Ooh, am I a travel blogger yet?! As you’re reading this, I’m chilling on the island of Bali, so here’s my first post of the ‘Bali Series’…First off, where even is Bali? Bali is a small island in Indonesia and it is kind of like Australia’s version of what Spain is for us Brits, apart from the fact that it is sheer and utter paradise. I remember last year, seeing the beaut Meg visit Laura over there, and I was smitten almost immediately, it went straight to the top of my Adventure List. As more and more people traveled to the island, my love for it grown.
My boyfriend and I decided this year we would have a handful of long weekend city breaks to the likes of Rome and Amsterdam, but when hearing my friends talk about their plans, I had a quick chat with my boyfriend and booked flights… for in 6 weeks time.
I’m not going to lie, panic set in. Surely, you need time to organize and plan a traveling trip, right? I mean I've only ever done a package holiday before... NAH! It has been an absolute breeze…
The hardest part is booking the flights as everything can be a bit hit and miss. As it’s a lo0o0o0ong way to travel, you want to look at several things; price, layover time and departing times, most of which we nailed. We booked our flights using Expedia but through Quidco, which is a cashback website. There was a deal where if you bought flights and hotels together, you got a discounted price. For around £500 each, we got Emirates flights with brilliant times, transfers included and our first 3 nights in a Boutique Spa Hotel. Buzzing! It’s all about looking for the best deal.
We first decided which parts of the island we were gonna see. If you take away travel days, we’re there for 12 days and we’ve managed to squeeze in 5 different parts of Bali, which is insane. I researched and read about places to visit and the best spots, mostly using Lonely Planet and reading other blogs, and drew out a little route on a map and we were set.
Now, we’re not staying in ‘Boutique Spa’ hotels all the time, I’ll tell you that. But places to stay over in Bali can be so cheap if you reserve in advance and have a look about. By reserve, I mean, we booked with Booking.com which means at most places you pay when you arrive and have free cancellation up until a week before, which is great if there’s a chance you might change your plans!
We looked on Hostel World and Trip Advisor for hotel/hostel/homestay recommendations around the areas we were staying in. We were budgeting to around £10-£15 per night each and looked at Wi-Fi, Air Conditioning and Breakfast Included so that it was one meal less to pay for. What we found was that good places, if you’re willing to take a risk are so cheap. We didn’t go for the fanciest option in most places, but went for places with character and on average, our accommodation for the duration of our holiday is costing us £8 a night each – amazing!
Another great little tip is to search the hotel on Instagram and check out people’s recent photographs of it, it’s a great way to get a realistic view of it!
Next is activities to do around the island, although we haven’t pre-booked any, we have some level of indications of what we’re going to do whilst we’re in different parts of the island. Again, the best place to look for these is the likes of Expedia and Trip Advisor, and read what the people are saying! I would of loved to have swam with dolphins, but all the reviews mentioned how badly looked after they seemed, so we decided against it! Go in with an open mind, I mean, if you’re going to do anything, it may as well be in Bali!
I’ll comment on the budget when I get back, but everyone who I’ve chatted to has said how cheap it is. Looking at menus and the likes online, you can pay less than a tenner for a decent evening meal, and beers can be £1 – HAPPY DAYS!
What I’ve learnt from this trip is that it’s bloody good to do something spontaneous and to take risks. & whoever said traveling is expensive, bull-shit. It cost me more for 2 weeks in Lanzarote, spending money included than it has for 2 weeks on the other side of the world!
Megan. xoFacebook - Twitter - Instagram - Bloglovin - YoutubeCheck out my June advertiser - Yes Nurse!*Some posts may contain PR/Gifted samples, please read my disclaimer here for further information*
