Pangea Dreams Retreat : Bali Edition

This year I had the privilege of being a part of the Pangea Dreams retreat in Bali, Indonesia. I have been following Pangea Dreams since the company hosted its first blogger retreat. Always eager to go, I finally decided that it was time to make that leap of faith and that is why I chose to go the Pangea Dreams retreat in Bali. Many of you have asked me about how my experience at the Pangea Dreams retreat was and if I would recommend it. So I decided to write up this blog post to hopefully answer any questions and concerns that you may have.

For those of you who are not familiar with Pangea Dreams, it is a company founded by Tracy Komlos, that organizes blogger retreats all over the world. It provides an opportunity for boss babes to come together, grow as entrepreneurs, and learn the tips and tricks of social media and photography from experienced bloggers. Doesn’t that sound like a dream? So, let’s get into it and I will walk you through what we did at the one-week retreat in Bali.

The number one question that everyone asks me is: Was it worth the money?

Quite frankly, I had the same concern a few months ago. But then again, as I started to take my blogging career seriously and working really hard, I was less scared to make the right investments and more driven than ever to grow my blog. I have always wanted to go to Bali and that is why I decided that I wanted to attend the Pangea Dreams retreat in Bali.

So how does the retreat work and what did we do each day? Let’s get right into it.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL AT VILLA ATAS AWAN (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

The first day was super relaxed as all the girls arrived at Villa Atas Awan. Everyone arrives at different times so there is a window between which the hosts recommend you to come. As I went to Bali a day earlier, I had lunch with my local friends and then headed to Ubud, which is where Villa Atas Awan was located. It was such an anxious moment as I wondered how the hosts and the other girls would be like. I was so excited to make connections with girls from all around the world and some everlasting memories.

My driver dropped me off and I went inside the villa. There was Tracy Komlos, Lisa Homsy, Sam Katz, and Lisa Stendvedt waiting around the table. Finally, I had met all these amazing women that I had been following for so long! It was a relaxing period as we all just chilled around while waiting for everyone. In the evening, when all the girls had arrived, we had a welcome circle. Everyone opened up about who they were and what brought them on this retreat, which really allowed all the girls to know each other. Then, we had welcome dinner which was extremely delicious! We had vegan food at the villa the whole time except for two days when we had chicken and fish for dinner (so meat-lovers not to worry)! After dinner, we all went to bed as that was when the first real day of the retreat started!

DAY 2: PERSONAL BRANDING AND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

We woke up super early at 7:30am to do some yoga and meditation. Then, we all gathered in a circle for intention setting. We performed this ritual every morning which consisted of the girls sharing three things we were grateful for, our intentions for the day, and three things we wanted to accomplish that day. So simple, but it was very powerful and strong as it allowed us to make sure we were living in the present, enjoying each moment, while making sure we were accomplishing our goals and growing each day.

After breakfast, we went straight into our first workshop which was hosted by Tracy. She guided us through the topic of how to build our personal brand. This involved finding out what we wanted to communicate to our audience as a brand and how each of us wanted to deliver that message to our audience.

After the first workshop, we had lunch and then one-on-one sessions with the hosts where we communicated to them our goals and objectives for the retreat so they could make sure to dedicate enough time to make sure we did. Then, we had our second and third workshop which was hosted by Sam. If you guys don’t know who she is, she is a kickass photographer and was the main person behind most of the pictures taken at the retreat. She is a photography and Lightroom Guru! She taught us the Basics of Photography (ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, etc.) and How to Import in Lightroom.

Once the workshop had ended, we had the founders of Batu Bali visit us to tell us about their brand. Batu Bali is a jewelry brand that promotes awareness about plastic pollution in Bali and 50% of the proceeds go to an organization called Bye Bye Plastic. After listening to the passion and struggles of these girls, it really reminded all of us how important this problem is in Bali. We wanted to help the brand so we all picked up our cameras and started shooting these gorgeous bracelets. Then, we had dinner and went to sleep. Each time after dinner, all the girls sat at the table and worked to implement all the information and knowledge we learnt each day, and this was also an important time to ask the hosts any questions we had.

DAY 3: LIGHTROOM EDITING WORKSHOP AND DAY IN UBUD TOWN (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

As usual, we woke up at 7:30am for a morning workout and intention setting. However, this time we did a dance hall routine that Lisa taught us. It was definitely a lot more fun than yoga and more entertaining. After breakfast, we had our fourth workshop about Lightroom Editing which was hosted by Lisa. In this workshop, she went through all the editing tips and tricks and then we all created our own preset from scratch.

After the workshop and lunch, we left the villa to go explore the Ubud town. We went to the Ubud Market and then the Campuhan Ridgewalk to shoot there during sunset.

DAY 4: CONTENT CREATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

This day we left our villa at 2am to make hike up the Mount Batur Volcano for sunrise. I almost felt like giving up so many times but the girls kept me going and it was surreal to watch the sun rise over Mount Batur. Afterwards, we went to The Udaya Resort & Spa where Tracy and Lisa had organized a full day of exciting collaborations for us. We shot around the villa, had a flower bath, and floating breakfast. Then, we headed to the Tegalallang Rice Terrace  to shoot there for sunset. It was definitely a crazy and tiring day when we got back to the villa but it was so much fun and worth it.

 

DAY 5: INTENSE DAY FULL OF WORKSHOPS (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

Continuing our morning rituals and breakfast, we went right into our fifth workshop with Lisa where she taught us about how to build our own media kits. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, media kit is basically like a blogger’s resume which highlights key insights about one’s brand and this is the tool that bloggers use to get collaborations. The next workshop was hosted by Tracy in which she taught us about how to get in touch with brands and hotels for collaborations. The last workshop of the day was hosted by Lisa which was about SEO and how to drive traffic to your blog website.  Then, we had some free time to shoot around the villa and had a relaxed evening.

DAY 6: DAY IN SEMINYAK TOWN (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

This was our last night at the retreat and so the focus was on creating content and memories with each other. After breakfast in the morning, we had a closing circle where all the girls shared their experiences and insights about how they felt after the retreat. We then headed to Seminyak where we went to some pretty cafes, shot around town and then headed to Potato Head Club to have some dinner. Some of the girls left at night while others left in the morning.

DAY 7: DEPARTURE FROM VILLA (Pangea Dreams Retreat)

In terms of itinerary, we didn’t have anything planned for this day. Everyone left the villa depending on the time of their flights. Unfortunately, the retreat had come to an end and reality sinked in.

Overall, my experience at the Pangea Dreams retreat was amazing! I met so many amazing girls from all around the world, made so many unique friendships, gathered so much knowledge about the influencer world, and became part of a community of boss babes. To me, it was an indescribable feeling that I left the Pangea Dreams retreat with. A feeling that I know I will always carry with me.

So, back to the question if it is really worth it? I would say that you should not think about the price tag that comes with the retreat. Ultimately, it comes down to what your own personal goals are from the retreat and how motivated you are to succeed. Pangea Dreams is an amazing platform that brings people together to learn from experienced bloggers and other boss babes and to me, that’s a beautiful thing. If you want to take off your blogging career, you have to be serious about it and driven enough to learn and implement all the knowledge thrown your way. Everyone on the retreat has different goals and it is how you participate in the retreat that will eventually decide whether it was worth it or not.

That’s a wrap! If you have any questions at all about the retreat or about blogging, feel free to reach out to me.

Until next time lovelies, xoxo <3