🌺 Days 1–2: Ubud — Team Briefing & Welcome to Bali

Arrive in Bali and settle into Ubud, the island’s cultural and creative centre. Meet your Think Pacific leaders and fellow participants as you get grounded in Balinese culture and the journey ahead.

Explore Ubud and have your programme briefing

🌿 Days 3–4: East Bali Jungle Camp — Team Building, Culture & Leadership

Travel into Bali’s lush interior and step out of your comfort zone for a jungle-camp experience designed to build resilience, confidence, teamwork and cultural understanding.

Through team challenges, leadership activities and workshops from local community, you’ll learn more about Balinese culture and community life.

🌾 Days 5–16: Community Life, Culture & Mental Health Organisations

Live within a traditional community south of Ubud and take part in a structured programme exploring mental health, wellbeing and community resilience.

Your days combine cultural activities with visits to local workshops and organisations connected to mental health and wellbeing

At the root of the experience, learn about Tri Hita Karana — Bali’s philosophy of harmony and see how it influences community wellbeing.

🌄 Days 17–19:  Interior Bali

Head to the rural area of Rendang, a peaceful region shaped by rice terraces, temples and Mount Agung where the traditions, farming practices and spiritual rituals form the backbone of local life.

Learn about cultural heritage, nature, land stewardship and sustainable livelihoods.

The slower pace and mountain setting give space for reflection and deeper cultural connection.

🌅 Days 20–21: Sanur — Reflection & Showcase

Return to the coastal area of Sanur for your final days in Bali. Bring the learning journey together through reflection and debrief. Enjoy your final farewell meal together.

Please note:  The above is an example itinerary for your journey. Each programme is unique based on local partners and specific cultural or workshop activities may be subject to change.

Think Pacific works in partnership with many universities across the world to support student mobility and employability. There are scholarships and grants available for students from individual university departments and/or governments in several countries.

What’s Included?

• Welcome & Orientation – Airport pickup, 2-day briefing and cultural orientation, plus a team-building camp in a rural setting.
• Accommodation – All accommodation provided, including homestays in traditional Balinese villages.
• Meals – 2 meals per day included. (please budget £2–5 per day for additional meals).
• Activities– Daily activities including culture, workshops, site visits.
• Support & Safety – 24/7 guidance from Think Pacific leaders, in-country manager and Balinese project team.
• Travel – All in-country transport in private air-conditioned vehicles.
• Preparation – Pre-departure webinars, portal and support.

What’s Not Included?

• Flights – Budget £700–£1,000 (guidance provided).
• Insurance – Budget £50–£100 (recommended policy provided).
• Tourist Visa – Approximately £30 (requirements vary by nationality; please check with the Indonesian Embassy).
• Vaccinations – Recommended Typhoid and Hepatitis A (budget £50; often free via NHS in the UK).
• Spending Money – Budget £200–£300 for lunches, drinks, souvenirs, and personal items

Accommodation

During this programme, you’ll have the unique opportunity to live in an authentic Balinese village.

Accommodation is simple but comfortable, shared with your host family and teammates. Expect basic facilities, but also beautiful surroundings, local hospitality and unique insights beyond tourism.

Food

Breakfast and dinner are included each day, whether you’re staying in a Think Pacific camp, hotel, or your host village.

Meals are carbohydrate-heavy, with rice and vegetables forming the core of a typical Balinese diet.

• Access To The Pre-Departure Portal.

This portal provides the step-by-step process to prepare, including flight and visa information, kit list, cultural preparation, health and safety information.

• Contact Our Team.

You can contact our team anytime between office hours, either give us a  call on 0113 335 9919 or email; info@thinkpacific.com.

• Online Community

You can communicate with fellow participants, alumni and our team through our online community. Within 3 months of you departing you shall be entered into a private facebook group with your fellow teammates.

• Live Pre Departure Webinars

Our team host live sessions in the months leading up to your project. These are a great way for you to ask questions and delve deeper into planning for your project. They also add to the excitement!

• Global Skills Programme

We have created an online course to give you the set you up for success before departure! Complete short-courses in: Culture, Sustainable Travel & Global Leadership.

🌺 How the Bali Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme Supports Local Impact

At Think Pacific, we believe that travel should be transformative — not only for participants but for the communities and ecosystems we partner with. This programme is deeply grounded in the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, which emphasises harmony between people, nature, and spirit. Every aspect of this journey reflects that balance, with meaningful, lasting benefits for local communities, traditions, and the environment.

