Latest travel news: Interview with Auldsouls, Instagram travel couple based in Indonesia 

Tell us about you?

We are Miriama Snirerova and Peter Matay (IG: @auldsouls), one of the largest Instagram accounts in 3 niches: travel couple, travel blogger and luxury travel who believe that photography and style are art forms. We are here to inspire and motivate others about traveling, lifestyle, love, yoga and more. Our brand focuses on genuine connections and meaningful relationships!  As part of our journey around the world we will be travelling around the world for the next year.

Where are you at the moment?

Travelling has got a lot harder than it used to be. Some countries are open and others are closed for international tourism. When we were planning our journey around the world we had to take into consideration a lot of variables and thus Bali became our obvious choice. We started our journey in Bali, the Island of Gods.

What is special in Bali?

Bali is an influencer hot spot alongside Hawaii, Costa Rica and other destinations. However, Bali is the center of influencer culture. Many travel couples, travelers, bloggers and net celebrities made Bali their home.

Bali is one of the most beautiful and top destination in the world. Not only is the landscape so diverse that within one hour you can enjoy a Beautiful Maldivian beach and within only 30 minutes ride you can witness a wild Portuguese cliff scenery. Bali has it all when it comes to nature from lush green forests, hidden waterfalls to 5 star beaches and resorts. One other benefit of Bali is price availablity. Bali is an affordable destination when it comes to value/price ratio. It has different centers such as Canggu or Seminyak, where one can enjoy world class restaurants and life.

What are some of the locations you recommend?

We recommend seeing the entire island. Start with Uluwatu cliffs in the south and Melasti Beach all the way to Nusa Dua and see the 5 star hotels and beautiful cliff scenery. Continue north to Seminyak that is famous for the night life and beach bars. Canggu is known for its laid back culture and nice restaurants. Another place worth visiting is Ubud, the cultural center of Bali with its rice paddies, yoga centers, monkey forest and many other attractions. You can go and see Sidemen valley and stay in a bamboo house and drive all the way East to see Amed. Afterwards you go and see multiple waterfalls such as Leke Leke waterfall and climb Mount Batur that is one of two of Bali's volcanos. Driving up north you will visit calmer sees where you swim with dolphins, dive and snorchle. When you get tired of Bali go and see Gili Islands and Nusa Dua that offer unprecedented snorkeling experience and beach views.  

What is the best time to visit?

Bali is great all year round with majority of people prefering the dry season from April to September. However, you can still get excellent weather in wet season from October to March. But probably the best time to visit is September to October. When the dry season ends and the wet season starts. 

Is it difficult to get to Indonesia?

Yes, it is more difficult than it used to be in the past. For instance, you cannot get tourism visa on arrival and instead one must obtain business visa. Another problem is that when entering Indonesia one must undergo 10 days in a hotel before entering the country, which is making Indonesia a pricey destination.

What are your plans?

Our plans are in making. Originally, we planned to explore the world and after Indonesia go to Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Philippines, Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, California, New York and Miami. We shall see how our plans will pan out but we can say for certain that Philippines are still closed for tourism. In the end we shall see how our journey will happen.

Tell us more about Indonesia...

Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world a multicultural and multiethnic melting pot of cultures. There are 17,508 islands in Indonesia so it can take a lifetime to see the entire country. Jakarta is the business beating heart and it is the second largest metro area by population after Tokyo.

Tell us what about your work?

We are in business of content creation. Many think that it is an easy sort of work but the pressure is intense to come up with a content that is engaging, funny, interesting for the viewers and to keep on growing the account. We are a relative newcomer to this industry and it is dominated by a few massive accounts that offer excellent content. The key to the game is differentiation. We are trying to differentiate ourselves through creating perfect phots and 4k slow motion videos that many people do not have yet. We are constantly brainstorming and trying to come up with ideas how to create even better content.

What do you think about Instagram and growth?

We feel that is has become difficult to grow on Instagram as it becomes a more mature market with established players. With a lot of competition one must differentiate, however the problem is that the travel couple niche is quite narrow. So, it makes it difficult to innovate. Success is a multi variable equation. The variables are the looks, outfits, quality of camera, lighting, the size of the account, position on the photo, angle and many others. But at the end of the day its the Instagram algorithm that decides what is good and what is mediocre and as with a swing of a magic stick one day your content can shine and grow the next day your content is invisible. Thus sometimes a bit of luck helps.

Who is your inspiration?

There are many travel couple accounts that inspired us and also Pinterest is a great way to find inspiration. At the end of the day your mind is the most important asset and the creativity and execution that comes with it.