GlideSoul ❤️ WeLikeBali

At GlideSoul, we’re all about empowering women to be free, wild and bold – something which is definitely encompassed by the team over at Welikebali. We have a long collaboration with Welikebali and support many of their projects, and we’re sure you’ll agree that the brand’s founders are pretty inspirational! Without further ado, we’re excited to share our most recent interview with this dynamic duo – enjoy!

At GlideSoul, we’re all about empowering women to be free, wild and bold – something which is definitely encompassed by the team over at Welikebali. We have a long collaboration with Welikebali and support many of their projects, and we’re sure you’ll agree that the brand’s founders are pretty inspirational! Without further ado, we’re excited to share our most recent interview with this dynamic duo – enjoy!

First of all, please introduce yourself to our readers and to tell us how you made the decision to leave everything to come and live your new life in Bali together?

Hi! We are Pris & Eve. We both have Dutch and Indonesian roots (Pris is half Javanese, Eve half Moluccan) and grew up in The Netherlands. We met each other in 2007 when we became colleagues at our first job at a creative marketing agency after finishing our studies. Quickly, we became best friends and started talking about our dreams of leaving the daily routines and hectic city life behind us for a while and moving towards a sunnier place on Earth. At that time, it was more about “finish school, get a good job and grow a successful career”. But the 9 to 5 (well, it was actually more like 9 to 9 where we worked, haha) didn’t really feel satisfying. While brainstorming about going away for a while we didn’t really feel like backpacking or traveling lots but we were both attracted to the idea of living an everyday life in a new place. With family living on Bali, and both being eager to explore more of our Indonesian roots, the idea of visiting Bali for a year became reality very quickly. Within a few months we quit our jobs, left our apartments, waved our friends and family goodbye - and in February 2009 we landed in Bali! It turned out to be the best decision we’ve made in our lives. We fell in love with islandlife (and fell in love with our current boyfriend and husband) and were able to create our own dream business! So that one year turned into a zillion travels to Bali, haha. We’ve run Welikebali for more than a decade now!

Within a few months we quit our jobs, left our apartments, waved our friends and family goodbye - and in February 2009 we landed in Bali! It turned out to be the best decision we’ve made in our lives.

Wow! Could you tell us more about how you made your dream a reality, and how you started working on your printed book and your eGuide?

When we were on the plane to Bali in 2009, we were brainstorming the idea of starting a blog. At that time, there weren’t any good websites that shared Bali tips (except for the ones covering the main tourist attractions). There was no social media, except for Facebook, and even that wasn’t big yet. Once we arrived on the island, we noticed so many cool things happening and new spots opening that we launched our blog WE LIKE very shortly after setting foot on the island. We brought our camera everywhere and started sharing our favorite spots, beaches, waves, and places to stay on the blog. Then, when Instagram came along, we could share our tips even easier, which really helped other travelers coming to Bali. Our blog stayed very creative and more photo diary style, while our following was asking us on a daily basis to help them with their travel planning. So, that’s when we decided to create our own travel guides. In 2015 we launched our first edition, We like Bali Islandlife Guide,with our ultimate 300 tips, spots and must go’s. That lead us to launching it as an eGuide for on the go, and we also created a Canggu Guide, which is our favorite little surfer village. Last year, we also launched a Dutch language version with a publisher in The Netherlands, so whenever we walk into a bookstore in Holland, we see our little tropical book lying there, which is still very surreal!

After the Travel Guide launched, we decided to follow our love of fashion and got into designing our own islandstyle clothing and swimwear line. So, our very own online store “Shop Welikebali” was born! This year we are having many exciting things ahead with the shop and our platform We Like Bali. We’re excited to help everyone have the most amazing time in Bali and at the same time make it even more memorable by offering our guides and sunkissed goods!

When we were on the plane to Bali in 2009, we were brainstorming the idea of starting a blog. At that time, there weren’t any good websites that shared Bali tips (except for the ones covering the main tourist attractions). There was no social media, except for Facebook, and even that wasn’t big yet. Once we arrived on the island, we noticed so many cool things happening and new spots opening that we launched our blog WE LIKE very shortly after setting foot on the island. We brought our camera everywhere and started sharing our favorite spots, beaches, waves, and places to stay on the blog. Then, when Instagram came along, we could share our tips even easier, which really helped other travelers coming to Bali. Our blog stayed very creative and more photo diary style, while our following was asking us on a daily basis to help them with their travel planning. So, that’s when we decided to create our own travel guides. In 2015 we launched our first edition, We like Bali Islandlife Guide,with our ultimate 300 tips, spots and must go’s. That lead us to launching it as an eGuide for on the go, and we also created a Canggu Guide, which is our favorite little surfer village. Last year, we also launched a Dutch language version with a publisher in The Netherlands, so whenever we walk into a bookstore in Holland, we see our little tropical book lying there, which is still very surreal!

