as someone who is balinese, I think the digital nomad community is part of the problem. you come from a first world developed country making 1000s of dollars and then expect the same level of quality living experience on a developing island (used to be third world). digital nomads abuse the fact that its so cheap to live there so they can get richer, even though the locals barely make enough to provide for their family. if digital nomads didnt choose to live there bali would not have to build so much extra infrastructure. you cant expect to live in tourist areas on an island where 80% of the economy comes from tourism and then get mad at the fact that theres so much tourism. the locals dont want bali to be like this but they dont have a choice.

Hi Rafa, I am Indonesian and have been living in Bali since late Dec 2015, I totally agree with you. Bali has changed so much not even to the better. The overdevelopment is insane that it's not gonna be sustainable in the future. Even now the rice field near where I live (seminyak) is gone. They are building big town villa and close the road and that road was jogging track during covid. Like before Bali has the magic. People were so excited to enjoy the nature, the culture, the history, but now it's becoming a party island, no one care about the culture anymore just like you mentioned, people take photos and then leave.

Bali was magical 10 years ago with fewer tourists, enchanting places, and untouched beauty. However, it has now transformed into a bustling destination, crowded with tourists and fake "digital nomads" from Russia, Australia, and Europe. The traffic has become chaotic, cleanliness has dwindled, and it feels underdeveloped. Sadly, many of the once-beautiful spots have been replaced by concrete apartment buildings. The fault? Fuc**** influencers. Social media and influencers are a plagues of this world. Thanks for reporting the truth about Bali.

Also. Social media has RUINED the travel experience. Traveling in the 90s was 1000 times better than now. No one was walking around constantly staring at a screen. We talked to people face to face. We explored and found random things and enjoyed where we were, instead of having to search for the “best” thing, plan every moment and deal with every place being flooded with “influencers” jockeying for their instagram shot 🙄 These days it’s harder to find nice off the beaten path areas because it’s all on social media so every “influencer” has to go there. But you can still find those places, where more locals hang out and they’re not yet overrun with tourists. The first tip is: if it’s popular on social media, don’t go there. And when you find a gem, DO NOT RUIN IT BY PUTTING IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!!

I moved to Bali earlier this year, this was my 3rd time there, but this time to live. I left 4.5 months later because the traffic was so bad, got food poisoning many times, sprained my ankle because the roads weren't flat, had a motorbike accident, just the standards there overtime (after the oh my gosh, this place is so cool, honeymoon phase wears off), you'll start seeing the cracks of an over-populated and overly touristy 3rd world country. I then had an overwhelming amount of gratitude for Australia (where I am from). I would go there for a holiday again, but not to live. How much I paid for the gym in Bali is twice as much as in Australia lol. The prices there are crazy for a 3rd world country and the standards really low for how much you pay for - like cleanliness, there is was a huge mould problem in a lot of accomodation I stayed at! I flew back to Australia and random af stuff like having FLAT ROADS to walk on without thinking and needing to look down on felt SOO RELAXING. I could go for a nature, suburban quiet walk without bikes beeping or need to be careful of potholes/uneven ground. Drinking from the water and going to a clean modern grocery store, man living in a 1st world country is freaking privilege. It really is, you don't realise this until it's all taken away!

Overdevelopment is the same problem everywhere and it's the fault of people investing and trading in stock market and pure greed.

Hmm i would say this. This is subjective and to each their own. Let’s say, Nyc. Very crowded, smelly af, trash everywhere, homeless people are everywhere (literally, and also mentally ill homeless people everywhere), crime rates are high, very expensive. But I LOVE IT. Best favorite city ive ever lived in, even tho i’ve lived in japan where it’s 180 degree in terms of cleanliness and people’s attitude, i don’t love japan. So it’s all subjective, you vibe with bali, or you don’t. It’s not about the infrastructure or trash or whatever. It’s always whether you feel connected or not with a place

The chaos, air pollution and trash are common in many low cost of living countries. They don’t have the rules, policies and infrastructure to control it like more developed countries do and it’s often more “loose” in terms of how people manage things. If you don’t like those things, you should simply avoid most “cheap” countries. Living anywhere involves tradeoffs - chaos and trash is the tradeoff in “developing” countries.

