People often ask me how I ended up living in Bali, and trust me, this wasn’t something I had planned. I truly believe the universe has a plan for everyone, and in my case, it turned my world upside down to lead me to where I am today.
To explain the full story, we have to go back to 2019. I was working for a well-known “red and white” travel agency in Garden City Shopping Centre, Booragoon. I’d had great success there, both individually and as part of a team, and by late 2019, I decided to take the leap and partner with TravelManagers to run my own business. It felt like the next logical step in my career. I even set a date for myself: March 9th 2020. That was the day I was going to resign and begin my journey as my own boss. Little did I know that the world was about to change in ways none of us could have ever imagined.
In the months leading up to that date, whispers of the “coronavirus” began circulating. But I wasn’t too worried—I had made up my mind, and my date was set. As the news about the virus grew more serious, I started researching other global outbreaks—swine flu, Ebola, SARS—and all of them had been resolved within a few months, it gave me some reassurance. I thought – perfect! That will give me time to train in the new systems and people will be back booking again when I’m ready! As time went on though, I was starting to feel anxious. I even considered waiting to see how things would play out, but my husband encouraged me to stick to my plan, and so I did. I handed in my resignation on March 9th and, as expected, was walked out of the office that very day. I was excited, though! I had signed my contract with TravelManagers and was about to become my own boss. They were even flying me to Sydney in two weeks for systems training, and I couldn’t wait to start this new chapter in my career.
But within weeks, everything changed. The coronavirus was spreading rapidly, flights were being cancelled, and I started to worry about my upcoming trip to Sydney. I was terrified of getting stuck there, away from my husband and my home. Then, the morning of my flight, I received a call—it had been cancelled. The entire head office was in crisis mode, trying to figure out what to do next. Not long after that, the entire world shut down. My industry disappeared almost overnight, and with it, my dream of being my own boss in a career I absolutely loved.
I found myself unemployed for more than 12 weeks during the height of COVID. Looking back, I still don’t know if that was a blessing or a curse. My ex-colleagues were under immense pressure, canceling people’s holidays, dealing with refund chaos, and getting yelled at daily. Eventually, I found work as a courier delivering packages—something I never imagined I’d do. But, as they say, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. After that job, I ended up in corporate marketing. While it was valuable for the lessons I learned, it wasn’t making me happy. I still dreamed of restarting my travel business, but after spending all my savings during my unemployment, it felt completely out of reach.
I eventually took on another corporate and quite toxic sales role. I needed the job—it paid well, and my husband and I had just decided to buy our first home. But as settlement day approached, I began to get cold feet. I wasn’t completely happy in the relationship, and the idea of buying a house felt like I would be trapped. I knew something wasn’t right. Then, one random Wednesday, it all just spilled out, and we decided to separate. The very next day, I went to work, even though my gut was telling me not to. I wasn’t in a good headspace, but I thought work might help take my mind off everything. Instead, I walked into a meeting with HR, and they told me my contract wouldn’t be extended—I was being fired.
In less than 12 hours, my entire life had been turned upside down. I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t have a job (or a car, since the company took back the vehicle they had loaned me), and I didn’t know where I was going to live or how I was going to survive. But there was one thing I knew for sure: I was going to start my TravelManagers business again, and I was never going back to a corporate job!
In the following weeks, I reached out to TravelManagers again. It was time to give it another go. But I still needed something in the meantime—a job, and I needed it fast. I was at the point where I would’ve been happy to stack shelves at a supermarket just to get by if it meant not going back to the corporate world. Amidst all this emotional chaos, I was hanging out with my sister one day when she mentioned a job opportunity she had heard about at a tattoo studio in Bali. Without hesitation, I said, “YES! This is PERFECT!” I had always dreamed of living and working overseas, but while I was married, it never felt like a possibility. This job felt like the perfect opportunity, something my whole being was telling me to pursue.
I slid into the studio owner’s DMs with my resume, and within a week, we had a video call. But something about the call didn’t give me the confidence I was hoping for. I started to have doubts. So, I decided to book a flight to Bali and meet the owner in person. I hadn’t left the country since pre-COVID, and after everything that had happened, I figured I needed a holiday, regardless of how the meeting turned out.
So, I flew to Bali—solo for the first time. It was an exhilarating experience, traveling on my own for the first time, and I felt completely elated. It was the most incredible feeling of freedom—having nothing and everything all at once.
When I met the owners in person, everything felt right. They asked me when I could start, and a month later, after packing up my entire life, I was heading back to Bali—this time, to live!
Since then, I’ve called Bali home. My business has been slowly growing and evolving into what it is today. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to explore all corners of Bali on little getaways, fully immersing myself in the island’s breathtaking landscapes and rich culture. In this new chapter of my life, I’ve met friends from all corners of the globe, which has opened up a whole new level of happiness and excitement.
Looking back, I’m still amazed by how things unfolded. The universe really does have a weird and wonderful way of changing your direction—sometimes, you just need a HUGE push to get to where you’re meant to be!
