Considering moving to Bali, Indonesia? As with living anywhere, there are pros and cons, obstacles to overcome, and so many details to work out. Here is my journey as a writer moving from Maui to Bali in 2015. Learn from our experience and let it serve as a list of things to consider if you are thinking of moving to this magical place.

Note: Any specific pricing discussed in this post is subject to change. Use any pricing mentioned as a ballpark figure and always check with the business for the most updated information.

 

Moving To Bali: Preparation

8/1/2015

After living on Maui for nearly two years, I am anxious and excited to announce that I will be moving to Bali, along with my sweet boyfriend. Traveling, and more specifically, moving, has always come naturally to me. While not having all the answers tends to stress people out, being out of my element and learning how to acclimate, adjust, and enjoy myself in unfamiliar places is always a challenge and a great way to keep life on its toes.

This will, however, be my first time to move somewhere I’ve never been. To which I say, game on.

 

Language Barrier

As opposed to moving to Maui, Bali comes with a whole new set of challenges – for one, there’s a language barrier. While American and Australian expats have been flocking to Bali for decades, and English is the third most common language spoken on the island, the predominant languages are Balinese and Indonesian. Having studied French in school and extremely basic Spanish during our brief move to Costa Rica, it’s safe to say that we’ll be starting from scratch as far as language is concerned. But that’s also part of the fun, and moving somewhere is really the best way to dive head-first and learn the basics of everyday communication quickly.

There are also a number of language classes I’m sure I can take, which might help speed up the process, as well as my speaking abilities.

 

Legality

Second, there’s the whole legal issue of moving to a foreign country with no intention of buying property, owning a business, retiring and living off of pension funds, or being sponsored by a Balinese employer (at least not initially). Like most other countries in the world, we can’t simply fly to Indonesia holding a suitcase in one hand and a one-way ticket in another and expect to stay however long we like.

After doing a bit of research, we have learned a few things:

1) There is officially no limit on the number of times you can enter Bali on a Visa On Arrival, which is now free for U.S. citizens as well as residents of many other countries

2) A VOA last for 30 days (the day you arrive counting as day 1), and can be extended one time for an additional 30 days with the help of an agent, or on your own

3) You will need to leave Bali at the end of the 60 day period, and likely every 30 days after that, unless you plan on getting a Social Visa, a popular choice that eliminates the possibility of working in Bali but allows you to stay for up to 6 months at a time, or a Business Visa, which requires a local company to pay a hefty fine to sponsor you ($2,000+ USD) for a job that a local Balinese cannot do. (See Bali Visa Information.)

 

Employment

While Bali is known for its relatively low cost of living, anywhere can be expensive when you’re not making money. We previously ran into this problem while living in Costa Rica, which was surprisingly way more expensive than we had planned for, and unsurprisingly did not offer much in the way of legal employment opportunities for foreigners.

However, my ability to work from anywhere as a copywriter and blogger has allowed for employment opportunities all over the world, which I’m thankful for. Through writing about the process of moving to Bali as a young traveler and ‘digital nomad’ (I really hate that term, but it has its purpose), I will hopefully be able to make a living while on Bali, a huge weight off of my shoulders (and bank account).

With my boyfriend’s background in photography, tour guiding, and ocean everything – he has previously worked in Key Largo, Bermuda, Costa Rica, and Maui as a photographer, scuba dive, kayak, and SUP instructor – he’ll hopefully find amazing opportunities once we arrive on-island.

 

Cost of Living

One of the greatest things about Bali, or so we’ve heard and read, is that if you’re comfortable living simply, it’s a really inexpensive place to call home. We expect to pay no more than $500/month (on the high end) for furnished housing and a motorbike rental. We have no intention of buying a vehicle, and while they look amazing and luxurious, we certainly won’t be living in a four-bedroom villa with a pool, personal chef, and driver. One can dream, though…

 

Before the Move

In preparation for the move, we are saving as much money as possible while still on Maui, as well as renewing our passports, reaching out to people with experience in Bali, and generally beginning to think about what we want to bring, sell, store, and toss. As opposed to our move to Costa Rica, where we picked a town off a map and signed a two-month lease, we want to travel around Bali a bit before choosing a place to live. Because of this, we’ll pretty much be forced to pack as little as possible and ship the rest to ourselves later, if needed.

