A letter from Chief of Editorial Content Kerry Tinga, accompanying Lifestyle Asia’s September 2025 print edition on the theme Travel and Motion.
“In spite of all the risks invovled–a thing in motion will always be better than a thing at rest; that change will always be a nobler thing than permanence; that that which is static will degenerate and decay, turn to ash, while that which is in motion is able to last for all eternity.”
Nobel Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk wrote this in her fragmentary novel Flights. In its original Polish, it was published under the title Bieguni, referring to a sect of Old Believers who thought motion was the secret to avoiding evil.
This idea captures exactly what we’re exploring in our third issue: Travel and Motion. Following the natural sequence of sections introduced in this year’s refresh–from understanding ourselves to expressing our style–we’ve arrived at Experiences, and specifically, how we move through the world beyond our immediate spaces.
Travel and Motion feels like the ultimate expression of freedom and luxury for our generation: luxury as the capacity to move, to choose, to experience the world’s infinite variations. This issue explores movement in all its forms, from literal journey to even finding the perfect place to pause and take it all in. Because motion only gains meaning when balanced with moments of stillness.
Our cover story with Monica Lorenzo, Director of Leisure Development at Torres Lorenzo Development Corporation, perfectly embodies this balance. Thanks to Philippine Airlines, which enabled our team’s journey, we found ourselves at the stunning Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation in Davao de Oro. The property’s hospitality and breathtaking setting—with art installations nestled among the tropical landscape and the sound of the ocean as our soundtrack—reminded us that the best travel experiences often involve finding the perfect place to pause and absorb a new environment.
We’ve got stories about progress and presence, destinations and transformations. We delve into the mind-body connection and overcoming the freeze response that can block us from seizing opportunities. Our travel stories take you from the local landscapes of Batanes to the thoughtful beauty of Sikkim, India, while photographer Gab Mejia shares insights on capturing the beauty of the world through his lens. We explore the growing momentum of electric vehicles; the kinetic energy of The Fifth Wall Festival, celebrating dance and movement; and the restoration of “moving” pictures in Philippine cinema.
As you explore this issue, I hope you’ll find inspiration for your next adventure, or at least the motivation to embrace a little more motion in your daily life. The Bieguni understood something essential: that movement itself can be a form of faith. After all, the good life is rarely about staying put.
Welcome to our third issue.
This article was originally published in our September 2025 Issue.
Banner photo by Paolo Torio
