Meet Annette from Sanur Bali Guide
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In this interview, get introduced to Annette from Sanur Bali Guide!
20 years ago, Annette fell in love with Bali. She explores Bali at least a few times a year with her partner Kevin. They spent a month driving around Bali and call Sanur their second home. They are planning their escape to live in Sanur in the next few years. Currently, Annette resides on the Gold Coast in Australia and writes about Sanur on her blog Sanur Bali Guide.
Interesting in keeping up with Annette’s adventures elsewhere? Be sure to follow Sanur Bali Guide on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
How long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?
I’ve been blogging at World Travel Tribe (WTT) for 6 years and Sanur Bali Guide (SBG) for 1 year.
I started WTT because I love to travel and to share honest authentic reviews about where to stay, what to see and do, and where to eat, plus other travel tips.
I started SBG to provide planning information for visitors about where to stay, things to see, and where to eat, spa, and shop in Sanur.
And also to connect businesses with visitors. Starting SBG is a relevant project as we are planning to live in Sanur after we complete some business commitments here in Australia.
Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/aspiring travel bloggers?
Absolutely. Know why you want to start a blog. Treat it like a business from day one. Invest in some credible training (i.e. your trainer/teacher must be earning a living from blogging) and follow the plan they set out.
Be organised with your time and commit to the time you a lot to building your blog.
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?
Document everything so I can draw on the experience at a later date to write a helpful article for my readers.
Why do you love to travel?
To please the adventurer in me, I’ve been travelling since I was 18 months old and lived in 4 different countries before I was 25. I love to experience new places and varied cultures of the world, their food, and people.
What’s your best and worst travel experience?
My best was missing the place back to Australia in Rome and having to stay another 3 days! Seriously though I think the best experience was standing on a crowded bus hanging on to a handrail, flying down the Amalfi Coast with a crazy bus driver.
Rounding a corner and saw Positano for the first time, a place I’d dreamed of visiting for years. I was there, it was a pinch-me-now-moment. A few tears may have been shed in the process.
The worst was having money for a trip to Victoria Falls stolen when I lived in Zimbabwe.
My husband went to pay for our flights and accommodation at the travel agents for a week-long trip to Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park for our family.
He stopped at the post office to post a letter on the way to the travel agency.
He parked the car, wound down the driver’s window as our son was in the back seat of the car, ran a few meters to post the letter, and ran back to the car.
As he sat back in the car, he checked the hiding place where the cash was hidden, and it was gone, even though it wasn’t visible!
No holiday at that time see The Falls and Hwange; however, we did eventually make it there.
Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?
With others. For the shared experiences. To create memories together.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?
Ah, there are so many favourites. If I had only to name one, it would be Italy. Italy for the history, the culture, the sights, the people, and the food, wine, and coffee.
What’s your biggest travel tip?
Leave some wriggle room. As in don’t plan everything down to the last day, hour, or minute. The best trips I’ve experienced are those that have a loose plan.
E.g. I travelled to Europe for 6 weeks and only booked the first 4 days’ accommodation and the last week.
All the other days were booked on the fly. Allowed me to stay shorter or longer in a place, completely leave off other places I thought I’d wanted to see and experience new places along the way.
The built-in flexibility allowed me to go with the flow. Act on opportunities, fun excursions, and the general natural discovery of a town or city.
Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?
If there is a hop-on-hop-off bus in the new place I’m visiting I’m on it. It’s a way to orientate me to the new city or town naturally.
I also love to eat like a local so I seek out night markets to sample the local delicacies. A visit to the local morning food markets is also a must.
Is there one particular food that you’ve tried while traveling that you loved? What food was it and why do you love it so much?
Housemade fresh pasta in Florence and on the Cinque Terre. Simple, fresh, flavoursome, and delicious. I still rave about the dishes and can still taste them too! Oh and the Gelato throughout Italy.
Plus, the coffee. Ordinarily, I’m not a coffee drinker, but by the end of my trip, I drank short blacks for breakfast!
Quick Questions
Plane or train? Train, it’s a great way to see more of a country with limited time.
Hotel or hostel? Hotel or preferably a villa or Condo so we can mix it with the locals
City or nature? Nature – beaches, and rainforests
Popular site or off the beaten path? Off the beaten path
Suitcase or backpack? Suitcase
Fast travel or slow travel? Slow
Professional camera or iPhone photography? iPhone, it’s easier, lighter, and less cumbersome! Especially now with the quality of the images.
Warm or cold weather? Warm, definitely warm.
All photos used throughout this post are courtesy of Annette from Sanur Bali Guide.
