A couple of weeks ago, I was able to cross out travelling across the world off my bucket list when I visited Bali, Indonesia with my husband and our group of five friends. If you’re into seeing beautiful blue water beaches, sacred temples, lush green landscapes, having night life fun, and more, than a trip to Bali might just be your dream destination. If so, I want to prepare you for your journey and actually give you tips on how to get to your destination to live that Bali life.

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Flight Shopping

If you are capable of purchasing your tickets early, do it! Let’s just say that our group of friends that purchased early were able to book for a somewhat decent amount while the later crew was on the expensive side. Just be prepared to spend at least a $1,000.00, either way, if travelling during July and August from the Washington, D.C. area. Make sure to utilize search engines such as Google Flights and Skyscanner, the calendar views are a blessing. We chose to book with Emirates, keep scrolling to read about the experience.

Booking our Stay

We were blessed with a friend that always plans out our travel itinerary before our destination. So, we honestly didn’t have to do anything but vote on where to stay. As a group we decided to stay at an Airbnb instead of a hotel because we felt that we could get more for our money and we were absolutely right (you’ll see why in my next post).

What to Pack

When I was shopping and preparing for my trip to Bali, I did a search to try to find blog posts that included “what to pack” for Bali (for some inspiration), but there were not many. So, I wanted to make sure that you were able to get some ideas from me!

Day Dresses – you’ll love walking the streets or the beach in a maxi/midi dress. Think fun colors, prints and flowy material!
Jumpsuits – think bold colors and fun prints!
Swimsuits – I packed as many as five swimsuits and I was able to wear three out of the five. Trust me, the pools and beaches in Bali are beautiful so photo ops are in your future, and you’ll want them with cute swimwear.
Shorts – Jean shorts are always perfect to pair with swimsuits. A pair of high-waisted soft shorts are always good to wear for a day look.
Skirts – You can pack a couple.
Bodysuits/ Crop Tops – Easily pair these with your shorts and skirts
Sneakers – If you plan to do excursions like our group (post about these coming soon) did then you will want a pair of sneakers.
Sandals – Choose comfortable ones!
Swim Shoes – If you are planning on visiting any waterfalls you will appreciate these! You can buy actual swim shoes or even a pair of Sperry’s will work in your favor.
Flip Flops – If you just cannot get your hands on a pair of swim shoes or Sperry’s, flip flops are your next best thing.
Sunscreen – We want healthy skin in Bali, right?
Sunglasses – I went overboard here and packed about five, but I only needed about three of my really good ones. Don’t be like me!

The Flight

If you are leaving from Washington, D.C. to Bali, plan accordingly, because your flight will be at least 23 hours. This was my first longest trip and I was nervous of the idea of flying across the world to get to Bali. I’m happy to say that the length of the flight wasn’t as bad as I thought. We had a connecting flight from DC to Dubai then Bali. If you have the time, this is the perfect opportunity to extend your layover and have a mini trip somewhere else. Unfortunately, our layover was only for an hour so we didn’t get to see much of the city.

What I Loved about the Flight:
- The Food – let’s just say we all cannot stop talking about the chicken dinner and brownie they served us on our first leg of the flight. P.S. you get breakfast, lunch, dinner and free juice/wine!
- The Entertainment – Emirates has a large selection of movies, shows, games, and more that you can browse. Let’s just say I caught up on a lot of movies and shows that I didn’t get a chance to watch back home and of course this helped me to not pay attention to the length of the flight.

What I Hated about the Flight:
- The Seats – Unfortunately, when you are living that economy life there just isn’t enough space at your seat to get comfortable. Also, on one of our flights Emirates moved one of our friends’ seat which caused her to not to be able to sit with us — we weren’t too happy. Also, I love the window seat but you may want to think twice when booking a flight for a long trip because it’s rough when it’s time to use the bathroom.

The Airport Experience

If you have either an American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire credit card then you have access to the airport lounges, and you should take advantage of visiting one if you have the time in between flights. Each time we were able to visit a lounge during our trip, even coming back, for relaxation, food, and drinks. It was the best decision!