Our digital nomad life in Ubud

Last updated on January 11, 2024

Rice Paddies in Ubud

“You don’t like it there, do you?” said my aunt on the phone one day. I can see why she thought it. My posts on Ubud have been a little heavy on the navel-gazing, which doesn’t always make for lighthearted stories. But our life here has been much more than all the “Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it” experiments. Here’s a little taste of what it’s like to be a digital nomad in Ubud. And my answer to my aunt: “How could I not?”.

Our house

We live in this house…

Victoria and a jack fruit

…next to a  man who sometimes brings us fruit.

Drinking a coconut

There are coconuts in the garden,

Skink

…and a family of skinks, who we like to call slinks.

Rice fields in Penastanan

We’re surrounded by rice fields,

Victoria walking in Penastanan

…and there are no cars, only a tiny winding path,

Us on Scoopy

…which we travel on by scooter.  One day we fell in the ditch.

Steve editing Continuum

Steve works long days, most often in the house,

Hubud, Bali

…but sometimes we go to Hubud, a co-working space in the main town (see this post for more co-working spaces in Bali) . It’s the best office we’ve ever seen, like an adults’ treehouse….

View from Hubud

…with a gorgeous view,

chocolates at Hubud

…and tempting raw chocolate deserts.

Victoria doing yoga

I spend time doing yoga – sometimes at home,

Yoga Barn, Ubud

…sometimes at the Yoga Barn, and others times at Radiantly Alive.

Rodolfo speaking at yoga barn

I go to workshops,

Victoria working at Hubud

…I write, I blog, I read, and I’m studying nutrition and anatomy.

Ayurvedic herbs, Ubud

We’re experimenting with our diets, exploring Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, and learning the art of listening to our bodies.

Food at Kafe Ubud

It’s the perfect place for it, in a town made of healthy cuisine,

Pizza in Bali

…but it doesn’t mean we don’t eat pizza,

IMG_2460

…or sneak in the occasional coffee.

Hannah from Further Bound and Victoria, bridges and Balloons, and Sophia

Bloggers occasionally pass through and we take them to our favourite restaurants, play jungle speed,

Sound healing at Yoga Barn

…and share our favourite delights – like Sound Medicine with Shervin on Wednesdays, ecstatic dance on Fridays,

Steve and Pecha Kucha

…and the monthly Pecha Kucha. Steve talked at it once, facing a long-held fear of public speaking. It was just like a Ted Talk and made for a very proud girlfriend.

Victoria Blogging 101 at Hubud

I talked at Hubud on Blogging 101. “Don’t waffle” was my favourite slide.

Spa

On Saturdays we go to the spa (Sang Spa 2 is our favourite). We look at the menu but always choose the same – a massage, a scrub and a floral bath – an indulgence that’s always worth it.

Walking in the woods of Ubud

When we go walking, we’re always surprised but what we find. Gorgeous woodland,

Gallery in Ubud

…hidden galleries,

Sari Organik food

……rice paddies and delicious restaurants amid them.

I love Bali t-shirt

Ubud is super touristy,

Taxi man Ubud

filled wih men crying taxi,

Shopping in Ubud market

…people trying to sell you stuff,

Alchemy, Ubud

…overpriced food,

Traffic in Ubud

and a frightening amount of traffic.

Water Ceremony Man

But there are also lots of smiles,

Ori, Sam, Steve and Victoria in Ubud

…beautiful expats we now call friends,

Ceremony in Ubud

…fascinating culture,

View from Indus Ubud

…and an incredible amount of beauty.

We’ve enjoyed calling it home.

In the coming weeks, we’ll cover some of the adventures we’ve had outside of Ubud. Bali has blown our minds.

We will also be adding a “Cost of living in Ubud” post in the near future. In the meantime, feel free to ask any questions.

Also check out our Ubud travel guide and our guide to the best vegetarian restaurants in Ubud.

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61 thoughts on “Our digital nomad life in Ubud”

  1. This is the side of Ubud I fear pretty much entirely escaped us when we were there (minus the taxi men and the overpriced food) but was what I had hoped to be able to explore even just a bit. But I think Ubud (and perhaps even Bali as a whole) might be one of those places that really only rewards those who are willing to really invest in building a life there and not schmucks like me who only gave it a week. I’m glad I got to see the place through your eyes… even though I left Ubud fairly certain I’d probably never return, this almost has me reconsidering! 😉

    Reply
    • And I now know where this is heading! Hope you make it there Steph. I’ll be interested to hear how you like it second time round!

      Reply
  2. Absolutely stunning images Victoria! And it’s so lovely to see your smiling face in so many of them 🙂 looks like you’ve had an incredible time in Bali, and I’m so glad. Looking forward to more stories!

    Reply
  3. Thank you for sharing what it’s like to live (albeit temporarily) in Ubud. We’re planning a trip to Bali next year for various travel magazines – and will spend a little time in Ubud. Looking forward to it!

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  4. Yeah! That’s what I like to hear. What an awesome adventure. Bali is unreal. Can’t wait to hear all about it over chats when you get back home. xx

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  5. Your pictures really seem to capture the spirit of your time. Interestingly, I often read mixed reviews of Ubad. We’ve never been but it seems people either love it or leave it.

