Let me just start with this: if you want to feel like a 16th-century spice trader without the scurvy, or like you're starring in your own National Geographic episode (minus the camera crew and the budget), the Banda Sea is it. This pocket of the Indonesian archipelago is so remote, so raw, and so rich in history and biodiversity, that I honestly wonder why people aren’t tripping over themselves to get here.

This is the wild, ash-covered, world-altering story of the Mount Tambora eruption, why it deserves its own Netflix series, and why you should absolutely put this forgotten Indonesian volcano on your travel bucket list. It exploded with the force of 170,000 atomic bombs. But unlike Vesuvius, Krakatoa, or even that time Eyjafjallajökull made headlines for grounding European flights, Mount Tambora barely gets a paragraph in most history books. And I think that’s a crime against geology.

If you’re the kind of traveler who gets hives at the thought of “10 countries in 7 days,” welcome. You’re our people. Indonesia is your people. And this blog post? It's your passport to one of the most sprawling, soul-soothing places on the planet, perfect for slow travel lovers who believe that good things take time… including tan lines, nasi goreng cravings, and friendships forged on the bow of a boat.

Proudly biased, and possibly 80% saltwater at this point. And let me tell you: diving in Indonesia? It ruins you for life (in the best way possible). We’ve got over 17,000 islands sprinkled across the Coral Triangle, which is basically the marine version of Willy Wonka’s factory but wetter, wilder, and with way more fins. Whether you’re into graceful manta rays, psychedelic nudibranchs, or hammerheads that casually photobomb your dive shots, Indonesia delivers.

So, what’s it like to be a woman working on boats in Indonesia? It’s a wild, magical job, and doing it in Indonesia, a country bursting with culture, marine biodiversity, and unpredictable weather, makes it even more interesting. Add the fact that I’m a woman in a very male-heavy industry, and you’ve got a job that’s as layered as a mille crepe cake, with occasional sea spray.

Let’s be honest: Indonesia wasn’t designed to be explored by land. Sure, you could cram into a bus somewhere between rice fields and volcanoes, but why would you, when you could be barefoot on a teak deck, sailing past dragons, jellyfish lakes, and islands that look like they were Photoshopped by Mother Nature herself? With over 17,000 islands (yes, we counted; well, someone did), Indonesia is basically a grown-up playground for sailors, yachties, sea lovers, and pirates with better skincare routines.

I wasn’t planning to backpack through Southeast Asia with ten Vikings. But as all great stories begin, I met a bunch of Danish guys in Medan, and joined them on a trip to Penang and Koh Lipe. What could possibly go wrong?

I graduated with a degree in economics. I followed the path that seemed secure and “successful.” I landed a job at PwC not long after finishing school, dove headfirst into the high-paced world of financial auditing, spending long nights poring over numbers and learning how to speak the language of balance sheets, client risk, and audit strategy. And then one day in 2013, while on a much-needed break, I went scuba diving for the first time. I took a deep breath underwater, and something clicked. Something inside me stirred that I hadn’t felt in years.