Thinking about packing up your life and moving your family to Bali? That’s exactly what Australian couple Rachael and Andy did—with their two young kids, Emmy and Eli—in search of a slower, more meaningful way of life. Burnt out from the daily grind and craving more time together, they traded routines for adventure and relocated to the family-friendly beach town of Sanur. In this candid interview, they share what inspired their move, how they found support through Our Year in Bali, what daily life really looks like, and what other families should know before making the leap.
Where are you originally from, and what’s your background?
We are Rachael and Andy and we have two kids, Emmy (7) and Eli (4). We are from Australia but Andy was born in South Africa and moved to Australia in 2014 after we met in London in 2012.
When did you move to Bali? How long have you been here, and how long do you plan to stay?
We have been living in Bali for 3 months and plan to stay until the end of the year.
What inspired your move? What were the key reasons or turning points that led you to relocate to Bali?
Both Andy and I have lived overseas before and we got to the point where we were feeling like we wanted something different for our lives. Our day to day life was very busy and Rachael was feeling burnt out from her job as a teacher. Rachael often says, you know the feeling you get when you want a really drastic haircut? Well she felt like that with her life. So we started to question what was out there and what we could do.
The idea of Bali came around pretty quickly as we’d be there a few times, it was close to Australia for family to come visit or if the need arose to be on Australian soil and we had a few contacts who also lived in Bali if anything went wrong which was important to us when moving to a foreign country. Since we wanted the year to be about creating amazing memories and spending time together the idea of a family gap year was born.
How did you come across Our Year in Bali and why was the service valuable to you? What was your experience like working with Simone?
Andy actually came across Our Year in Bali through a podcast when we were in the early stages of our decision making. It resonated with him as they had experiences with what it was like to move to Bali.
We saw that they had made a business out of it so we reached out to Simone to organise a call to find out more.
During that zoom chat, we found Simone to be a wealth of information and she had some amazing contacts so we purchased one of her packages. It took so much of the guesswork out of the move and did so much of the ‘mental load’ for us.
Along the way, Simone was always there if we had any questions during our preparations and still checks in on us now and again. It never felt like a purely a business transaction, she genuinely wants to help us make the most of this experience.
Where do you live in Bali? What made you choose that neighbourhood, and how would you describe the community?
We have made Sanur our home for our time in Bali as we find it is very family friendly and there are so many options for the kids; from the playground, play cafes, gymnastics classes, walkable beach path, gentle ocean for swimming and lots of kid friendly restaurants.
We also heard about a worldschooling hub that operated out of Sanur so we wanted to tap into that too. There is a more relaxed vibe in Sanur and the traffic isn’t as crazy as the other side of the island so easy to venture out and explore.
What school did you choose for your children, and why was it the right fit?
We made the decision early on for Rachael to homeschool Emmy with her teaching background, and Eli isn’t at school age yet. However we soon realised that even with the worldschoolers hub, Bali feels very transient and a lot of people end up putting their kids into schooling for the social connections. So in the last few weeks, we have been sending Eli to a casual kinder one day a week and exploring options for a part time alternative school for Emmy for them to build and maintain social connections as this is so important. The kinder Eli attends is attached to a play cafe which has been helping during the transition, as we are close by. The schooling we have found for Emmy is also very flexible with the days you can attend and they have beach days, excursions and so many varied learning opportunities led by the children.
Cost of living… How does everyday life in Bali compare to back home financially? Are there things you can enjoy here that were out of reach in Australia?
I think in some ways we were surprised by the cost of some things in Bali. Rent is our biggest expense and prices are comparable or higher than Australian prices in some ways, however you definitely get more for your money in that we have a pool and a cleaner included in the price.
Groceries are comparable to Australian prices when comparing Western products but we tend to find the local brand and buy that. We find fresh fruits, vegetables and chicken to be cheaper in Bali. The cost of eating out is also much cheaper than in Australia.
In Australia, we rarely eat out in restaurants for many reasons, however here we find we eat out most days in some way or another. We also can enjoy self care things here such as massages, spas and gym classes for a fraction of the price back home.
We feel that our lifestyle here is cheaper than it would be to replicate back home but we feel prices have definitely increased overall. You can still find cheap meals, massages and experiences you just have to look.
How have you found the Medical and Health services so far?
We thankfully haven’t really needed to access many health services so far. We’ve used the Halo Doc app once before to speak to a doctor which was really handy. Emmy also had a touch of Bali Belly and we needed to call the doctor out for some medicine. This can be expensive so its definitely important to have travel insurance! We know there are lots of services available and we have the new International Hospital that has just opened up in Sanur too.
What does a typical day look like for you and your family in Bali?
A typical day for us is at a much slower pace than back home, where it was a 6am start for Andy and a busy morning to get the kids and I ready and out the door. The most exciting part of this experience is that every day can (and often does) look different.
Most days typically start with a lazy breakfast and coffee before Emmy starts school and Andy plays with Eli or does some other learning. We finish by mid morning and then either go for a swim or go to a playground cafe for lunch and the kids run around. The afternoon the kids will play, swim, etc which leads into either dinner prep or we order in. We have days where we meet up with other homeschooling families, Emmy has gymnastics or Eli has kinder or we’ve planned a trip to explore somewhere on the island.
What are some common misconceptions about Bali, and what would you say to set the record straight?
I think there can be a misconception that its really cheap here. I think if you eat and live like a local, then yes it’s super cheap. But, certain luxuries and experiences cost more and that’s okay. Bali belly and germs is a big one! We were here for the wet season and it definitely brings out germs. I think it’s sometimes just luck who gets sick and who doesn’t and it’s not always the restaurants you ate at the night before! Germs can sit dormant in your body for ages.
How have you immersed you and the family in the local culture? What have you learnt from the Balinese?
This felt like a hard question to answer, I’m sure we have immersed ourselves more than we know at times. We have used books and other things as part of home schooling to find out more about the Balinese culture. We also ask our driver lots of questions when we are about exploring to find out more. We take the opportunities to notice what is going on around us and find out more. So in this way, a lot of our learning has come about quite organically. For example, you can tell when it’s a special ceremony as people will wear different clothing. Now that we feel more settled we are looking forward to learning and exploring more.
What should other families think about before making the move?
Think about what you want your daily life to look like and choose an area that will enhance that. This will make a difference to your experience. After arriving and being in temporary accommodation we knew we wanted to be closer to the beach and near experiences for the kids.
What is your budget and is there wiggle room? We had set a budget but once we moved here we found we needed to adjust it based on the housing that was available and just the general cost of living. Is there a way you can make money online to support yourself while you are here. What contacts can you make before you move to support you once you arrive- having people you know you can reach out to and ask questions can be really helpful. There are Facebook groups for local areas you can join.
Final thoughts. Is there anything else about your Bali experience you’d love to share?
We are only 3 months in but already we can feel that time seems to work differently in Bali and its having a positive effect on us. You can describe it as a gentle unhurried rhythm to life. It’s like the hands of the clock move at a more leisurely pace here, not in a frustrating way, but in a way that encourages you to slow down and truly savor the moment. Instead of rushing from one thing to the next, there’s a tendency to be more present in each interaction and activity. Things might take a little longer than you’re used to, but it’s often accompanied by a sense of calm and a smile. It’s less about efficiency in the Western sense and more about connection and enjoying the process.
