Travel bloggers who earn a six-figure salary from posting scenic photos on Instagram have revealed how they built their ‘dream home’ in Bali – and why their main requirement was that it ‘photographed well’.
Manchester-born Jack Morris, who has 2.7 million followers on @doyoutravel, and his Australian girlfriend of three years Lauren Bullen, who has 2.1 million fans on @gypsea_lust, purchased the plot of land in 2018 and began conjuring up their idyllic home.
‘It took about a year to build the house and it was a lot of work. We wanted it to be photogenic so that we could shoot content there,’ Jack told The Cut.
Manchester-born Jack Morris, who has 2.7 million followers on @doyoutravel, and his Australian girlfriend of three years Lauren Bullen, who has 2.1 million fans on @gypsea_lust, purchased the plot of land a year ago
‘I would never have guessed that I’d be building my first house, with the girl of my dreams, on a tropical island 7,000 miles away from home,’ Jack wrote on Instagram, sharing incredible photos of the property
Much of their wooden furniture was custom-made and imported with plenty of their ideas coming from villas and resorts they have stayed at while working abroad.
The sunken seats in their living room were inspired by the famed Mandala House in Indonesia and tiles in their bathroom and outdoor shower were taken from riads in Morocco.
‘I was very specific about making sure our house photographed well,’ Lauren said.
‘If I’m doing an Instagram Story job in the bathroom, talking about teeth whitening or something, I want the background to look good.’
There were plenty of windows to allow for sunlight to seep in and greenery to add dimension to their photos.
‘We’re keeping the cost of the house private because eventually we want to rent it out. But it’s comparable to the prices of the nicer houses in Canggu,’ Jack said.
Prime real estate in Canggu, Bali, can range between AUD$350,000 and AUD$1million.
Much of their wooden furniture was custom-made and imported with plenty of their ideas coming from villas and resorts they have stayed at while working abroad
‘I would never have guessed that I’d be building my first house, with the girl of my dreams, on a tropical island 7,000 miles away from home,’ Jack wrote on Instagram to announce the purchase, sharing incredible photos of the property.
The 29-year-old confirmed to FEMAIL that the entire property was purchased doing sponsorship deals and creating branded content on Instagram.
The lovebirds previously said they won’t do a sponsored post for less than $3,000 USD ($3,948 AUD).
The most Jack has been paid for one post is $9,000 USD ($11,846 AUD) while the most Lauren has ever got from one snap is $7,500 USD ($9,872 AUD).
‘I did a job for a phone company where I flew out for three days; there were two days filming and then I had to do five photos on Instagram, and that was $35,000,’ he said.
‘We’ve even turned up to jobs before that which we’ve charged thousands for, and we’ve got there and they’ve been like, “your rates are so low”.’
The 29-year-old confirmed to FEMAIL that the entire property was purchased doing sponsorship deals and creating branded content on Instagram (the master bedroom pictured right)
Welcome to the kitchen! The lovebirds previously said they won’t do a sponsored post for less than $3,000 USD ($3,948 AUD). The most Jack has been paid for one post is $9,000 USD ($11,846 AUD) while the most Lauren has ever got from one snap is $7,500 USD ($9,872 AUD)
‘I did a job for a phone company where I flew out for three days; there were two days filming and then I had to do five photos on Instagram, and that was $35,000,’ he said (sunken living room pictured)
But placing a financial limit on what they will partake in has clearly paid off, with Jack and Lauren, 26, now permanently living in their dream home, which features a sunken lounge room, luxury lap pool, a cinema screen, 10-person dining room table and plenty of kitchen island space.
Jack credited Lauren for designing much of the interior, which features the signature bohemian style she and her sister Ellie Bullen have become known for on social media.
He took a leap of faith seven years ago and quit his job as a carpet cleaner after deciding he needed some adventure in his life.
‘It was literally waking up one morning and I wanted to try something different. I flew out on my own with no plan and just wanted to see what came at me,’ he said at the time.
Jack credited Lauren for designing much of the interior, which features the signature bohemian style she and her sister Ellie Bullen have become known for on social media
After two years of constant travel Jack began to struggle with his finances, so decided to purchase a camera and document his travels under the brand name ‘Do You Travel’
After two years of constant travel Jack decided to purchase a camera and document his travels under the brand name ‘Do You Travel’.
‘I basically created it to share my experiences, it wasn’t about making lots of money. I didn’t expect to make money or for it to blow up. But that created my new career,’ he said.
Lauren runs her own blog on the side – called Gypsea Lust – and the pair sell Lightroom presets to fans and fellow photographers to edit their photos with.
Global brands such as Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Air NZ, AirBnB, Tiffany & Co have all approached the duo with work.
Lauren runs her own blogs on the side – called Gypsea Lust – and the pair sell Lightroom presets for fans and fellow photographers to edit their photos with
But Jack insists the pair only do sponsored posts if they support the brand, company or tourism board.
‘I was contacted by brands way before I started accepting offers. I didn’t care about making money, it was always just a project I did for fun. Eventually as I grew bigger some of the offers were too good to turn down,’ he said.
‘I only promote or post about the things I truly like or believe in, which is very important to me and why my posts resonate with so many.’
But Jack insists the pair only do sponsored posts if they support the brand, company or tourism board (pictured is their outdoor pool)
Jack did admit that the job can get overwhelming at times and that they do sometimes travel to places ‘for the sole purpose of a “gram worthy” shot’.
But you won’t find either of them complaining about the life Instagram has been able to afford them.
‘It is almost a dream. Being able to do what I want every day is nice,’ he said.
‘It is ideal, I never really expected to find someone I could share this with, so it worked out really well.’