Here’s how this program creates regenerative impact in Bali, aligned with both local values and mental health outcomes:

1. Preserving Culture & Traditional Knowledge

Linked to itinerary activities in the village stay, jungle camp, and Ubud exploration.

Participants engage in hands-on cultural workshops. These experiences are led by local artisans, elders, and cultural custodians, many of whom rely on these practices for income.

By learning, not just observing, students play a role in keeping intangible cultural heritage alive while gaining insight into how these practices are used.

2. Supporting Community Livelihoods & Regenerative Income

Connected to the village homestay and community-led excursions.

Participants live with Balinese host families, creating direct financial benefits for the village through ethical homestay programs, meal sharing, and guided activities. These partnerships are developed with community consent and leadership, ensuring that income remains in the local economy.

Beyond income, these connections help students understand the social fabric and mutual support systems that underpin mental wellbeing in rural Bali — a living example of Pawongan, or harmony between people.

3. Fostering Global Connection & Mutual Learning

Happens throughout the programme.

Through daily interaction, participants and local people engage in dialogue, shared storytelling, and collaborative learning, creating more understanding and awareness.

These encounters build empathy, cultural intelligence, and reduce “us vs. them” thinking — a key goal of ethical global citizenship and an important factor in long-term mental health advocacy across cultures.

4. Raising Mental Health Awareness & Reducing Stigma

Core to learning days with organisations, and local leaders.

Students learn from local people, providing insight into how mental health is understood in a non-Western context, including spiritual interpretations of mental distress, communal healing, and the growing integration of modern and traditional support systems.

By participating this creates a form of solidarity and mutual education.

5. Promoting Responsible, Educational Tourism

Embedded across the model of small-group travel, pre-departure learning, and local partnerships.

This offers a powerful alternative to mass tourism. It is small-scale, low-impact, and community-first, with participants arriving as learners, not consumers. Students are briefed on cultural sensitivity, Balinese protocols, and respectful conduct, ensuring their presence is welcomed, not extractive.

By immersing in slow travel and engaging with Bali on its own terms, participants help shift the tourism narrative toward one of learning, respect, and regenerative exchange.

6. Supporting Environmental Regeneration

Featured during jungle camp and nature based activities.

Students learn about Balinese eco-spiritual practices, such as Subak (community-managed water systems). These experiences not only support local ecosystems but also help participants see mental health as interconnected with natural rhythms — a reflection of Palemahan, or harmony with nature.

7. Empowering Local Youth

Encouraged through collaboration with local people

By interacting with young people in Bali, this offers a platform for Balinese youth voices and reinforce the idea that young people can lead with confidence and cultural pride.

8. Amplifying Grassroots Leadership & Local Ownership

Woven throughout — co-created programs, local facilitators, and partner-led experiences.

Think Pacific works only with locally approved initiatives, engaging village leadership, NGOs, and local experts in every step of program planning and delivery. This amplifies grassroots expertise and respects local autonomy.

Participants are guests in a locally owned learning environment, reinforcing Parahyangan (harmony with spirit) through gratitude, humility, and shared purpose.

🌿 Conclusion: Real Impact, Rooted in Respect

The Bali Mental Health & Wellbeing Programme is not just about student development, it’s about contributing meaningfully to the cultural, social, environmental, and emotional fabric of Bali. Every experience is designed to be mutually beneficial, aligned with Balinese values, and responsive to community-defined goals.

This is global experience grounded in Tri Hita Karana, and built to leave a positive footprint on both the island and every individual who journeys through it.

Every programme is unique and itineraries may differ depending on partner availability.  This make each experience an authentic learning journey shaped by real communities, organisations, and local people. Timings and activities may change depending on local rhythms and opportunities. However, here is an example of activities that may be encountered:

Mindfulness & Reflection

• Meditation in nature

• Guided forest hikes

• Evening yoga

Spiritual & Healing Practices

• Experience sound healing

• Join a traditional Melukat water blessing

• Learn herbal medicine

Community & Culture

• Live within Balinese community

• Batik painting and mask-making workshops

• Gamelan drumming and dance

• Talks on Balinese perspectives of wellbeing

Nature & Sustainability

• Visit Subak communities to understand traditional water management and communal living

• Snorkeling or coastal exploration

• Eco-farming and sustainable food systems

Adventure & Resilience

• Jungle camp experience

• Hiking in nature

• Snorkeling or coastal activities

Academic & Career Learning

• Meet local organisations connected to Balinese mental health

• Gain first hand experience of culture, community and tradition

• Learn about Balinese practices of wellbeing

• Group debrief

1. Intercultural Awareness & Global Citizenship

• Develop a nuanced understanding of Balinese culture, spirituality, and values, grounded in the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (harmony with people, nature, and spirit).