Thanks for sharing your experience in Bali. Honestly babe, the thing you said about the "people who go there to make the picture", I think that is a behaviour which you can see everywhere. We live in the Social Media Era. People make things just to show others how amazing their lives are when probably the reality is totally different.... It'S not only Bali, it's Berlin, it's México, Spain, London, US.... You're just starting to perceive this by observing your enviroment. Dont give up, keep on creating and over all, keep on Enjoying the NATURE

Stomach issues are real. Never underestimate that. As someone who got parasites, bali belly, run far from this place if your stomach is weak.

You made a few videos I watched, asking to foreigners how do they make money in Bali but there’s no video where u ask the same question to locals. I’m foreigner, living and working in Bali since 2 years more or less (not a digital nomad, no yoga or whatever instructor) and yeah, everything you said is true and I sincerely understand your disappointment cause i felt the same many times and sometimes I still do. The point (for me) is… what is it a digital nomad life? Working remotely from everywhere and that’s it? Which improvement is bringing a digital nomad to the place he/her decide to live in? The fact a laptop allows to work remotely from anywhere doesn’t make a person a traveler and doesn’t teach how to adapt to a different place; only experience and touch of humanity does. All those “coaches” you interviewed, do you really believe they have some skills to teach someone else how to live?😅 Isn’t a “digital nomad life” just the next frontier of human-selfishness at this point? For what concern Bali, is a turist-made island and local people need to bring food at home somehow. About yourself, simply take it for what it is… a life experience! Wish you all the best!

I have to agree with you on this. I moved to Da Nang after Bali and it was SOOOO nice to be able to walk around easily and drive around without any traffic

I really think this is all budget related. Money is a factor in all of this. I see a lot of videos criticizing the tourists when we are all tourists... If you haven't been anywhere other than Bali than the trash and cleanliness situations are obviously things you are not used to. That doesn't mean it is a bad experience. It is just how life is there. Bali is a tourist hot spot so thinking that it won't be congested is plain absurd. If you want to travel on the cheap go somewhere that caters to it. Bali prices have gone up due to demand. That is how the world economy works. Not to be harsh but it is what it is.

I am Japanese and my wife is Indonesian. She said Bali is very different from other islands of Indonesia. Many foreign people out there so they are developing everything focus on foreigners. But for me, I think Indonesia these days is looks like 20 centuries in Japan. Even Japanese people was dropping trashes from anywhere. In the train, they dropped a box of Bento from the window after they finished, lying on the ground. Even 2000s - 2010, I saw bunch of trashes in the river, mountain, middle of roads... Mt Fuji is always crowded we can't hike straight to the summit at some favorite routes. Indonesia is still growing and it's super fast. If you want to come Indonesia/Bali, you need to be a patient. they don't care how long to take their destination as you are. They talk a lots, and spend many time for their friend, and family. I love Indonesia. But I can understand her opinion. I hate Tokyo lol | My POV

Just to let you know, tap water in Indonesia is not suitable for drinking as it's not meant for that purpose. If you're looking to drink water, you can purchase bottled or gallon mineral water from any store nearby. If you're into hiking and searching for a peaceful and quieter place with strong historical significance, then you should consider visiting Lake Toba and Samosir Island in North Sumatra. I'm Indonesian who also work as digital nomad0

Humanity,,, we made our own hell,,, and then we are complaining about that

I agree with a lot of your points and the reason I will not be back to Bali again as well. I was sick 4 times in a month. I’ve travelled a lot of places in the world and have never got sick like that over and over again. Great video! Bali is overrated! So many better places to see.

i lived in Bali permanently 2019-2023 & decided to leave. Eventhough i caught a completely extraordinary time when the island was without tourism, it was insanely genuine time, those like myself felt it so much when tourism restarted with prices skyrocketing, noise & traffic being back, so i decided to leave as i was not seeing myself fitting in with the New Bali normal. Thanks to this island so much for all it's unique energy, i stayed mostly in Ubud. I am not really feeling like to come back anytime soon but yes to explore other Asian destinations as a nomad. I used to live in Koh Samui (Thailand) now it feels like exploring a new destination. There are so many great places to explore & i feel like to going into less touristy & exploited destinations for sure.