While we will most assuredly miss Maui, which has been a completely unforgettable and wonderful place to live, continuing to travel is the plan. At least until it isn’t. Here’s to new adventures in foreign places, and bringing y’all along for the ride!

 

 

Moving To Bali: Packing

8/21/2015

Over the last two and a half years, I have spent a lot of time packing, unpacking, and repacking my belongings.

For purposes of open-ended travel, you need considerably more than you would on vacation, but considerably less than you would to live somewhere permanently. It’s a fine line and one that I’m constantly trying to reevaluate in order to make the most of my limited space, possessions, and money.

 

What To Bring

Since we do not have predetermined housing set up when we arrive on Bali, it’s important that we only bring enough luggage to easily carry around with us, at least until we pick a town to live in and find somewhere a little more permanent to call home. That means packing as little as possible, but still enough to live comfortably on for at least a month or two until we have the option of shipping additional items to ourselves.

It sounds simple, but gets considerably more complicated depending on what you like to do during your open-ended travels – as a writer, I really only need a laptop, iPhone, notepad, and chargers. My boyfriend, however, always likes to bring at least one camera, underwater housing, lights, lenses, chargers, batteries, memory cards, carrying cases, tripod, laptop, hard drives, dry bags, fins, mask, wetsuit, and probably lots more items.

That’s a lot of fragile material that we’ll be forced to carry around on our backs, and that doesn’t even include any of our personal belongings we’ll need on a daily basis, like clothing, toiletries, shoes, backpacks, important documents, etc. When moving, we typically even bring other useful items like our projector, which we use as a TV, and small items like reusable water bottles, towels, and camping hammocks. For our move to Bali, we’ll either have to squeeze them in, leave them with friends or family members to send when we have a viable shipping address or sell/store them and buy replacements when we get there.

The baggage limit for most international flights is one to two checked bags (50lbs max) and two carry-ons, and while it’s tempting to use every inch of that allotted space and weight, we’re going to do our best to keep it at a minimum.

 

What To Leave

In the meantime, we will begin selling a huge portion of our current belongings on Maui, including our car, scooter, furniture, beach gear, dishes, cookware, artwork, and tons of other items, and simply donate/give away the rest. Whew! I’m tired just thinking about it, but that’s the life of a slow traveler, and it actually is a nice feeling to get rid of nearly everything you own.

 

Perks of Packing for Bali

Three things are in our financial advantage for this particular move.

1) Furnished housing seems common, meaning we probably won’t need to worry about buying (or bringing) a ton of basic household items

2) The cost of common, everyday items is typically much lower than on Maui, so if we really need to buy certain things after we arrive, it should be a fairly painless process

3) We will most likely need to rent a scooter, but won’t need a car for transportation, which is a giant expense I’ll be glad to get rid of, to be honest.

When all else fails, leave the gun, and take the cannoli.

 

Moving To Bali: Pros & Cons of Life in Bali

12/15/2015

It’s been nearly three months since I arrived in Bali, and while I fully understand that amount of time doesn’t make me an expert on the place (very far from it, in fact), it’s much longer than the average traveler will be fortunate enough to spend here.

Like anywhere I’ve moved, there are positives and negatives about Bali. Some are obvious, while others become more apparent the longer I stay here. And while I certainly don’t speak for all travelers or expats, I hope this post gives you some insight into what to expect during your vacation, long-term travel, or move to the beautiful island of Bali.

 

Bali Pros:

 

Cost of Living

One of the most obvious reasons more and more people are choosing to pack up and move to Bali is its low cost of living. While notably higher than other popular Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, for life on a tropical island, it’s still pretty inexpensive.

As an American, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America are obvious go-to’s for similar beach-style living, especially considering their proximity to the U.S., but on Bali, at least from what I’ve experienced, your dollar will go further.