• Gain cross-cultural communication skills through living in a homestay, sharing daily life with Balinese families, and engaging in dialogue with youth groups and NGOs.

• Appreciate how indigenous knowledge and traditions contribute to wellbeing and community resilience.

2. Personal Growth & Self-Reflection

• Build confidence and independence by adapting to new cultural rhythms, from jungle camps to village living.

• Strengthen resilience, adaptability, and mindfulness

• Cultivate empathy, patience, and self-awareness by reflecting on your own lifestyle and worldview in comparison with Balinese perspectives.

3. Employability & Transferable Skills

• Enhance teamwork, leadership, and collaboration.

• Develop practical skills in intercultural communication.

• Demonstrate versatility and global perspective to employers.

4. Academic & Career Alignment

• Deepen academic learning by linking theory to practice in psychology, mental health, anthropology, sociology, education, or international development.

• Understand global challenges around mental health stigma, resilience, and wellbeing, explored through a Balinese cultural lens.

• Strengthen career readiness by demonstrating initiative, cultural intelligence, and a holistic understanding of wellbeing in non-Western contexts.

5. Connection to Environment & Sustainability

• Learn how regenerative practices support both environmental and mental health.

• Explore the interconnection between people, nature, and spirituality as central to Balinese identity and wellbeing.

• Reflect on the lessons Bali offers for sustainable living and environmental stewardship in a global context.

6. Reflection & Lifelong Impact

• Engage in structured workshops and handpicked activities

• Reflect on how your experiences drive personal growth, academic insights, and career development goals.

• Build local networks with Balinese communities and peers.

Here’s more about this experience to consider:

Embracing Balinese Life
Life in Bali is guided by community, ceremony, and the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana which is harmony with people, nature, and spirit. Whether you’re in Ubud, a jungle camp, a village homestay, or by the ocean, daily life revolves around connection, rituals, and togetherness. Join in wholeheartedly.

Settle Into Your New Surroundings
Each stage of the journey has its own rhythm from Ubud’s cultural buzz, to the quiet simplicity of jungle living, to the warmth of your host family in Mas village. Be ready for a mix of simple living and new comforts: bucket showers and open-air kitchens in rural areas. Wherever you stay, you’ll be welcomed as part of the community.

Eat Like a Local
Food in Bali is central to culture, family, and wellbeing. Expect fragrant nasi campur (mixed rice), fresh vegetables.

Give Yourself Time to Adjust
Bali moves at its own rhythm, shaped by ceremonies, family routines, and nature’s cycles. The pace may be slower than you’re used to, and traditions may feel unfamiliar at first. It’s normal to feel out of step in the beginning. Learn into support from our team and your teammates. Soon, you’ll feel at home in the flow of Balinese life.

Learn Some Language
While many people speak Bahasa Indonesia, in villages you’ll also hear Balinese language. Learning simple greetings and phrases will help you build trust and connection.

Go With the Flow
Bali runs on Jam Karet so called “rubber time.” Ceremonies may run long, mealtimes may shift, and plans often adapt around the needs of the community or the environment. Embracing this flexibility is part of the journey and it teaches patience, presence, and the joy of living in the moment.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
From hiking to trying new foods, you’ll face situations that feel unfamiliar or even challenging. These moments are part of the learning experience and they build resilience, confidence, and adaptability.

Simple Living, Different Comforts
Not every stage of the journey will have hot showers, air conditioning, or constant Wi-Fi. Embrace the simplicity as this helps you connect more deeply with nature, people, and yourself.   You may experience cold bucket showers, or share accommodation with insects or bugs that you often find in such tropical weather.

Respecting Culture & Ceremony
Balinese life is steeped in ritual and spirituality. You may be invited to join ceremonies or observe sacred practices. Be open, curious, and respectful and wearing appropriate clothing, listening carefully, and following local guidance.

Navigating Group Life
You’ll be travelling, learning, and reflecting as part of a team. Living in close quarters means patience, communication, and compromise are essential.

Emotional Adjustment
Exploring wellbeing and mental health can be powerful, but also emotional. You may feel homesick, overwhelmed, or stretched by new experiences. Remember you’re supported at all times by your leaders.

Expect the Unexpected
Plans may change due to weather, ceremonies, or local needs. Flexibility is key and Bali teaches the art of letting go and embracing the moment.