What started as a six-month escape from Canada’s chilly winters turned into a beautiful, unexpected life in Bali for Tammie, her husband Ludo, and their young son. Driven by a sense of adventure and a heartfelt desire to find the perfect place to raise their child, they made a brave decision to settle in Ubud. From learning to navigate scooters and enrolling their son in local schools to launching two family-focused businesses, Tami shares what it’s really like to raise a family on this vibrant island.
Their story is one of discovery, adjustment, and growth, showing how sometimes the best plans change when you open yourself up to new possibilities. It hasn’t always been easy, there were challenges along the way, but the rewards of community, connection, and a richer quality of life have made every step worth it. Join us as we dive into their journey, uncovering insights, surprises, and tips for families thinking about making Bali home.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am Canadian, and my husband is from France. We moved to Bali from Canada 8 years ago. We were tired of winters and looking for a place that would provide a great environment to raise our son, who was 5 at the time.
How long have you been in Bali, and do you see yourself staying long-term?
When we moved in 2018, we came with a 6-month visa to try it out. We planned to give it a 6-month test, and if it didn’t work, we would try another country in Asia, like Vietnam or Thailand.
What sparked your move to Bali?
After living and working in Africa in my 20s, I wanted to move back there. Leaving Canada had been my plan for a long time. Ludo started a project in Zanzibar as a sustainable agriculture consultant, and since we both loved that place, we tried living there first. Unfortunately, after 6 weeks, we realized it wasn’t the right place for our son. Then Ludo suggested Bali. I had never been to Bali before, but I loved Thailand, so we decided to give Bali a try.
Where in Bali do you live now? What’s the community like?
After doing a little research, we heard that Ubud was a great place for families. We were able to meet other families who had lived here, and they said there was a strong community of expats, great school options, and affordable living. It was hard at first to connect with long-term families here, as so many people are travelers, but eventually, we found them and fell in love with the community and lifestyle.
You’ve launched two fantastic businesses in Ubud, “ANI Properties and Bali Family Hangout”. Can you walk us through how those businesses came to life and what the journey’s been like?
Bali has a way of just flowing and guiding you or, some will say, spitting you out!
When we moved here, I was working online and Ludo was commuting to his projects in Africa.
After a year, we were sure we wanted to stay and decided to buy a house, since it was more affordable than renting monthly. We were in love with the wooden house on the rice fields in a little eco-community where we were living, and it was for sale, so we bought it.
Later, we realized we needed a bigger house, so we moved and started renting it out. Our neighbor got picked up by immigration for renting, so we realized we needed to create an Indonesian company and get a resident visa allowing us to earn income.
When Covid hit and tourists left, many villas sat empty, and their owners asked me, “Tami, you know a lot of families here, do you know anyone who can rent my house?” Without really planning it, I grew to manage many rentals.
The natural expansion of this was into real estate. After Covid, many people decided not to return to Bali, wanting to be closer to their families, and began asking me to sell their houses for them.
Then one day, a family approached me asking for help to sell the small business they had started. I realized there was potential in this business to fill a need for families to have a space for community, and we ended up buying it.
We proceeded to do a major renovation and create the business we have today: Bali Family Hangout, The Jungle Hub, and Cheeky Monkey Café.
Let’s talk about Bali Family Hangout. What’s the story behind it?
We designed Bali Family Hangout with the vision to make parents’ lives easier. Underlying this vision is our belief that if we support parents, they are better equipped to care for their children and raise better humans to steward this earth.
The ways we do this are:
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Creating a safe space where parents can get their needs met – whether that’s having dinner with their partner while the kids play in the playground, cocktails and adult conversation with friends, or a day at the Jungle Hub to attend a class or have a self-care day.
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Creating a community, a space where families can connect, find common ground, build lasting friendships, and support each other through the parenting journey.
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Offering stimulating activities for children to grow, such as classes in and outside the Jungle Hub, family-based weekend activities, board game nights, etc.
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Providing opportunities to learn about sustainability.
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Offering nutritious and safe food options.
What has your experience been like with education here, and what is it like raising a child in Bali?
We think it’s the best place on earth to raise a child! The Balinese people are the most gentle, loving, and nurturing culture. Especially for my son, who is a quiet introvert, we’ve seen him flourish here. We’ve had the opportunity to experience a few different schools as he’s grown and love the variety of options. It’s been a very positive experience.
How have you found the medical and health services so far?
Gratefully, we have not experienced any major trauma here, but we’ve felt well taken care of when needed. As residents, we qualify for the local health insurance that covers most of our needs, but we also purchase international health care for extra coverage in case of emergency or when traveling outside the country.
What myths about Bali would you like to debunk?
Living in Bali isn’t cheap! We find we spend about the same on the cost of living as we did in Canada, and it has gotten more expensive in the last couple of years. BUT, we enjoy a better quality of life: a house with a pool, eating at restaurants, weekly massages, and of course, the warm weather and beautiful places to explore on weekends.
What should other families be aware of or think about before relocating to Bali?
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Check rental costs or buy if you can. That way, if you leave or travel, you can rent it out and create additional income.
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Access to organic products is limited but growing. This was a big adjustment for us at first.
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Real challenges include traffic, waste, and pollution. Plan to learn how to drive a scooter – with 2–3 kids as passengers! Otherwise, you’ll be stuck forever in a car, missing the scooter shortcuts.
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Have a steady income. Most foreigners here work remotely and use the digital nomad visa.
Is there anything else you’d love to share about your Bali journey?
It’s been the best decision for our family. I just wish we had taken the leap sooner!
