Why I’m Travelling to Indonesia in 2022 (First Time Overseas in Over Two Years!)

Last Updated on June 13, 2022 by Jon Algie

Back in the day, a travel blogger booking a flight overseas wouldn’t require its own post. It probably doesn’t now either, but I’m excited! I booked my first flight overseas in two and a half years – I’ll be exploring Indonesia again in 2022!

Why Indonesia?

I, like many other people around the world (especially Asia / Pacific) have had to bide my time to travel overseas. After several false dawns, somewhere in 2021 I accepted I might not be able to travel for years, and that I’d better find other things to get excited about. I did that, but I knew as soon as restrictions started to lift I’d be pulled back into the world of international travel.

Why Indonesia though? In my opinion, Indonesia is the perfect travel destination. There’s so much variety, so many types of trips that you can do and so many different experiences you can have. Bali is the westernised, “easy” place to travel in Indonesia, but there are thousands of islands and heaps of them are just waiting to be explored. I’ve visited Indonesia a few times over the last decade and it keeps drawing me back!

Why So Late?

I know people have been travelling close to normal for 6 months or more now, but down here in New Zealand it’s only been a month or two since our border opened properly. I was also waiting for more destinations to drop things like pre-departure tests, which Indonesia has just done. It seems like travel is fairly normal now (only with more masks) and it feels like the right time to do it.

I also really want to encourage people to visit Indonesia – it’s a beautiful country, the food is great and the people are friendly. It’s very easy to get off the beaten path, but also easy to have a relaxing time in places like Bali.

Booking the Flight

There are always some nerves when booking a big trip overseas, and that has obviously compounded big-time because of Covid. It’s more expensive for one, but you’ve also got to think about things like compulsory insurance, pre-departure / on arrival tests and that lingering fear that you might catch the virus just before your flight. I won’t be completely at ease until I’m actually in Indonesia, but I reckon the tide has turned on the pandemic and now is the time to get back to our old lives (assuming we haven’t outgrown them yet). My old life involved lots of travel – hopefully it’s as good as I remember!