Indonesia Dreamin'

Prior to COVID-19, there wasn't a more talked-about destination than Bali. After multiple visits and hosting a few large group trips in this Indonesian paradise, here are some observations to feed your FOMO and push you towards Indonesia. ("Siri: play Mamas & the Papas")

Prior to COVID, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more popular travel destination blowing up your social media feed than Bali. It’s an exotic, trendy escape full of a certain flavor of beauty personified by the sprites and nymphs you’ll meet there.

While the locals embody a more wholesome, refreshing demeanor than what you’ll find in other touristy areas of Southeast Asia, I'm really referring to the thousands of gorgeous “New Bali” babes and bros that eat, pray, and love this former surf haven into a booming permanent vacation for yogis, backpackers, wanderlusters, partiers, and anyone who can appreciate avocado toast and a smoothie for under $5.

Each region of Bali revels in their distinctions, but a few things are consistent throughout: bad traffic, good food, exciting beaches, solid surf, caucasian tourists, and a perpetual flood of “lifestyle” models promoting organic, locally-sourced fashion you should buy, like and follow.

Just to be clear: I’m all for anyone leveraging their beauty and digital influence into a sustainable career in paradise — honey, you do you. But I’m still in shock of how many expats in Bali are able to balance a grueling regiment of non-stop partying, professional networking, personal wellness, spiritual grounding, celestial expansion, and serial entrepreneurship on a strict diet of vapes and acai bowls. After a few weeks staying in Canggu, I became unwaveringly convinced Ponce de Leon was wayyy off: the fountain of youth, as it turns out, was hiding in Indonesia all along.

Although the explosion of Bali as an American destination is still relatively fresh, Europeans, Australians and Kiwis have been heavily addicted to the island way before the world began been gushing over #bali #hashtags on social media. As they’ll all tell you — and you’ll quickly discover when you visit — there’s more than one reason why it’s so easy to get hooked on Bali’s genre of paradise.

“Bali Addiction,” by the way, is a very real thing. After recovering from my own case of the fever, I’m already planning an relapse for Now or Never’s next trip there. I’ve traveled my fair share in Southeast Asia, and while you’ll hear the same “I came here for a holiday and just never left” bit just about anywhere with a beach, Bali is a decidedly different animal. One night at dinner, I witnessed the spirit of the island at work before my very eyes, when a friend we'd met a few days earlier declared he’d be returning in a few weeks to buy a house and start a business. I had my doubts, until he did it. It’s a regular phenomenon that begins to seem normal after you've heard enough stories and seen it for yourself.

Beautiful beaches are a dime a dozen in this region of the world, each claiming to be better than the next, but that’s not only why people are so keen to overstay in Bali. There’s rapid growth taking over the island, causing more and more foreigners to make it their first or second home. It’s also not too expensive to build a villa or a business from the ground up in a popular neighborhood, which has led to a lot of forward-thinking entrepreneurs hopping from their ‘jungle’ to this one, bringing their expertises and purses along with them. You’ll notice that developers and business owners across Bali all found success at one time or another elsewhere, but when the toxic grind of their respective environments became unbearable, they moved to Bali to tackle new ventures and write new chapters. Honestly, encountering those that “bought the ticket, took the ride,” and then stayed for the long haul, is a powerful example for any traveler. Even if you don’t see yourself going AWOL anytime soon, it’ll certainly get you thinking about it.

Although the pandemic may have slowed things down a bit, in its current stage of tourism development, according to many, Bali is ‘peaking’ to a degree due to its popularity and infrastructure. But aside from a few neighborhoods of Ubud, and maybe Seminyak, Indonesia hasn’t transformed into some of the miserable tourist traps you’ll find around countries like Thailand. A main reason is that the locals don’t seem to be jaded or corrupted by the tourism yet. Kind, genuine service and hospitality isn’t hard to come by at a decent price, and as long as you’re not a complete a**hole, you’ll rarely encounter any hostility from locals. The Balinese are genuine, welcoming people; as long as you do your part, they'll return every bit of kindness you give -- and at an incredible exchange rate.

Another ingredient of the allure has to do with why foreigners began moving to Bali in the first place. The growth of the expat population is undoubtedly driven by a very holistic, health–oriented, environmentally-conscious crowd, which attracts creatives who embrace the local art community as they build new brick and mortar business in (u)budding neighborhoods. Those are the type of people you can attract when the barriers of entry are low, the cost of living is lower, and the quality of life is as good as it gets. Also worth noting is that the younger and older expat populations seem to coexist and thrive in the same habitat, creating an eclectic social scene that’s rarely just one specific age or geo-demographic of people.

When my Dad talks about falling in love with southern California in the 70’s, I can’t help but think the current state of Bali is the closest thing to it. Thousands of people flock to Bali, and so many simply can't bring themselves to leave. For those who do, all it takes is a simple, unreasonable price tag or transaction back in the homeland, and suddenly they're Indonesia Dreamin' all over again.