In 2015, the average cost of a 1 bedroom apartment in Dallas was around $750/month, New York $2,000/month, and Seattle $1,600/month, which does not include bills, furniture, or deposit money. Compare that to the cost of my cozy studio apartment in Bali at around $365/month, which includes all of the above, and it’s clear why Indonesia is an obvious choice for expats.

 

Convenience & Ease of Living

Do you want Thai curry delivered to your door at midnight? Massages on the beach for less than the cost of a sandwich? A taxi driver to expertly navigate through dense traffic while you read in the backseat?

These are just some of the perks of living in Bali, and all the more reason it’s easy to enjoy yourself here.

 

Friendly Locals

You may not experience it while walking the hectic streets of Kuta or Seminyak, but Balinese people are extremely kind, good-natured, and friendly. This is helpful when moving to Bali.

During a particularly brutal bout of sickness in Ubud, my homestay host was nice enough to wake her husband up at 1 am to drive me to the clinic and even came upstairs to check up and bring me medicine in the days that followed.

Take time to get to know the locals (in every place you travel, but especially in Bali), and you’ll likely be treated to some of the most genuine hospitality on earth.

 

Beauty & Change of Scenery

This is by far the most obvious point on the list, but Bali’s natural beauty is breathtaking. Ornate temples, volcanoes, waterfalls, white sand and black sand beaches, rice terraces, ideal surf conditions, scenic ocean cliffs, and vibrant city life are all at your fingertips.

And if you really feel the need to get off of Bali, a number of other stunning islands, countries, and cultures are only a quick flight or boat ride away.

 

Small-Scale Freedoms

While chatting with a Balinese business owner who previously lived in Australia for 15 years, I mentioned that I liked the simple things you could do here without consequence, such as walking down the street with a beer, driving your scooter on the sidewalk, and other little freedoms that blend into daily life here, seemingly unnoticed.

He agreed, but also noted that while “Bali has a lot of freedoms, it also has corruption.” The lesson is, that maybe you can’t have the best of both worlds when it comes to freedom and justice.

 

Bali Cons:

 

Lack of Concern for the Environment

Having moved here directly from Hawaii, perhaps the most pristine beach environment I’ve ever been to, the amount of trash and pollution in Indonesia is truly frightening, both in and out of the ocean.

Since the quality of tap water is too poor to drink and there has yet to be a serious or effective push for alternatives to plastic, trash is literally everywhere. Trash fires are also common, creating toxic pollutants and even smaller bits of floating trash, which makes the thought of cleaning it up seem a nearly impossible task.

So what can you do about it, besides not contributing to it while you’re here? Well, that’s the struggle. Companies like EcoBali, Indonesia Organic, Yayasan IDEP, and others have made efforts to create a recycling center, but until the importance of its damaging effects really catches on, namely from its more than 4.2 million residents, education seems to be the most effective tool.

 

Job Opportunities & Visa Regulations

Compared to other countries I’ve lived and traveled in, Indonesia has some of the most tedious Visa regulations I’ve experienced, especially when it comes to purposes of long-term and/or open-ended travel.

Also, while I very much agree that jobs should be left for local residents, Bali’s government has gone so far as to join popular Facebook groups specifically to find newcomers seeking (or abusing) work opportunities and arrest foreign photographers holding private photo shoots in villas. Generally, I think this creates an environment that not only discourages expats and travelers from staying here long-term but also even perhaps results in them (knowingly or unknowingly) breaking laws and accepting illegal work opportunities.

Even when researching options to ensure you apply for the correct Visa, the answers are often inconsistent and depend entirely on who or what agency you ask.

 

Bali Belly

‘Nuff Said.

 

Thank you for reading about my journey moving to Bali! I’ve discovered so much about myself and this beautiful island along the way. From the vibrant culture to the breathtaking landscapes, every moment has been an adventure. I can’t wait to see what the future holds as I continue to embrace this new chapter in my life. Terima Kasih for joining me on this incredible journey!

 

For more great Bali information use the links below.

Bali Trip Preparation | Visa Info | Accommodations | Regions | Activities