Indonesia – Bali, Lombok, Nusa Penida & Komodo Islands

At the end of my big Australia trip – I’ve been travelling, living & working there for 10 months – I decided it wasn’t quite time to go home yet and I really wanted to also see a bit of Asia on the way back to Europe.

So I flew from Cains to Bali and reunited with one of my best friends, Anna, that came from Germany, so we could have an epic time together exploring Indonesia. I was really glad at that stage, that I had her as my travel buddy. Travelling solo is so amazing and so much fun, but I’ve done it for quite a while and was really looking forward to having my best friend by my side and share the experience.

As we had a whole month in Indonesia, we could really see a lot of this beautiful country and not just Bali, but we still spend the majority of our time on that island as we really wanted to see a lot of Bali and travel slow.

Our First Days in Kuta

Our trip started in Kuta, where we met after I flew in from Australia and Anna from Germany – we haven’t seen each other for 10 months and it still felt like we haven’t been apart really :D

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Kuta, as long as you are not really into partying. That area is mostly for big hotel / package holiday kind of visitors and not really for travellers like us. But it was still great to get used to the cultural differences slowly, there were some nice and cheap massages, shopping centres and a beautiful (crowded) sunset beach with nice waves.

First dinner at „Fat Chow“ a really cute place and really delicious food. 

Sunset over the ocean is just magical.

Our little hotel that we booked via AirBnB with a shared pool. 

On of our favourite breakfast places: Crumb & Coaster. Really delicious food and the iced Mocca is a dream! 

Accommodation booking

We ether booked over AirBnB or Booking, but mostly AirBnB. If you are early, you can find really beautiful and still super cheap treasures there. Little bungalows with your own pool, treetop houses or jungle villas.

We wanted to be very free and spontaneous on our trip, so we always only booked a few days or a week in advance and that worked really well.

If you are used to European or Australian prices, everything seems really cheap anyways and there are some really luxurious places to stay at for not much money.

Nusa Penida

From Kuta, we booked a day-trip via AirBnB to go to Nusa Penida. We had a private driver and guide that picked us up at our hotel, drove us to the jetty and guided us around on the island.

I don’t really know what to think about Nusa Penida really… I mean, the touristy sights that we went to were really really beautiful but also crowded, the streets were awful and I really would not want to drive around on a scooter myself and there was sooo much rubbish and plastic EVERYWHERE. But then the water is so turquoise and cristal clear.

I would probably go again, but stay for a night and also go to Nusa Lembogan and/or Nusa Ceningan – they are supposed to be less touristy.

The water in Nusa Penida is so epic.

The famous Kelingking Beach with the dinosaur cliffs. 

The water down there at the beach looked incredible, but the hike down is really crazy.

Broken Beach

Booking Trips & Activities

We always booked our day-trips and activities via AirBnB because it felt safe to us and there are so many options. We did a surfing class, batic-art class, Yoga, a sunrise boat tour, a waterfall & temple tour… but I will talk about all of these when I get to the location, so it makes more sense.

Just know that AirBnB offers really great options, mostly with a private guide.

We also booked a boat from Bali to Lombok at the counter, but it was more stressful. You have to make sure that you book the right thing and the person understands what you want, you need to haggle over the price for quite a while and you only get a little piece of handwritten paper as your confirmation – still worked out fine though.

5 Day Boat Trip

Lombok – Komodo Islands – Kinca Island – Flores

We got recommended to do a boat tour with Parama Tours by a friend, to see more of Indonesia and it was a hell of an adventure. Not always easy, not always comfortable, but a real adventure and looking back, we are so glad we did it and would do it again.

From Bali, we had to take a boat to Lombok, which was already quite stressful and uncomfortable, especially because Anna wasn’t feeling really great. We had one night on Lombok and then went on the Parama Bus. First, we drove around Lombok and got to see some more of this island and at night time we arrived at the boat and our home for the next few nights.

