I call myself a luxury lifestyle blogger. I enjoy the finer things in life and if there’s an option to upgrade or go a little bit fancier and it’s within my budget I’ll 100% do it.
I was recently invited on a trip of a lifetime around Indonesia and along the way our accommodation wasn’t always my kind of place. We had a night or two in budget hotels that were booked for layovers between flights and a few other places which were preeetty far away from luxury. But one night when I was stood cleaning my teeth in a pool of shower water that hadn’t properly drained from the wet room I realised that I wouldn’t change any of my experiences for the world.
We spent two days and one night in a traditional wooden boat called a klotok cruising through the Borneo jungle. There was no shower, a toilet that didn’t flush and a mattress without a blanket on the top deck to sleep on. Before the trip I was terrified about this night. I bought so many comforts from home to help me ‘survive’ the boat and I had no idea what to expect. As it turns out with a bit of hand gel and some flip flops you can get by just fine and although I wouldn’t fancy spending a week on there, it was by far the best way to see the jungle and the wild orangutans that live within it.
In Wakatobi we had bungalows along the beach which from the outside looked like something out of a travel magazine. Inside they were practical but a little rough around the edges. The salty breeze from the sea had worked away a lot of fixtures and rainy seasons had taken their toll on the roof. But the view that you were faced with when you opened your balcony door and that smell of the ocean and sound of the waves that enveloped your soul from the minute you arrived. That was the true luxury and more than made up for my creaky bed and limp air con.
Luxury travel, travelling in style with comfort is how I love to see the world when the budget allows, but sometimes I think it does us good to leave our creature comforts at home and embrace the area you’re visiting. While there are often more comfortable ways to see the world most of the time some of the best stories and adventures come from the times you step outside of that box.
Upgrade your flights, treat yourself to a fancy hotel for a few nights but don’t discount the truly amazing places because they don’t come with a 5 star hotel.
Step out of your comfort zone every now and again and find the adventure – that’s the real luxury of travel.
xax