After the Travel Guide launched, we decided to follow our love of fashion and got into designing our own islandstyle clothing and swimwear line. So, our very own online store “Shop Welikebali” was born! This year we are having many exciting things ahead with the shop and our platform We Like Bali. We’re excited to help everyone have the most amazing time in Bali and at the same time make it even more memorable by offering our guides and sunkissed goods!

Inspirational! You obviously love to keep yourself busy! Tell us what daily life looks like for you. Are you always together or do you have separate lives off camera?

We used to spend every day together, yes! We have the same interests and a big love for the ocean, island exploring and especially coffee and food! We can spend all day together for weeks on end and have the best time. We’ve even technically become family, as Eve married Pris’ cousin Stephen. Incredible how life goes! Last year Eve became mommy to her son Manua, so she’s spending a bit more time in Amsterdam with family there, while Pris is dividing her time between Bali, Amsterdam and Biarritz, France, where boyfriend Arnaud runs his health food cafés Bali Bowls. When we’re not both in Bali together, we do talk on Whatsapp or Facetime daily, so we’re never really separated, haha. Life may have got more complicated, but we’re always the happiest when we’re together!

We have the same interests and a big love for the ocean, island exploring and especially coffee and food!

Are you still surfing during trips to Bali? Do you have any other hobbies?

Pris is still surfing daily in Bali! Every morning Pris and Arnaud wake up early, grab their boards, jump on the bike and get into the water. Usually in Canggu or depending on the season we also love to surf Uluwatu or the East Coast. We are both addicted to working out so you could say those are our hobbies, haha. Pris currently loves the F45 trainings while Eve loves her Pilates and Barre classes. We also love photography so we are always with out with our camera’s (especially loving our analog camera’s right now) to shoot content for our Instagram and other projects. And can eating be a hobby as well? Haha.

We know that you designed and produced your very first collection ‘TAKE ME TO BALI’. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Yes! So, we designed our first collection back in 2015 and every few months we launch a new range of islandlife inspired essentials - all handmade in Bali. We have been selling our own design T-shirts, jewelry, bags, dresses, swimwear... basically everything for a life under the sun in our online store. But this year we will be heading into a new direction with our clothing brand. Can’t share too much about that yet, but we will soon, exciting times ahead!

If you could give any advice to girls who, like you, have dreams and want to make them happen, what would it be?

We say: “You never want to look back on life and think… what if…” Do things. Get out there, buy that ticket, take that dream trip, quit your job if it doesn’t make you happy, try something new, take a risk… life is such a gift and it’s up to you to make the most of it. And for girls dreaming but also struggling to get out of their daily routine or job: there is always a way! We sold all our stuff and saved the money within a few months to visit Bali. If you have something in mind - go for it, make it happen. A dream becomes a plan once you start talking about it and working towards it. And before you know, you’re living it!

Get out there, buy that ticket, take that dream trip, quit your job if it doesn’t make you happy, try something new, take a risk… life is such a gift and it’s up to you to make the most of it.

We love that! OK, if you could choose one GlideSoul item to take with you to a desert island, what would you choose?

It would have to be the perfect suit for surfing because we’d want to surf all day! (Can it be a desert island with a break in front please?) If we had to choose one, it would be the Vibrant Stripes 1 MMlong sleeve front zip bikini cut shorty – we love it!

It would have to be the perfect suit for surfing because we’d want to surf all day! (Can it be a desert island with a break in front please?) If we had to choose one, it would be the Vibrant Stripes 1 MM long sleeve front zip bikini cut shorty – we love it!

What are your projects for 2020? Where can we keep track of your adventures?

Many exciting things ahead! Keep an eye on our store, and we also have a new website coming up, a fun project regarding Bali holidays and of course lots of amazing sunkissed adventures and salty travels. Keep an eye on our Instagram @welikebali