Julia on Her Tributech Adventure in Bali

Putting my feet up, leaning back, enjoying the sound of the ocean, ordering an iced coffee, opening my laptop, getting to work, and quickly jumping into the pool during my lunch break. Doesn't just sound like a dream scenario, it describes my current working day.

I'm Julia, Digital Marketing Specialist at Tributech, and I'm currently on my Tributech Adventure in Bali. To be exact, I'm sitting on the beach on the Gili Islands with an Iced Coffee at my side. For 1 month I am on a journey through the beautiful and diverse landscape of Indonesia. My way led me from Bali over Nusa Penida to the Gili Islands.

During my Remote Work Experience I had memorable moments: From breathtaking sunsets, impressive Hindu temples, vast rice fields and waterfalls to the incredible hospitality of the locals. To be able to have such an experience during my working hours, I made use of the "Tributech Adventure" for the first time this year.

What is the Tributech Adventure?

All Tributech team members have the opportunity to relocate their workplace to another place in the world for up to two months per year. Tributech covers the costs for a suitable co-working space and supports the team with adequate health insurance. In order to ensure a smooth workflow within the company, the traveler must follow the time zone of the core team in Austria. We named this opportunity the "Tributech Adventure". With the Tributech Adventure, we are creating a new and innovative way to combine work and leisure time, support intercultural exchange and experiences, and strengthen trust and cohesion within our team.

After 2 years of waiting (due to the pandemic) Bali opened its borders again and I could finally claim my "Tributech Adventure".

Exploring Indonesia and different co-working spaces

My journey started on April 16th, 2022, taking me to Denpasar/Bali after an 18-hour flight. After an initial climate and culture shock, I drove directly to the heart of the island, to Ubud, the cultural center of the largely Hindu island. Countless, magnificent temples, rice terraces and waterfalls adorn the area around Ubud. In between exploring these sights, I checked into the co-working space "The Outpost", which offers 3 locations in Ubud and Changgu (where my path later took me), making it perfectly aligned with my Tributech Adventure. The open community in these spaces is worth experiencing and invites you to meet people with the same mindset from all over the world.

After this spiritual start into my adventure, my path led me to a Silent Retreat over the weekend. Here it was time to turn off all electronic devices, silence my mouth and mind, and focus on the present. For a bit of contrast, I continued my journey in Canggu, home to digital nomads, dropouts, and beach boys and girls. Canggu houses an exciting and small community of like-minded people and conveys the optimal New Work lifestyle. After only 1 week in this place, I realize more and more why most people stay here for a few months.

However, my way led me further to Uluwatu, in order to be able to look at the multifaceted coastal areas of Bali more closely. Due to the various cliffs, Uluwatu offers the most beautiful sunsets of the island.

After Uluwatu I left Bali to explore the beautiful surrounding islands. First stop: Nusa Penida. An island that is still in pandemic sleep, but whose dream beaches leave you in awe. After a 3-week marathon of attractions, a quiet and stress-free last week on Gili Air is deliberately planned. Gili = Small, so with 5km circumference the island invites perfectly to do nothing. Gili Air is well developed for tourism, but has been able to preserve its own character until today. There is a traditional village with mosque and at the same time quiet beach bars and restaurants. After the morning wake-up prayer of the muezzin, I chilled, worked, snorkeled with turtles and manta rays and sipped cocktails at the beach bar.

Highlights:

• Spiritual water purification in the temple Tirtha Empul

• New friendships and spontaneous encounters

• A random and exciting walk through the Monkey Forrest

• Sunrise hike up the volcano Mt. Batur

• 3-day silent retreat

• The cliffs of Uluwatu

• Snorkeling with manta rays and sea turtles

• Diamond & Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida

One can still feel the negative effects of the past 2 years in the country. However, the deep gratitude of the locals about the reopening tourism is clearly noticeable and step by step the country is finding its way back to its usual beauty.

My summary

In order to create a work-life balance abroad, you undoubtedly have to show a certain amount of self-discipline, because the call for adventure and exploring new things is strong. However, if you get into the spirit of working abroad, new perspectives open up which you can integrate into your everyday life. Compared to Austria, you are 6 hours ahead in Bali. If meetings were scheduled, my workday began at 3:00 p.m. and ended around 10:00 p.m., which enabled easy coordination with the team in Austria and smaller excursions in the morning. In between, smaller tasks were also done in the hotel.

After all, my Tributech Adventure was not only a journey halfway around the globe, but also a journey to myself, a journey to greater self-reliance, to greater awareness and gratitude about the privileges one is entitled to in Austria, about the opportunity for schooling and work, and most of all about having the freedom and financial means to explore the world. I am glad to have had the cross-cultural experience in Bali and am very grateful for the encouragement Tributech gave me to embark on this adventure. The term "work-life balance" has taken on a new meaning for me, which I now want to integrate into my everyday life.

If you're curious and want to have your own Tributech adventure, check out our career page.