Bali has a way of calling to the adventurous at heart, and for Simone Collins, that call was impossible to ignore.
Born in Melbourne and raised in Sydney, Simone’s journey began with a Bachelor of Tourism Management and a passion for exploring new cultures. Though her early dreams of living and teaching in Japan never came to fruition, the desire to live abroad stayed with her.
Years later, with a young family and a full-time job, she proposed the idea of working and schooling overseas to her husband, who had his own business and worked online. After some persuasion, he was the one that actually suggested Bali as it ticked all the boxes for their family. What started as a year turned into two, as the island’s charm and life-changing experiences inspired Simone to create Our Year in Bali — a resource to help other families navigate their own Bali journey.
Now, Simone is eager to share her story, inspiring others with the belief that if her family can do it, so can you.
Simone, could you introduce Our Year in Bali to those who may not be familiar with it?
We are your one-stop relocation service for individuals and families moving to Bali. Having assisted people from over 55 countries — whether they’re relocating for a few months or planning to relocate long term or retire — we understand the complexity of the process.
Moving to Bali requires thoughtful planning, organisation and decision-making. That’s why we’ve taken care of the hard work, saving you time, money, and unnecessary stress. Our mission is to offer expert guidance and curated insights to make your Bali dream a reality.
We provide honest, realistic and independent advice and local knowledge including those challenges, ensuring a smooth transition into your new home. From choosing the best area to live, getting the best visa and health insurance.
We begin with a free 30-minute ‘Move to Bali Discovery’ Zoom call, where we get to know each other and discuss your relocation goals. During this call, we answer your initial questions and offer personalised feedback and guidance, leaving you with a clearer vision and confidence for your move.
We have simplified our relocation services to three comprehensive packages (Bronze, Silver and Gold) designed to cover every aspect of your move, offering varying levels of support depending on your needs. These include essential resources like practical living and planning guides, housing inspection guides, education and schools guides, cost of living breakdowns, language and cultural understanding and so much more. We also connect you to our trusted network of on-the-ground professionals, including visa agents, real estate experts, insurance providers, business agencies, banking consultants, school administrators, staff recruitment agencies, doctors and other essential services.
What inspired you to start Our Year in Bali, and how did the platform evolve over time?
It started as a family blog to document what was originally going to be our one year in Bali. We wrote about the lead up to moving over from Sydney to Bali, then articles on all new experiences and adventures from attending school, learning the language, trying new food, exploring the island, participating in cultural activities and festivals and so much more! Then it expanded to interviewing other people like us to learn and be inspired by what other families around the world were doing and why they chose Bali.
Apart from our website, we set up Instagram and Facebook to share our amazing experiences and give a glimpse of life in Bali through our perspective. Over time, people began reaching out for advice, revealing a gap in the market for personalised service and insights from someone who had experienced relocation firsthand.
Our expat friends in Bali were consistently impressed with our research, planning, and organisation, recognising how valuable our recommendations were. As a result, our website grew to offer essential information and services, continually adapting to the requests we received to ensure we provided the best answers and solutions. It was thrilling to see interest not just from Australia but globally, especially as life shifted in the wake of COVID. People were increasingly focused on remote work, adapting to new lifestyles, managing cost of living, ensuring safety, seizing opportunities, and turning dreams into reality.
As a parent yourself, how do you ensure that the information shared on Our Year in Bali addresses the unique safety concerns that families might have when relocating to Bali?
We understand and address safety concerns and provide some solutions throughout our package information and on our discovery calls. We continuously address it from multiple angles, whether it’s road safety, such as riding a scooter, dealing with Bali belly or dengue, managing air pollution, navigating day-to-day practicalities, immunizations, overall medical care, health insurance, petty crime, and more.
Our packages offer comprehensive information on these concerns, and we connect people with reputable doctors, insurance providers, and other useful resources. Ultimately, it’s important to be your own advocate regarding safety in Bali and determine what feels comfortable for you while we give you thorough insights and tools to make informed decisions.
With so many schooling options available in Bali, how do you ensure that the information you provide remains up-to-date and relevant for families making this important decision?
Schooling in Bali is my passion! Bali offers so many excellent school options for families of all ages, and with schools continuously expanding and new ones being established, the choices keep growing.