Hey Rafa. Thank you for sharing this as this problem needs to be addressed. I lived in Bali last year in a few different places as a vegan and became a raw vegan/fruitarian there, as there was not much food for me. I was struggling a lot with the ways you are explaining. I do love Balinese, but unfortunately, my experience wasn't the best one either. Much love to you and I hope you find a solution for your health issues.

Great video, thanks for your transparency Im sure this will help alot of people. I lived there and experienced the same

Thank you so much for your honesty and your great great content! Being so brave and showing different aspects of your travel experiences helps others so much. Please keep up the great work

Uau! Acabei de chegar no seu canal Rafa e a-d-o-r-e-i !!!! Agradeço por sua sinceridade e autenticidade nos vídeos. Tb sou digital nomad e estou em Dublin no momento. Fiquei chocada com sua experiência em Bali. Tenho ouvido falar demais de lá e seu vídeo foi ótimo pq me identifiquei muito com seus valores. Muito triste que isso esteja acontecendo por lá. Morei 5 anos em Floripa e meu medo é que se torne algo parecido. Vou acompanhar mais da sua jornada por aqui! Grande abraço

We love your videos and this one is spot on! Looking forward to your Italian videos, another amazing country we love to visit ❤

Rafa, a última vez que estive em Bali foi em 2019 e já estava virando o caos. Depois da pandemia então, nem consigo imaginar! Que bom que você está em um local melhor agora ❤

Goverment should do some regulations about traffice and infrastructure investment

100%. Bali is overhyped. Instagram killed it.

I agree but also have to disagree. I’ve spent winters in Bali and I see us being the problem. Driving around and complaining about traffic isn’t really fair. And I don’t mean you Rafa, but anyone of us digital nomads. I had a neighbour in Ubud, who drove a scooter to the same yoga class we went. It was only a bit more than 1 km away and we walked with my hubby. Yes, not nice to walk in that smell of gas, but why people just won’t walk. Also the locals driving scooters in places like Ubud is because they cannot afford to live there anymore but drive there from villages to serve nomads and other travelers. We are the ones to cause the problem. But what we can do about it, is exactly to share information like you do here. What a coinsidence, I just shared a blog post about the same topic. We do need become more responsible travelers.

Agree with many points. The beaches in Bali were mostly unswimmable and with garbage floating in the water 😢. Similarly the waterfalls and other nice spots have become more about the photo than the experience. I was scolded for going in the water near a waterfall because there were many tourists who just wanted a photo and then leave. Not to mention the monetization of many natural spots. Traffic is bad as well.

I had also the same experience! I was there for 5 weeks (I wanted to stay 6 months) but I had no energy to go outside everything was so terrible, I thought it is the best nomad-spot but I agree with every point you said 😢

After listening to your experience there and from what other people told me as well, I honestly lost so much interest in visiting Bali, even though the landscapes are absolutely gorgeous and I would really love to connect with local people. One day I might go and see myself, but right now I don't think I will!

Hiii! Thank you for the content! What camera do you use to make the blog?

We really appreciate this video. Social media doesn´t mention all of this. We where in Bali 12 years ago and went back last year.

Awesome honesty. Thanks!

You need to try Madeira! A small portuguese island. Not cheap as asia/Indonesia but will tick all your other criterias for sure

Absolutely agree💯

As a local indonesian (not living in bali), bali is still a magical place 10 years ago but become more and more crowded each year. My government should turn it back into holiday destination kinda place and make stricter rule on the visa. Also too many overstayed foreigner, misusing visa rules right there.😂 It always go back to the government. They shouldve seen it coming, the wave of bali being digital nomads destination. Shouldve made super strict rule years ago. Make it lil bit harder for longer stays.😅

Right on point!

