From Britain to Bali

It’s a dark evening in England and I’m sitting in one of the country's biggest airports waiting for my 25+ hour journey to begin. It's chilly and I'm only wearing a t-shirt and summer trousers, but I didn't pack a single jacket, given that my destination is the humid climate of Southeast Asia.

I first started blogging for Verge in 2019, when I was about to move to China and explore Asia for the first time. Since then, my fascination with Asian culture has inspired me to explore a different part of the continent and culture.

But this time is different. I'm no longer an intern, no longer in university and I no longer have as much time as I thought I had. My friends around me are looking at buying houses or cars while I was searching for flights.

After leaving China, I moved back to the Netherlands during the pandemic. Like many around the world, The long days at home and isolation encouraged me to explore new ideas of where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. As a small-town girl hoping for the big city adventure, I've always been on the lookout for something different. The lure of travelling, meeting new people, and experiencing new things are some of the main reasons I chose to leave the country I'd called home for nearly four years. 

The answer came in remote working, one of the few benefits of the pandemic. 

The answer came in remote working, one of the only benefits of the pandemic. Even though I miss working in an office with people in real life, remote working has brought about a new era of being able to explore while earning your normal income. Even with crazy lockdowns and constantly changing rules, people were still flying to destinations when they could, bringing their laptops. A lot of companies changed their policies and some countries even changed the laws as working remotely also allowed people to stay with their children and families.

But looking for an adventure on the other side of the world is not as easy as it seems, nor is finding remote work with a good company. Months of interviews, applications, rejections and post-pandemic fears had put my adventure on hold for longer than I was hoping for. Finally, after months of searching for the right opportunity, I got the offer I was looking for! 

Everything happens for a reason and this job came at the right time. One week after starting, I was invited to meet my colleagues in person. And not just any location, but in Bali, Indonesia.

I decided to stay for a while to truly explore the real side of Bali and not what I see every influencer posting. Bali has always been one of my top destinations to visit, but the price of flights and the climate has always put me off. Despite this, it seemed like a good opportunity to meet colleagues I wouldn't be seeing every day.

After a delayed flight, a missed connection, another two flights and a six-hour layover I finally land in Bali. At 7:30 am in the morning, the first thing that hits me is the humidity. It's a heat I've never experienced before. The arrivals terminal doesn't even have four walls; it doesn't need four walls. (And to think that just yesterday I was regretting bringing a jacket.) 

Then, my beautifully air-conditioned car arrives, driving me through the streets of Kuta and to my new home.