Travel Writing Workshop and Bali Experience
8 Days ~ 7 Nights
Day 1
Arrive at Ngurah Rai Int’l Airport. We will there at the airport to greet and pick you up. We’ll provide a cold drink and refreshing cold face towel before the drive to our beautiful resort (Puri Sunia Resort) in Ubud.
We suggest that those who arrive earlier that day enjoy the pool, relax, and get massage at the hotel. Guests can also take the free shuttle to and from Ubud.
Those who are interested in spa treatments and massages at Ubud Body Works (Day 3) will need to sign up for treatments on arrival day.
Dinner on your own at hotel or in Ubud (not included)
Day 2
7 – 9 am: Wake up to breakfast served in an open-air pavilion overlooking a tropical garden
8 am: Optional yoga class or rice field trek (included), available each morning
9 am: Welcome to Bali!
Prof. Michael Doliveck will provide an overview of what we’ll experience in Bali, offering some helpful tips on culture, religion, manners and customs, currency, as well as some basic Indonesian phrases.
12:30 pm: Writing Workshops
- Travel Writing Today
- Popular Forms of Travel Writing
1 pm: Group heads to Ubud for lunch at Bebek Tepi Sawah (lunch cost not included)
2.30 pm: Keliki Village Tour – The Village Experience (Inclusive)
You will experience many aspects of traditional village life in Bali. It begins in a typical Balinese village where you will visit a home to get a taste of Balinese architecture, home layout and functions, daily household life and activities.
The village of Keliki is a typical rural Balinese village. Its people are friendly and by walking around the village, you will experience the color, serenity and beauty of everyday Balinese life in its unspoiled rural setting. Keliki is renowned for its fine miniature paintings and wooden carving of fruits and flowers. In the village, you can visit several artists’ homes and studios. The artists will show the stages of the Keliki style painting.
7 pm: Welcome dinner for our group at Terazzo Restaurant (Set menu is included in your tour)
Day 3
7 am – 9 am: Breakfast
8 am: Optional yoga class or rice field trek (included)- available each morning
9 am – 12:30 pm: Writing Workshops
- Creating Your Own Blog
- Developing Story Ideas and Angles
- Researching Your Story
1 pm: Lunch at Ibu Oka world famous Suckling Pig (not inclusive). Many other restaurant options are also nearby which cater to all types of dietary preferences and price points.
Optional afternoon activities:
- 1) ARMA Museum (entrance fee not included):
- 2) An afternoon at the spa, Ubud Body Work. Reservations for spa treatments should be made two days before. Suggested treatments include massage, herbal bath body treatments, salt baths body treatments (most treatments around US$ 25, cost not included in tour)
- 3) Shopping in Ubud’s shopping is legendary, with hundreds of boutiques offering handicrafts, sterling silver jewelry, garments and home wares and much more. You will have plenty of time to explore the small shops and studios of Ubud, which is renowned as the art and culture center of Bali.
Optional evening activity:
Possible evening with Bali healer for selected participants, http://balifloatingleaf.com/bali-healer-purification-ceremony/
Since a session with a healer is a very personal experience, we can’t offer this as a group, since there would be too many people and difficult to arrange the time for the healer. Balinese healers normally don’t work every day. However, we can accept early reservations for people who are truly interested in experiencing this (note that additional cost may apply). Those who are interested in participating should have a specific problem that they want to work on with the healer.
Dinner in Ubud on your own or at the hotel (not included). If a dance performance is offered on this evening, we can attend (not included).
Day 5
7 -9 am: Breakfast
8 am: Optional yoga class or rice field trek (included)- available each morning
9 am -2:00 pm: Group cooking class and market experience (included). Even if you don’t cook, you will enjoy this unique Balinese experience. We’ll start with a visit to a traditional farmer’s market tour to purchase the ingredients we’ll be using in our cuisine. We’ll then head back with our chef to learn and cook. We will also learn how to make authentic coconut oil (Balinese style) that you use to cook at at home.
For lunch, we’ll get to enjoy the dishes we have just created (included).
2.45 – 5:45 pm: Writing workshops
- Story Structure and Technique
- The Importance of Strong Intros and Outlines
- Class Writing Exercises: Develop first article idea, angle, write intro and outline for both. Instructors on hand for assistance.
Day 6
7 – 9 am: Breakfast
8 am: Optional yoga class or rice field trek (included)- available each morning
9 am – 12:30 pm: Writing workshops
- Pitching and Promoting Your Work
- The Business of Travel Writing
- Writing Group Breakout: Meet with your writing group and share your work, listen to others share their work
Afternoon options:
- Afternoon is free to work on your own writing and explore Ubud on your own. We can set up interviews, classes with sculptors, batik, painters, healers, etc. (a small transportation cost may apply) or you can book with hotel shuttle for free transportation.
- Guided tour of the Sacred Monkey Forest (entrance fee around $5 not inclusive) -sacred-monkey-forest-in-ubud.html and
- Possible trip to the Mask and Puppet Museum (included)
Evening: Short sunset bike ride (or bus ride) to Petanu to enjoy the spectacular sight of thousand herons arriving home in Petulu. They nest in the trees along the road through the village, and make a spectacular sight as they fly in and commence squabbling over the prime perching places.
Dinner and entertainment on your own in Ubud (not included).
Day 7
6 am: Visit to Tampak Siring, the sacred and holiest springs temple in Bali (included). We will do Melukat (purification ceremony lead by Balinese priest). We will provide a sarong and sash for you to wear for the ceremony.
You will need to bring a towel from the hotel.
http://balifloatingleaf.com/sacred-springs-of-titra-empul/
9 am: Back to hotel for breakfast
10.30 am – 1:30 pm: Travel writing workshops
- Class Writing Exercise: Research and develop pitch for three publications/sites.
- Top social media platforms and how to use them to promote and sell your work.
- Writing Group Breakout. Share progress of your work and listen to others share their work.
6 pm: Farewell dinner at the hotel (included)
Depending on your flight time, you might be able to enjoy one last massage en route to the airport (not included)
Don’t miss our exciting post-tour options, provided by our partner, Adventure Indonesia. Options include an exciting4-day adventure on Komodo Island and a 4-day cultural tour of Toraja. Sign up for one — or both!