Yep! Bali changed a lot! After 2019 i have been to Bali in 2023 and the experience was bad. Not fun anymore...

Ubud was paradise 30 years ago. Glad I have the memories.

Thank you so much for your honesty!!!!!

I agree, no matter where you go on Bali island the traffic is terrible. It was bad when I visited during the winter months Nov-Feb from 2012-2020.

You literally moved to the biggest tourist neighbourhood in the biggest tourist island in the world. What did you expect? It's actually really sad to see what's happening to Bali.

All I can say is in some parts of the other Islands the traffic is worse than in Bali, I found it pretty tame compared to the rest of Java for example! or similar to Bangkok. And that is pretty much the only thing I hate about that part of the world, Traffic, not being as walkable as in Western Europe, but it's like everything, there is no perfect place to be in the world, just what you tolerate in exchange for other things.

❤❤❤i like your honesty and yes its true what you explained.

Is it possible to have a continuous source of bottled water instead of tap

I visited Havelock last year, and I would like recommend you. Although this place has not hike routes, and The tap water quality is not The best but the island is so beautiful. We spend three days there, and We did not see more than five tourists. The unique transport is The scooter too, however i drove alone all day. Radhanagar beach is a nice place to relax, and its so clean. Out topic, your videos are useful to me for improve my english listening haha

Think you for sharing!!! I’m in Penang right now and was “debating” going with all of your hesitations. I know I won’t like the tourists and traffic. I wanted to hike too!

Interesting. Congs on surviving 9 months in a different culture. I also hope you do a video about what you liked. Yes over tourism for sure. As for the water alot of countries you cannot drink the water.

First I thought - oh wow, another privileged person, talking shit now about Bali :D But I stuck to your lips until the end of your video, cause I was feeling every single word! And at the point of tourism and how to experience traveling, I guess we do have pretty much the same travel style. I'm so glad I went to Bali back in 2018 and I spent wonderful 2 months there. But I got to see the whole island and have to say it's very different everywhere. Kuta, Ubud and Seminyak have been always hotspots and I never understood how people hold up there for longer. The comparism with the rice fields getting removed for villas is awful to me! And that is one of the biggest issues in my opinion, digital nomads are not bringing for good. Everyone needs a villa and everyone needs scooters, to go around. Everyone produces more trash, that will end up in the ocean, cause there's no recycling system. I wonder what happened to homestays, I had such a great experience staying with locals or at local houses, trying to experience the culture. But I never see any videos of anyone going to Bali staying in homestays :D Maybe it's not a thing anymore, as they couldn't stand the amount of villas? However, I agree, that if it's going on like this, Bali will loose it's magic. The culture and the people were amazing, but if it's going on like this we will only experience mass tourism, that's not fun anymore. It wasn't built for that huge amount of people and these are the consequences I guess. Thanks for your video, that kinda proofed the thoughts I built up, by watching videos from people living in Bali. Enjoy Eataly ;) (with hopefully less stomach problems).

It is very important what you shared.

Perfect description

I am here in Bali in the low season and the traffic is too bad, I cant imagine it in the high season. It's not just too much traffic as well, its the lack of safety. Its really dangerous driving here. Also agree that not being able to walk around is quite unpleasant.

Great video - very important for people who are considering moving to Bali to watch. Am wondering if u will be doing any videos on Argentina?

I lived in Bali in 2017 and then again in 2023 and I agree with uou that it has changed a lot and it's overdeveloped. Regarding the food, I reañly think ot depends on your budget. If you only go to jealthy cafes I honestly think it is the healthiest place to eat in the world. I tried one waring with great reviews one day and jad the worst experience of my life. Good video and great info

Traffic is a problem everywhere in the world. Hopefully in the future we have less noise and pollution. Walkable cities are gems.

