Flights to Bali from Vancouver (and why we picked Xiamen Airlines)

Both Bali and Vancouver have been on our bucket list for a very long time. We love the idea of Bali because it just looks lush, the weather is fantastic and it seems to tick all the boxes for our current lifestyle. Vancouver is colder, but has those incredible mountains, walking opportunities and outdoors options for soft adventure lovers. Naturally, we started looking at how we can visit both destinations this year and so we checked flights to Bali from Vancouver. That's when we came across Xiamen Airlines, with its newly introduces route: Vancouver to Bali.

We already have plans for New Zealand, and we thought we could add to our travels and create a nice around the world route. We would go from New Zealand to some nearby islands (Fiji, I'm coming back for you), then Vancouver, Vancouver to Bali, then probably stick around Asia for a while. Seems pretty awesome, right? Let me tell me more about this new flight route.

Vancouver to Bali

We've been thinking for a while about adding Vancouver and Bali to our travel plans and itinerary for this year but we weren't too sure if we should fly directly or stop along the way. As we already have plans for New Zealand, we thought it will make sense to make multiple stops before Christchurch. Then we would island hop until we reach Vancouver. And finally, we would fly from Vancouver to Bali. During this around the world trip, we will very likely skip Europe as we are in the process of exploring it right now. Vancouver to Bali route is operated by Xiamen Airlines, a route introduced not long ago. We love travelling with airlines who just introduce new routes as they are usually cheaper than other competitors. And as travellers, we always look for the cheapest, fastest and most comfortable flight. Yes, it's not always easy to find, hence it takes a little longer for us to finalise our plans. But that's not an issue.

Are we excited about Vancouver and Bali? You just can't imagine! We want to spend a month in Vancouver and see how we like the city. Some of our friends are in the process of moving there so we would be interested in potentially making Canada our next digital base. Bali was on the radar for the last few years but we always prioritised our Japan itineraries. This time we want to stay in Bali for several months. As I already mentioned, it seems to tick all the boxes as it offers lovely accommodation, fresh produce which matches our diet and plenty of outdoors opportunities. So, we'll see how it goes. We are excited to have the opportunity to travel around the world so much and we do hope to find that perfect place we can call home.

Why Xiamen Airlines

For our Vancouver to Bali route, we picked Xiamen Airlines for various reasons. We wanted to fly with a SkyTeam Alliance partner in order to get our points (hello, awesome miles!). Our friends already flew with them on a US to China route and they had an amazing experience so we are keen to try them as well (don't worry, full review to follow). We checked them online, the seats are comfortable and they have an array of in-flight entertainment to pick from. For long-haul flights, they cater for dietary requirements which is essential for us.

Ok and here comes the big reason why we wanted to fly with Xiamen Airlines. Have you heard of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? On September 25th, 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. In an effort to create more awareness about the goals, Xiamen Airlines becomes the first airline to support the UN sustainable development agenda.

Xiamen Airlines features the UN ’s multimedia programming in its in-flight entertainment and at its VIP lounges, as well as include information on the goals in its magazine.

Travel Essentials for your long haul

Vancouver to Bali will be a long flight and we are expecting to spend around 30 hours flying from one destination to the other. We all know flying is not easy and it gets really tiring, really quickly. We do have a few tricks up our sleeve after flying back and forth for the last 10 years. Make sure you have a hand luggage filled with all your essentials.

We like to have several bottles of water, vitamin C, some painkillers and snacks. Snacks are a must, especially because most of the time we don't receive vegan snacks in-between our meals. I used to get sick before flying but ever since I started taking Vitamin C before boarding a plane, I seem to rarely catch a cold. And of course, the dry air in any flight dehydrates you, so make sure you have plenty of water with you. I used to have serious difficulties sleeping on a plane, but a good travel pillow sure makes things better. Oh, and noise cancelling headphones. We all know it only takes one passenger to disturb everybody, to best to keep those headphones close.
We, of course, keep some toiletries with us and a change of clothes, especially when flying for almost 30 hours. During the layover, we normally head over to the showers in the airport and freshen up.

We are totally ready to start our travelling year. What do you think? Would you fly Vancouver to Bali or would you take it easy and have a few more stops in-between? Let us know in the comment section below.

Thank you, Xiamen Airlines for sponsoring this post and providing us with these amazing pictures. We never recommend services or companies we don't believe in. All opinions are our own and we will forever continue to be honest and objective in our reviews.