I’m Monique van Tulder – author, wellbeing and travel writer, certified nutritionist, and long-time advocate for women making space to breathe. To feel better.
The Grown Up’s Gap Year is the antidote to lifestyle overwhelm.
It’s where wellbeing meets escape, reinvigoration meets real life, and fluff-free inspiration and practical ideas help you feel better – without having to upend your whole life.
I don’t do clichés.
I do clarity, healthspan, curiosity, and joy.
No guilt. No hustle. Just smart tools to reset your days, simplify your lifestyle, and expand what’s possible – starting exactly where you are.
– AS FEATURED IN –
Listen to Monique’s Guest Appearance on the ABC Brisbane Drive Show with Ellen Fanning.
Yellowshelf Podcast Appearance
Wellbeing Travel Guides
In 2009, Monique van Tulder launched a lifestyle blog from her kitchen (departing travel management to care for her boys). It’s grown since then. As a wellbeing mentor, travel writer, nutritionist and movement trainer, Monique has you covered. Helping you design your mid-life magic.
If you are a slow traveller, seek a sense of wellbeing, looking for a side order of adventure, come from a place of curiosity, love ‘Retreats’ that actually restore, and tips from chic women who know the local secrets – you are in the right place.
Travel as a Prescription
It’s time to put yourself back in the picture.
To step away from the mental load – and step into the version of your life that still includes you.
Wellbeing at Six Senses Kyoto: Ancient Ritual Meets Urban Retreat
An urban sanctuary in Japan, set in the historic Higashiyama district, and it blends the omotenashi spirit of local hospitality with Six Senses’ signature sustainability, wellness and sensory immersion.
11 Ways to Experience a Solo Wellbeing Retreat Without Leaving Your Neighbourhood
Mid-life wellness travel can start in your own backyard—with a little imagination, intention, and agency.
A Grown Up's Gap Year - THE PODCAST
Introducing the Grown Up’s Gap Year Podcast – a series of interviews.
Women (& a few blokes) Doing Inspiring Things in Fascinating Places.
The sorts of journeys (physical & internal) that are courageous, creative, and totally joyful. Women who have designed a life that suits them – their path may offer possibilities for your options you may never have considered.
A Grown Up’s Gap Year - THE NEWSLETTER
A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Newsletter #25
This week I was interviewed on the Easy Peasy Books podcast by Gillian Whitney who helps everyday writers become published authors. Yes, we talked about turning real life into a book. But mostly, we talked about returning to yourself.
A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Newsletter #24
What are you doing to make life happen, for you? For many women in our community, this chapter — after kids, after compromise, after the shoulds and the schedules — is the first time they’ve even considered putting themselves back in the picture.
A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Newsletter #23
It’s not about dismantling your life. It’s about backing yourself for a minute. What if your so-called second act isn’t about waiting for perfect conditions, but about remembering who you are – and showing up for it?
A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Newsletter #22
This week we talk kerbside shrines and small daily reverence, seasonal eating, onsen bathing, and why Japanese approaches to rest, ritual, and nature feel like a balm in mid-life.
Join A Grown Up's Gap Year conversations
Get a Free copy of the mid-life reinvigoration Ebook
When I hit mid-life I was in for a rude shock. I found myself at the top of everyone’s ‘people we need’ pyramid, & the bottom of my own. An ‘Eat Pray Runaway’ moment – left a still unanswered question.
What to do with my second- act of life?
I’ve jotted down a few ideas in the attached eBook – a starting point.
