‘Fainting, throwing up, crying’: Young tourist’s warning about boat ride near Bali

A young tourist has a warning for others after her nightmare experience on a boat travelling between popular islands near Bali.

A tourist has shared her nightmare experience travelling on a boat between popular islands near Bali where fellow passengers were “fainting, throwing up [and] crying”.

British traveller Laura Jaye travelled on part of a route that was heading from Lombok to Gili Trawangan Island (aka ‘Gili T’) to Nusa Penida to Bali, and has warned others to do their research before just boarding any boat.

Her video of the rough journey between Lombok and Nusa Penida showed people holding on to the boat and appearing unwell as the vessel dramatically tipped from side to side. It has been viewed more than 4 million times.

“They weren’t lying when they said the Bali [to] Gili T boat was bad,” she wrote, referring to the most known route. “People were fainting, throwing up [and] crying.”

Laura said the “terrifying” trip took more than two hours.

The route has become known on TikTok for its rough waters. Picture: TikTok / @laurajayetravels

British traveller Laura Jaye said her experience was ‘terrifying’. Picture: TikTok / @laurajayetravels

Others flooded the comments with their own horrible experiences.

“I have [gone] through this moment before going to Gili T too … was so scared,” wrote one traveller.

“We took the boat from Bali to Lombok and it was absolutely insane. There were at least minimum 12 foot waves. Craziest boat ride of my life,” said another.

“The airconditioning fell out of the ceiling when we were on our way back from Gili T. Genuinely thought it was the end,” shared a third.

“I went on this a few years ago. Never had such horrible sea sickness in my life,” added a fourth.

An Indonesian TikToker said even they were “absolutely terrified” on the boat.

“I thought I was gonna die so I told everybody I knew that I loved them through text,” they said.

One mum shared a similar experience travelling to Gili Air, another of the three Gili Islands.

“I had my toddler with me and she’s never sea sick but this time she threw up all the ride. These boats are also in such a bad condition, they were open,” she said.

The Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok include the three tiny islands of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. Picture: iStock

Others who had a smooth ride between the islands on their travels were convinced it was because they took the Ekajaya Fast Ferry, which has large vessels accommodating over 200 passengers.

Laura agreed she had better experiences on bigger boats and said either way, the Gili Islands were beautiful and worth going to.

The Gili Islands sit off the coast of Lombok, which was named by the Indonesian government as one of five potential “tourist hot spots” it wants Aussies to consider visiting instead of crowding Bali.

“We want Australians to see beyond Bali and create interest around the rest of Indonesia, showcasing the best of the country to Australian tourists that wouldn’t have previously known about,” Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Made Ayu Marthini told news.com.au last year.

“We believe tourism creates jobs and with 17,000 islands in Indonesia, we want to spread the opportunity around our beautiful country.”