You could book cabins or sleep in a „dorm“ that was basically outside but with a roof.

As we always had to go places overnight, the motor was always on and that made it so hard to sleep the first nights. Especially because Anna was really sick the first two nights it was hard, but we got used to it and everything we did and saw was totally worth it.

We always had several stops on different islands, did hikes, watched the sunset, went swimming, snorkelling, exploring. We got food on the boat and could relax and sunbath while we went to the next location.

One of the highlights for me was a tiny island with only palm trees that you could walk around in about 3 minutes. A little paradise, besides the plastic. We snorkelled there and had some time to take pictures and relax.

Komodo Island was another highlight of the tour. The national park is home to the biggest reptiles on earth. They can get around 4 meters long and their bights are deathly, but we had rangers with us and they don’t commonly attack humans.

Pink beach, that isn’t really that pink anymore. 

We also went past an active volcano and watched the smoke coming out of it. And we went to pink beach, that isn’t really that pink :P

Our tour ended in Lombok and at that time we were really glad it was over and we were on land again :D Five days on a ship can be quite exhausting, but it was such great time!

Our travels continued to Amed, Lovina, Ubud, Canggu & Seminyak, but I will write a second post about these stops and more information (about how we got around & more places to eat epic food), as this would get too long!

If you have any further questions or topics, comment down below and I will get back to you and include those in the 2nd part of my Bali posts!

 

 

My Medicine Bag and Practical Things every Backpacker Needs

Before you start travelling longterm you think about what you could need. What situations are likely to happen. And what is actually necessary to carry around.

But you are never fully prepared, you never think about ALL the things that are actually handy to have and obviously, everyone’s needs and focus is different as well.

So with this blog post I want to show you a few things I am really glad to have with me and are actually approved by 6 months of travelling (so far). And I’ll also show you the insides of my medicine bag that is very minimalistic but still holds everything I need on hand (because everything special can be bought when you actually need it).

My Medicine Bag

I don’t get sick very often and I don’t think it’s necessary to travel with a lot of medicine on hand. You can always buy something when you actually need it and that’s far better than carrying everything for every situation with you around. You won’t need it all. There is no need to be prepared for everything.

Obviously, it depends on where you are travelling and what you are doing and you need to adjust your medicine bag from country to country (and person to person).

This is just an idea of what I took with me for one year of backpacking through Australia.

• Bandages. I’ve got way to many with me! I don’t even remember when the last time was that I needed one…
• Nurofen Painkillers for Teens. They still work for me when I have a headache, so I still use them. I try to always use the minimum amount possible (while still taking what is necessary).
• Strong Painkillers. Never needed one, but it’s good to have some on hand in an emergency and then I can buy more if necessary.
• Eyedrops. For minor infections, itchy eyes or too much salt water in eyes.
• Anti-Diarrhoea tablets. In a new country with new food… you never know.
• Nose spray. A little cold can always surprise you, especially after flying or strong changes in the weather.
• Throathies. Having an itchy throat is so annoying and happens so quickly when you are in cold Aircon air a lot. (Not in the picture bc already used up…)
• Homeopathic Globuli. I know, not everyone is a fan of stuff like that, but my family is into that stuff and it doesn’t hurt to take these to help your body and feel better.

My mom helped me decide what to take and she also made a sheet with when to take which Globuli. We always buy all our medicine at an online pharmacy at home. Online pharmacies like Shop-Apotheke deliver all the medicine you need to your doorstep wich is super practical.

Until now I only had to buy Nose spray (bc I didn’t take any with me – I don’t know why) and some caught medicine because I had a cold from the cold shopping centres.

Practical Things for Backpackers

Along my travels, there were a few things that ended up being super handy and some other things that I felt like missing and bought. So here are the things that I find really handy as a Backpacker and some of them, you might not think about yourself when packing.

Besides that, I obviously also have a lot of other handy things with me. Here you can see What’s in my Backpack for longterm travelling through Australia.

