A Creative Escape to Bali

One of my resolutions this year was to go on a creative escape – go somewhere for a week or so and focus solely on learning new things, relaxing and really immersing myself in the place. After a bit of research Bali stood out as a fantastic place to go because of the sheer number of different creative things you can do on the island, and so I started planning a creative escape to Bali!

You’re probably thinking that travel is a creative activity, and it’s true that you see and experience so much it’s hard not to get inspired and learn more about the world. But sometimes we travel and don’t really immerse ourselves in it that much – perhaps we spend a bit too much time by the pool scrolling our iPhone or stick to the resort and barely scratch the surface of the local culture. One way I’ve worked out that really helps to know a place better is to do something creative – learn from a local artisan or do a cooking class. Those are the experiences you truly remember. I admit that sometimes you totally want to do nothing and relax by the pool, but this wasn’t one of them!

As I mentioned, I decided this year to travel with the sole purpose of learning and immersing myself, and chose Bali as the place I would do that this year. My bestie Nicola came along with me and it was such an incredible thing to do. Read on for more.

Further Reading: Ubud Travel Guide, Seminyak Travel Guide, Uluwatu Travel Guide, Canggu Travel Guide, Ubud Art Market Guide, Indigo Dyeing Class

Pin It So many pretty walls in Bali.: So many pretty walls in Bali.

Pin It Our Indigo Dying class was a highlight.: Our Indigo Dying class was a highlight.

A Creative Escape To Bali

As a way to structure our trip, we put together the ideas of exploring, creating and relaxing. I did a lot of research prior to work out the different things we would do when we were there. These types of trips are more intensive to plan but it’s worth the time.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing with you features of the different things we did, but here I thought I would share with you our itinerary, and some sneak peeks of the things we got up to – lots of making, exploring and… eating! Oh yeah, I forgot to say that yummy Balinese food was a big attraction for going to Bali 🙂

Logistics

Our trip was 9 days long and we visited Seminyak, Uluwatu, and Ubud, spending the majority of the time in Ubud. We hired a driver to take us to the different places we wanted to go so it was stress free. We used a lovely guy called Putu (email rulianata88@gmail.com or phone/whatsapp: +6282146768973).

Creative Classes

It wasn’t hard to find creative things to do in Bali, and it’s so nice to visit somewhere where there are so many local artisans. We did an amazing cooking class, a ceramics class at Gaya Ceramics and an Indigo Dying class at Threads of Life, both organisations that combine culture and making.

Wellness

Another appealing thing about Bali was just how much of a focus on wellness, meditation and relaxation there was. Every hotel we stayed in had daily sunrise yoga which was such a great way to start the day*. The other thing that we tried to do was integrate some of my digital downtime ideas into our trip, taking moments to relax and clear our minds a bit… We also ate healthy local food and *tried* not to drink (but you know how I feel about a glass of wine at the end of the ~~day~~ week).

Stay tuned for travel guides for Seminyak, Canggu, Ubud and Uluwatu, as well as guides to our ceramics and indigo dying classes!