    Reply
    • It’s true that people tend to love it or hate it. I wasn’t keen to begin with, but once we got underneath the surface, i found a lot to love.

      Reply
  6. Omg you are making me miss Bali so much! I wish I had places like Sang Spa 2 and Yoga Barn to make part of my weekly routine. Beautiful photos and even if you know it isn’t where you belong in the long run, soak it up for now! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Looks amazing Victoria! We went to South East Asia ten years ago this year, although not to Bali. Your blog makes me want to pack up our lives, kids and all, and head out there again. Glad it’s going well for you.

    Reply
    • Thanks Miriam! You should check out some of the bloggers with kids – you’ll be even more inspired. Almost Fearless and Y Travel Blog are good places to start.

      Reply
  8. When we visited Bali (and stayed in Ubud for 2 weeks) last may we had fun, but overall it was a bit disappointing (too crowded/overly touristy). The areas surrounding Ubud with the rice fields were quite nice though – your pictures capture the spirit well!

    Reply
    • It’s definitely overwhelming to begin with but if you dig a little deeper, there’s a lot of beauty to be found. Pleased you like the photos 🙂

      Reply
  9. Merry CHRISTMAS! I happened to find your lovely and interesting photos and info,,,thank you for the great info.
    I will be arriving for the first time ,,,to UBUD ,,beg of march and will stay for just under two months ,,,if I like it ,,,I will plan to move there ,,,from my home base in Florida,,I’ve been looking for a long time ,,in many different countries ,,and haven’t found the place of my dreams yet ,,so I’m hoping Bali ,,,will be it !
    Recently I met someone here ,,,in my town who is building a house in UBUD ,,,that was helpful!!!!!
    I will be also looking for something super creative to do ,,,I’m very creative, take a peek at my web page,,, I’ve been a fashion photographer for years ,,,,,am also into fashion , designing ,,opening a cool whatever place ,,,and interior decorating ,,(oh ,,I also met a true balances here,,last week ,,,he’s working here ,,saving money for his family there ,,and will go back and plans to open a resturant ,,,but in kuta,,,,!!) got a lot of info from him too,,he was darling!!! Anyway ,,just thought I’d put all this out there ,,I’m also looking for a house to rent ,,,for one month,,,if u know of anyone renting ,,,just throwing all out there ,,ya know,,,u never know!!!!!! Hope to see u at the yoga barn!! And thanks again,,,great!!!!!
    Light ,
    Heidi

    Reply
    • Hi Heidi, Lovely to hear from you. I’m afraid we’re not living in Ubud anymore. We’re back in the UK for a bit and then off to Berlin. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time there. Good luck with it all and I’m pleased the blog has been helpful. Happy travels!

      Reply
  10. Hey guys,

    Love this post! It gives such a good feel for Ubud and your lives there. I found your blog searching about life in San Pancho as we’ll be living there for a couple months at the end of this year. I really enjoyed your posts about San Pancho too. I always find it interesting to learn how other digital nomads get on.

    Keep up the good work! Looking forward to reading more from you 🙂

    Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Thanks for all of you information about Ubud. We’re here for 2 weeks and loving it. We’re going to try Sound Medicine this Wednesday-thanks for bringing it to our attention!

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  12. Great information and great experience in Ubud. I got interested as I scroll down to see the pictures wanna makes me taste the chocolates then jump on the pool. I hope I can travel to Bali soon.

    Reply
  13. Hey Victoria,
    We are going to Ubud at the end of next month and I’d love to know where you stayed, as we’d like to rent a similar place.
    Also, the banner doesn’t let me click on it and I’d like to download the vouchers.
    Thanks!
    Carmen

    Reply
    • Hello!

      To be honest, the best way to find somewhere in Ubud is to walk around and ask / look at the notice boards. Whatever you do, make sure not to stay too close to the Monkey Forest! The monkeys are super aggressive and territorial. We had a terrible experience with them!

      As for our specific house, we were really lucky to find it. We were the first ones to stay there so we got a good price. I’m not sure how much it’d cost now. The man who manages it is called Bill. He also owns a guesthouse called Madrigal. I think the best way to get hold of him would be to contact hom through Madrigal: : https://www.homeaway.co.uk/p203459vb

      Hope that helps.

      Have a great time! And I’ll sort out the banner now. Thanks for the head up! 🙂

      Victoria

      Reply
  14. Hey victoria, Nice trip. your trip seemed. and you are really a true culinary adventurer. I saw the cuisine and the pond is really very tempting. Thats Ubud? I myself have been there, I have little information about Ubud travel. But maybe one day I will get there. Nice info. great post.

    Reply
  15. We absolutely love Bali. We’ve travelled through three times and loved Ubud as well. It’s great to see how you guys were able to make a life there as expats and it is inspiring to us to perhaps give it a try. Cheers 🙂

    Reply
    • Oh yes, it’s super easy for expat living. There’s a great community there, especially centered around the co-working space, Hubud. Good luck!

      Reply

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