One of the greatest pieces of advice about marriage I received was from my mother. She states that you’ll never be the same person so enjoy each others company but still feel the free to do your own individual activities and hobbies and give each other space for their individuality. I love my wife and we respect each other’s hobbies and differences. Trying to do everything together is a trap. We love travelling together but we don’t do everything together on a trip we tend to go about our own interests and meet in the middle.

Hey mate, I just wanted to gently push back on one thing you said - that you don’t have deeper, meaningful connections. 😅I actually think you do, just not in the traditional sense. Your equivalent of a long‑term life partner is this YouTube channel. 😊👍🏼This space right here is something you’ve returned to for years, something you share your thoughts with, something that travels with you, challenges you, and gives structure to your days. In a way, this channel is your “wife.”

You open up here in ways most people only do with someone very close. You reflect, you process, you share your highs and lows, and you let people see the real you. That’s not superficial - that’s a form of intimacy. It’s just a different kind than the one you’re talking about.

And honestly, the reasons you give for staying single make complete sense:

• Your lifestyle is built around movement, spontaneity, and unpredictability - not many people can or want to live that way long‑term.
• You’ve been independent for so long that sharing decisions or space would feel intrusive, not comforting.
• You’re self‑aware enough to know that relationships require stability, compromise, and emotional availability - and you don’t want to offer someone half of yourself.
• You meet people constantly, but the connections are fleeting because you’re always heading in different directions.
• You’ve chosen freedom over attachment, and like you said, that’s a sacrifice you consciously make.


But none of that means you’re without meaningful connection. It just means your deepest connection isn’t with a single person - it’s with your work, your audience, and the ongoing conversation you have through your camera. That’s a real bond, even if it doesn’t look like the traditional version.

Just wanted to remind you that what you’ve built here is a kind of companionship - one that clearly matters to a lot of people, and one you’ve nurtured for years. 😇

In Bali, the conservation of sea turtles—particularly Green Turtles—is uniquely intertwined with local Hindu spiritual practices. This intersection of culture and ecology is governed by a specific legal framework designed to balance religious requirements with environmental protection.

​Sea turtles are considered sacred in Balinese Hinduism and are frequently required for "cleansing" ceremonies and offerings intended to restore spiritual equilibrium. To prevent the poaching of wild populations for these purposes, the Indonesian government permits authorized facilities, such as the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC), to maintain a regulated stock of turtles. This "loophole" effectively channels the demand for ritual animals through controlled, legal means rather than illegal harvesting.

​The "ten-year connection" often associated with these centers refers to the duration some turtles may spend in professional care. Animals are often housed for several years until they are specifically requested for a high-level ritual. During the ceremony, the turtle receives a formal blessing; following this, it is released into the ocean to fulfill the spiritual objective of "restoring balance" between the human and natural worlds.

​Furthermore, many of the Hawksbill and Green turtles seen at these centers are not intended for immediate release. Some are permanent residents or long-term rehabilitation patients recovering from injuries. This explains why certain individuals remain at the facility for a decade or more, serving as both a biological reserve for sacred rituals and a focus for ongoing conservation education.

Thanks for your honesty, Wayne. What you said about the privilege to choose our own sacrifices was unique and profound. I love how you know and accept yourself while appreciating the differences in others. Your authenticity and depth set your content apart from most other YouTube travel content. As a 60-year-old myself, I really appreciate that.

The most important relationship you'll ever have is with yourself. You've heard this before, but it's true. Absolutely nothing external will fill that void.

I’m a long term single woman as well and I appreciate your honest discussion about this…  I love being able to  do what I want and when I want with no other distractions.  It’s  very fulfilling life and I wouldn’t change it  one bit

Your comments remind me that as a former lighthouse keeper on night watch I had to log passing ships. On those nights where there was just inky blackness a ship would come into view in the distance and their lights made them look like sparkling bands of diamonds as they moved slowly along. Occasionally there might be two ships heading in the same direction.  For a while they would be side by side but then travelling at different speeds they would slowly pull apart and disappear. It struck me that this is rather like being alongside people we encounter along the journey. Tavel together for some while then move apart.
As a lighthouse keeper it was always nice to have visitors but then it was sometimes nicer when they left. As creatures we seem to be drawn to be sociable but then we also have an inner instinct to enjoy solitude. Happy sailing.

I really think that we have to be grateful for the cards we have been dealt in life Wayne. You are certainly playing yours very resourcefully. There are millionaires in this world that still aren’t satisfied with their life!

Always a good day when Wayne posts a video

I always travel solo and absolutely love it

Hi Wayne. I totally understand your reasoning to remain single and free. I’m the same so I get it. No strings attached. I’ve been in long term relationships only to end up bored, frustrated and sabotaging the relationship until it ends. I love educated intellectual people and deep philosophical conversations but “days of our dreary lives” leaves me cold. I’ve also travelled extensively throughout Asia and other developing countries but my last trip to the hot steamy Amazon & Peru & being hounded to death to buy buy buy and seeing the domestic animal abuse and neglect has finally finished off any future desires to travel to under developed countries. If I ever travel OS again it’ll be short comfy trips to Greece Italy Ireland Canada Switzerland etc. Great food, cool temperatures and no one harassing me.
I do miss having a great platonic companion but they are very hard to find as most people are needy and want something from you

Your comment about not being able to choose our sacrifices is profound. Thank you.

Those turtles wilp all.die when released. The scientifically accepted conservation method is to mark the nests on the beach with a sign and put a basic fence around the nwst to protect it from people tranpling on them and breaking the eggs. Then when they hatch, they are free to walk into the surf and are being watched to make sure they don'tgo the wrong direction when they hatch at night and go toward city lights instead of the moonlight reflecting on the water. The only time you rescue the turtles is when unknown nests hatch and the turtles wander onto roads or into the city. They imprint on the exact beach they were born and return there many years later to mate and lay eggs. Raising them in tanks like that is essentially a prison and if they are ever released into the wild they will be lucky to survive more than a few months. Never learned how to navigate the ocean or find their own food. They usually starve to death. It is a 100% a scam, not just for money, but in this case, also for religious purposes. Legit places will find baby turtles that got lost or have concerned people bring in baby turtles  they found in town. Then they will check them for injuries and thise without injuries are released into the ocean within 24-48 hours at the absolute most.

Just shy of 40 here, and it’s refreshing to hear that there are plenty of people who also struggle to make relationships work because they feel constricted in the decisions and movements they want to make.

I resonate with your sharing.
The longer you're single, the more you gradually learn how to be alone with yourself, rather than living a lonely life.

While I'm not a traveler, I have been single for long stretches at a time. The older I get and longer I've been single I realize that it's very hard to adjust to thinking about someone else.  I'm so used to worrying about myself, that I forget the simple things a lot of the time, which comes across as not caring and a lack of interest.

Love what you said about how hard it is to be single for so long and yet have to consider never being single again, its a brutal change that i think is too violent a rupture to consider after a while of being single.

Love your observation of having privilege to choose what you want to sacrifice in life. Not everyone has this . Its profound and deep. I am your fan now.

same for me, I am a full time nomad too and there is so much for me to see out there still even though i've been traveling now for almost 3 years.  Some people do find that right companion who are equally into the lifestyle but that is not the norm.  Like you I am used to being solo, does not bother me.

Our visit to the Mahamodara Sea Turtle Hatchery in Galle, Sri Lanka was truly incredible