• Reusable Water Bottle. To always have something to drink with you. Never pay any money for water and save the earth from plastic.
• Cotton Shopping Bag. As a beach bag, handbag, for plastic-free shopping…
• Tupperware Containers. To store leftover food or for cheap & healthy meals on the go.

• Spices. To make your food taste like something and because most hostels only have salt. Cinnamon for sweets. Turmeric because it’s healthy. And the All Purpose Seasoning contains mostly salt, paprika, garlic and some other herbs and makes every savoury dish really yummy (and it’s so easy!).

• Mueslie Bar. I always carry a safety bar with me when I go out for a whole day. You never know when you need some extra energy and it’s not always worth spending money on takeaway food.

• Pen.
• Headphones.
• Baby wipes. Or hand sanitiser for disgusting phones, hands or…
• Cream. For dry skin and lips especially.
• Vitamin B12. For veggies.
• Multivitamin. I don’t take them daily, but here and there if I feel like I am not getting all the nutrients I need through my diet.
• Ohropax. For hostel rooms or loud aeroplane rides.
• Playing cards. It’s always fun to play some cards with friends and it’s a great way to make new friends in hostels.

I hope you found this blog post helpful and you got some ideas for things to not forget on your own travels!

Am I missing anything in your opinion? What do you take with you?

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WERBUNG / ADVERTISMENT

* This post is sponsored by shop-apotheke.com. Everything I say and recommend is still 100% honest and true to what I have with me / use.

Q&A – Solo Travel

Here we go with number three of my Q&A series. This time, I am answering all the frequently asked questions about travelling alone (for the first time).

I always get so many questions from friends, strangers, other travellers or follower on Instagram, so I wanted to answer them all and help new travellers to feel more confident, safe, get inspired to travel themselves and help them plan their own journey.

1. Q&A – Backpacking Australia
2. Q&A – Work & Travel Australia
3. Q&A – Solo Travelling
4. Planning your own Work & Travel Year
5. About being an AuPair

If you have further questions or topics you want me to talk about, please feel free to message me on Instagram or comment down below!

I really want to create more content that is helping, informing and inspiring my readers/followers, so if you have any ideas or interests that you are interested in – tell me!

But for now: let’s get started…

How is it like to travel alone?

I love it! It is so much fun to feel free to do exactly what I want without making compromises. It is so easy to meet people in hostels or on tours and here and there you are lucky to make some real friends for a lifetime. You never have to be alone if you don’t want to but you still always have the chance to spend time by yourself and do what you desire.

In Perth I had some days where I felt lonely and just not myself…  but that’s alright.

Do you feel lonely sometimes?

Since I started I only had one week where I felt a little bit down, lonely and homesick and that was in Perth after my cousin left me and my parents were about to come and I didn’t find many nice people that I really connected to in my hostel. I also wrote a blog post about my feelings at that time called the downside of travelling alone.

And usually after I have to say goodbye to travel mates and friends that I had an awesome time with, I get a slight feeling of loneliness and it is a little bit weird to be alone again, but that usually disappears after a while.

When you ask strangers to take a picture of you and it actually turns out great! :D

Is it easy to meet people (even when you are shy)?

I would say yes! For me, it depends on the situation and the people if I am shy or not, but I would say it is super easy to meet people when you live in hostels.

In your hostel room, in the kitchen, TV room, sitting area there are fellow travellers everywhere that also want to meet other people and even if you are shy but just smile and look friendly there will be people talking to you and starting the conversation. Or you can start it yourself by just saying “Hi, how are you?” or asking a question. You will get more and more used to it and it gets easier every time.

I also found it super nice and very easy to meet people when you do a bus tour with a small group for a few days. Because you have to stay together for several days it is a lot easier to make friends because you actually have time to get to know them and you also are kinda forced to talk to each other as you are travelling together. With my three tours I did so far, I was always very lucky with my travel mates and met some nice people.