We always prioritise visiting and inspecting schools across the island several times a year. This helps us stay informed about any changes, whether it’s touring a new campus, getting a sense of the school community, or reconnecting with school staff and administration.
We recognise that many families may not have the opportunity to visit in person. For them, we provide as much insight and as many connections as possible to help them make an informed decision. For families who can tour schools before relocating, we offer a curated list of schools to visit, along with introductions to principals, teachers, and other parents.
We maintain direct communication with many school founders of both established and new schools, gaining a deep understanding of how each one differs in its approach, offerings, and community. That way, we understand the type of community the school is trying to attract and assist them with introducing a good fit family to the school founders, so it goes both ways.
Speaking with past clients about their experiences with specific schools is part of our process. This helps us gather real-life feedback, which can often differ from what’s stated online. We remain neutral in our school recommendations, offering options based on where families want to live, how long they plan to stay, their budget, curriculum preferences, commuting and lifestyle, extra-curricular activities and other factors like the level of English instruction.
We proactively reach out to the schools we recommend to ensure our information on fees, entry requirements, and other details is up to date. This allows us to regularly update our website and materials such as our Education and school guide.
What are some standout stories from families you’ve assisted, and how do these testimonials reflect the impact of Our Year in Bali on their relocation journey?
That’s a challenging question because we’ve had so many incredible stories from the people we’ve assisted with various needs and goals. These range from families taking an extended break of 3–6 months, to those starting a business and investing in property, and even those who have relocated permanently with large families. The good news is that many families who start with a year in Bali end up extending their stay and continuing to live here for much longer!
We assist many Europeans for whom English is a second language, and they find our materials both accessible and useful, often referring to them repeatedly while in Bali and before their arrival. For instance, a delightful Norwegian family contacted us 18 months prior to their planned gap year, having never visited Bali before. They found our service immensely valuable for their research and planning, including advice on schools, villas, locations, budgeting, and everyday expenses.
We helped a lovely young American family from Seattle who sold up everything and relocated to Canggu with a 3-month-old. Speaking with me provided them with a clear understanding of the different areas across the island, what to expect regarding housing, and the available options for childcare and schooling.
Jordan said “We are so grateful we found Our Year in Bali to help us prepare for the transition — especially with a new-born! Through her amazing contacts we were able to easily arrange our visas, learn about real estate, and line up drivers and babysitters for when we arrived. Plus, thanks to her trustworthy contacts we were able to discover our dream home and couldn’t be happier!”
We help lots of retirees, giving them confidence to make a move, so helping David, a solo Australian man who is testing out retirement in Sanur this year, shared that he was finding it all a complicated process — Visas, accommodation, banking, phones, language…. then he found me.
David said we “provided a pathway, connections and advice. Our Year in Bali has cleared and illuminated the path. Simone has been on this journey herself and saw the need for resources to clear away the clutter. The resources and connections provided by OYIB are my lifesaver. I can’t recommend her service more highly.”
What exciting new directions do you envision for Our Year in Bali in the coming years?
We are continually expanding our resources and adding new suppliers to ensure we provide the most up-to-date information to meet our clients’ needs.
Our list of schools and day-cares is constantly growing, and with education becoming an increasingly popular focus for those relocating, we expect this list to expand even further.
Property remains a highly sought-after topic, and we plan to offer even more content in this area. We are always open to collaborations that benefit our clients and help us stay connected within the business community.
We’re also proud of our collection of expat stories, which has now grown to over 120. We look forward to continuing these stories with live interviews and expanding into other social platforms.
Introducing an “Our Year in Bali” membership and community makes perfect sense. This would give newcomers and long-term expats ongoing access to the latest information, trusted suppliers, and exclusive promotions to support them throughout their journey.
If you could offer one piece of advice to someone considering a major life change, such as moving to Bali, what would it be?
Embrace flexibility and patience, as moving to an island like Bali, with its distinct pace of life, can be both rewarding and challenging. Things may not always go as planned.
Being open to change, adapting to cultural differences, and maintaining patience will help make the transition smoother and allow you to fully enjoy the beauty and opportunities Bali offers. Keep an open mind and recognise that relocating to Bali involves its own set of pros, cons, and challenges.
How can our readers get in touch?
For those who are considering or actually planning a life in Bali and want our support please book a free 30-minute Zoom Call via our website: www.ouryearinbali.com.