I'm thinking of going there just to change the surroundings and get out of my comfort zone. Is 3,000 dollars enough for me to start with?

Amen!

I don't know how you lasted 9 months there. I just went for my honeymoon and felt the same. I loved the hotel but whenever I went out I just felt overwhelmed by the instagram culture and traffic.

Im uploading a similar video but more about the digital nomad culture in Bali. This island is NOT what I expected and you made some very good points I agree with here. It feels more like playground for tourists who want a cheap getaway rather than a genuine and beautiful island that it once was.

Rafa, primeira vez que venho comentar no seu canal depois que começamos a te seguir. Minha esposa e eu, só aguentamos ficar 2 meses em Bali. E nos sentimos exatamente como vc! Aquele paraíso do filme da Júlia Roberts que tanto imaginávamos ficou no passado. Como vc disse, a qualidade de vida é péssima em vários sentidos e até agora não conseguimos entender o porque de tanta gente ainda achar essa ilha um paraíso. Nós saímos de Bali faz 2 semanas e viemos para a Tailândia. Chiang Mai é muitooo melhor que Bali e estamos adorando, fica a dica 😅 Nosso vídeos de Bali vão entrar no nosso canal em breve e um deles será parecido como esse seu. Pra mostrar a realidade do paraíso que só existe no Instagram das pessoas!

I agree with everything you said, don't drink the tap water...its not good, always buy bottled. I spent ages moving around Bali looking for the "right" place to settle and i soon realized the whole island is like a giant theme park. Over priced and over run with people. (tourists and Indonesians) . Sulawesi Selatan is an amazing island.

The most clear perspect of view so far

Hello where do you recommend for digital nomad?.

You will get Bali belly or issues with the gut when you travel in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand or any country in that area. You just have to be very cautious and only drink bottled water and stay at better accommodations other than places that cost very little. It’s not easy, but it takes a conscious mind to really keep your stomach/intestinal track healthy in any country.

You can try living in Phu Quoc Island or Da Nang, Viet Nam. That places are famous with good food, good traffic, friendly people and amazing beaches.

After Covid Bali gets worse every month… I left after 2 years because it was not possible to have a chilled life there anymore. If you like millions of people and party’s it’s good but if you want to do your thing it’s the wrong place. Also people say life with 1000 bucks a month it’s fake trust me 😂 you need at least 3k to have a comfortable life

So Rafa, where did you go after Bali,

Any recommendation where to go?

I 100% agree with everything you have said, do you have a new destination in mind?

I’ll add a few more: rats, “lost” my iPhone that was turned off straight away! Farmers burning the crops daily, or pulverising it with insecticides. It was difficult to get a lung break! The gyms are three times European’s finest ones.Just left too!

I would suggest there is an MRT, MTR, public bicycle. bus station I will fight as an Indonesian citizen. Hopefully there will be other supporters who suggest this.

I live here now and I agree. I believe too many people came here and its not built to handle all these people. I stay in the house most of the time to avoid traffic but I will also be leaving soon even though I have a 2 year visa.

what did you expect you put everything on youtube , your nomadic video got 1 million views where people shared their monthly income and said it was cheap to live in Bali, so obviously people are going to flood the place duh 🙄

Great video. Some feedback. Locals in Cape Town don't like digital nomads because they raise the cost of living without paying taxes. Bali has become a shit hole - another Mexico. You never mentioned if you felt safe or experienced crime? If you can't drink the water, air quality is terrible and you have to wait for everything - why go? It's getting expensive. Gentrification hurts the locals.

Wait. So you’re a photographer and trashing people who want to take photos?

Where are you going next?

I see money as a factor (external and internal) and governing might need a hand with the country. I wish you well!

girl, please don't drink tap water in Bali. It's not suitable for drinking 😅

thank your for make content for viewer to promote their country tourism by say somethinrg negative about another country tourism

I absolutely love Bali, the people, the culture, the food, the lifestyle it offers nomads; but I think it has become trendy to MOVE to Bali. And that is the problem. The idea of being a digital nomad is to spend time in a place, to work from and contribute to that place, but then to leave. The sad reality is that people aren't leaving nearly as much as they are arriving.

for water just get Balian - its only 30K per 19L jug and its magnificent - from the source at the mount Agung!