Are you scared of travelling alone sometimes?

I am not a person that gets scared easily and until now I’ve been not in a situation that really scared me. Obviously, there were some moments that I didn’t felt completely safe walking home alone or being in a surrounding that doesn’t feel completely safe, but you also have those moments at home. Overall I would say Australia is a very safe country and you don’t need to worry a lot. It is definitely a great place for females travelling alone or travelling alone for the first time. Usually, you are in bigger cities/towns anyways and the hostels are in animated and busy areas.

I also experience so many great situations where people asked me to help me, told me what to do and how to stay safe and in general Australians are so nice and helpful.

Easy questions for first conversations:

• Where are you from?
• What are you doing in Australia?
• How long have you been here?
• What are your plans?
• What have you seen so far? Where have you been so far?
• Are you travelling on your own?
• What are your plans for today/tonight?
• How was your day?
• What do you do at home/what have you done at home before you left?

Those are the easy questions you basically ask and get asked as a traveller EVERY TIME you meet people :D Can get annoying, but it’s fun at the same time, especially when you get over these basic questions with someone and have real conversations. Another funny thing is that you usually ask very late what his/her name is because it doesn’t matter that much and you meet so many people and can’t remember all their names anyways :P

Two weeks into Solo travelling and already met two wonderful people that I’ll stay friends with forever <3

How do you get to meet/talk to people?

• In your hostel room. Just say hello to everyone in your need room, smile and if you get a friendly response and a real smile back just ask one of the questions above t start a conversation
• In the kitchen. When you ask to get a kitchen tool after they are done using it or tell them that their food looks/smells yummy you can easily start a conversation and sit together while eating after cooking.
• In the common area. When you sit down with your food next to someone/at the same table, smile, say hey and if you get a friendly response/smile back you can start a conversation
• On Tours. Because you are travelling for a few days together, it is a lot easier to find friends here because you are kinda forced to talk to each other and get to know one another. When you meet at the bus ask where they are from or see what the situations bring you. Oftentimes the tour guide also makes everybody to introduce him-/herself.

And you will see that oftentimes the other person is just as willing to start a conversation and starts him-/herself. Especially when you are travelling alone and other people are together or in a group they will start a conversation because it is a lot easier for them than for you as a solo traveller. And when you are shy to do the first step, better choose another person alone than a group/couple because that makes it less scary.

Why Australia and why on your own?

It’s hard to exactly say what made me do all this. There were several reasons behind it, but the biggest was that it just felt right. I felt the urge to go travel on my own after school and Australia called me.

Other than that, Australia is a warm and sunny country which I love, it is big so it makes sense to explore it in one year and really see many places (for example New Zealand can also be done in 2-3 months, at least that’s what I think), the nature and animals are completely different than in Europe or wherever I’ve been so far and it’s supposed to be a very good country for travelling solo as a female for the first time when you are still very young. It is also pretty popular for travellers, so you can easily meet others, find jobs as a Backpacker and travel around.

When I was thinking about my gap year I was always seeing myself doing whatever I want, not being with someone and when I started to get more into it and read amazing experiences and advantages solo travel has I knew, I want to do this on my own.

Why do you love and recommend travelling alone?

Because you learn and grow so much as a person

• You learn to be confident,
• to make your own decisions,
• stop being shy and practice talking to strangers
• getting life experiences that will help you your whole future life
• meeting many different people from all around the world
• you will get to know yourself and your own character trades more
• making friends with new people and some will be part of your life forever
• you get to see the world and culture more intense and maybe even differently
• you can do whatever the hell you want to without having to make compromises or justify it

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I love travelling with my friends or going on vacation with my family. But solo travel just has such a special feeling to it and it changes and lets you grow even more than travelling already does.

I can only recommend everyone to try it themselves! It’s special, it’s an adventure and it will only have a positive impact on your life at the end (even with a bad experience you will learn something).

I urge you to travel. On your own.