I agree with every point, I don't think anything you said was a lie or misleading! I was living in Bali during the pandemic and it was amazing, but since tourism has come back it's only somewhere I'd like to do a short trip to, I'd never want to live there again. It's a shame as the Balinese culture is such a beautiful culture and the island does have some amazing hidden gems, but for living (and no one can argue that you wouldn't want to live anywhere other than Ubud, Canggu or Uluwatu) it's just not a great place anymore. We can only hope it changes in the future as the "instagram magic" dies down!

Come down to Sri Lanka!!!

but where did you need to travel everyday for half-day in traffic? =)

Every time I go there I can’t wait to get out of the place 😅

I had the exact same experience in Bali. I feel sad for the locals.

New sub from Toronto here. Thank you for this video, it brought me back to my 7 years living and working in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. It is not as bad as Bali but a lot of aspects are the same (bad/no sidewalks, scooter and motorcycle traffic, no drinking water, polution, parasites, etc, etc). Although I miss the hot weather and beaches, I am also humbled to be a Canadian with many privileges...

não há lugar tão bom quanto o Brasil

Make the same kind of video about Brazil, that you're visiting now. It would be nice. Success

I went to Bali in 2019 and it was already the biggest tourist hell I ever visited - for the exact reasons you mentioned. I imagine it only got worse now. I would add one more thing: most of the locals of Bali only care about money and the sellers are very pushy here and try to cheat you.

You are so right they have got very greedy building with no infrastructure I have been going over40 yrs I ended up in hospital never been well since I have serious health problems,I have lived in new Guinea for years and very out back Australia so I am used to rough ,Bali has become over run with filth people crime traffic it really is not paradise

Not cheap toe the followings:- Massage Manicure Pedicure

Hello there. Just left Bali a couple weeks ago. Was there for 60 days working. Been going there for 38 years. Thought your comments were 100% spot on. Very impressed. The only thing you didn’t comment on was all the asshole Russian’s. Just came back from 2 weeks in Phuket. Worse than Bali. Once again, enjoyed your honesty. Cheers

This is so true . People go for the photo ops

Hi i'm from indonesia, tanks for your attention. Saya tidak bisa berkomentar apa2, tetapi Saya berharap warga asli bali dan pak jokowi menonton video ini agar bisa mengambil tindakan demi kebaikan bali sebagai tempat wisata yg menarik.

Hey I really interested is to become a digital nomade can you suggest me the highest paid skills

Finally, you disclose the truth about Bali.

So basically, you are complaining that people are trying to achieve what you achive, I have seen that exact situation with Japan and videogames; people complaining that they cant buy cheap videogames because many people are trying to do as same as they do. Some of the problems that you mentioned are a direct cause of having soo many digital nomads, tourist, etc... And same of those problems are already the same that I saw and liive in Jakarta. Indonesia is a developing country with less taxes than Europe, Us, etc... People in general cant pretend to avoid paying taxes, buying cheap things and have the same services as Europe, US, etc...

This is a great reality check about Bali. Have been thinking about going to Bali as a digital nomad for a month or 2 but the overcrowding, constant traffic congestion and lack of cleanliness (Bali Belly and litter everywhere) are putting me off from even visiting since just getting to Bali is a very long and expensive journey from the US. It seems a lot of the "picture perfect" images of Bali are from Instagram influencers who are spending a lot of money staying at luxury resorts or expensive villas with private beaches, heavily cropping their pictures or going to places very early in the morning to make it appear as if they have a place all to themselves (waterfalls, beaches, tourist sights, etc...) A growing number of digital nomad say Bali is no longer what it once was sadly... sad to hear there is so much trash everywhere also.

bali is smal iland. if you dont like it just lived 3 day in bali and go to nather countries. whai you live ther for 5 month?