Bali SUCKS for Digital Nomads! The influencers are lying to you!

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[@jackcatlin]

Dorian discovers KZbinrs are full of shit.

[@BudetSvobodnoy]

Ye the whole video is just *shattered glass sound*

[@paris8168]

You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that KZbinrs and many digital nomads have a SE Asia fetish. This is not because these places are paradise, it is because they are broke and can’t afford to live anywhere better. Does SE Asia have gorgeous because? Of course it does but vacationing there and living there are two completely different experiences. I’d personally prefer Greece, Italy or Croatia (which is a digital nomad hub now).

[@seamusmoran4776]

I appreciate that you make the content YOU want to make, real, honest and unfiltered. Thank you for not being a slave to the algorithm and keeping it 100!!!

[@DorianDevelops]

Thank you!

[@Alex.Shalda]

Yeah, thanks dude 😊

[@Alex.Shalda]

Btw, just noticed Your charisma Maybe not too late for a movie role?

[@breezewebsdesignstudio]

I feel you in all of these aspects. I have been living in Bali since 2020 and it was a magical place during "those times". I am one of those people who lives on the outskirts in an undesirable area, but it's still close to the beach and I am still close enough to get into the busier areas if I need to. That is the only way I would do it now. I couldn't deal being around so many of these so called "influnecers" which are turning Bali into something it's not. Villas, cafes and beach clubs over waterfalls and ricefields. Now that Balis tourism has noticed that these influencers have brought more money in to do these things, they rather pocket it rather than care about how they have paved paradise and put up a parking lot. And those taxis jerks still always boil my blood when I come in. I have learned to not even look at them and keep walking. Even saying "no" is a sign for them that they can just keep following you. It feels very jarring and unsafe when that is the very first things you experience when you get out of the airport, espcially when the wifi almost never works when you are trying to figure out your next steps out of there. There are still beautiful parts to Bali, but they can be few and far between nowadays. Thank you for an honest review about your expereince.

[@JiraTicket-zz6bh]

For anyone traveling to Malaysia, you need to fill in a digital entry card before you go to the passport control. It does not cost any money but you need to do it either on your phone/tablet or they provide 2 - 3 PC's there.

[@DorianDevelops]

Yup learned that the hard way but didn’t take long at the airport once you’re there. But save yourself some time and do it beforehand

[@user-jc2tf7rt9c]

I have spent about 1 year of my life in SE Asia, and I 100% agree with you. The influencers are lying. I would put Bali near the bottom of my list, and certainly would not return there. For context, I spent about 3 weeks traveling the island. I guess UBud was my favorite if I have to pinpoint it.

[@jaulpanos]

I love how you're so all over the place with content man! I havent been to Bali yet but honestly have very little interest in visiting. Once you've seen one nice beach you've seen em all. I'll make it to Java, Sumatra and Komodo Island for the wildlife but I don't see myself living in Indonesia for a long stretch. Looking forward to seeing where you and the fam end up!

[@WebDevEducation]

As someone who lives in Bali I can confirm all those points are 100% facts 😂 anyone who asks me what it's like to live in Bali I tell them it's nothing like what you see on instagram. Despite all that I still love living here.

[@DorianDevelops]

Sorry that we never linked up while I was there! We ended up cutting our stay short. Had a problem with our original Airbnb which gave us the opportunity to leave sooner than planned. Your recommendation for Sanur was great though! We enjoyed our time there but wasn't exactly what we were expecting. Still glad we went!

[@WebDevEducation]

@@DorianDevelops It's all good man! Looking forward to seeing your upcoming videos on your asia trip.

[@king-manu2758]

Does anyone know what would be the most similar to Bangkok in Indonesia? I want to go to Indonesia but I want to go to a city which is mostly populated by locals where it's easy to establish a good lifestyle for a digital nomad, e.g making my routine where I work during the week, go to the gym, and then have some nice places to visit and activities to do during the weekend. I know I could do this in Bangkok, Saigon and Da nang, so I'd like to find similar in Indonesia.

[@hansonel]

Great honest review about how hyped up Bali is for digital nomads. After seeing numerous expectations vs reality videos about Bali and an increasing amount of digital nomads looking to set up a long term base somewhere else: (terrible traffic, trash filled / polluted rivers and beaches, rainy season, rising cost of living, food poisioning aka. Bali Belly, lack of infastructure, overtourism, etc...) I would not live there long term. Thailand, Central or South America or Eastern Europe might be worth exploring as a base camp. The EU is a great option (Spain, The Netherlands and the Nordic countries are some of the most kid friendly countries) but obviously the COL is a lot higher than in SE Asia.

[@referralhelper]

Did you vlog in Cambodia or Vietnam? Would love to see it

[@seamusmoran4776]

Love your videos Dorian thank you brother.

[@habanerocity]

In my experience Bangkok, Siem Reap, and Kuala Lumpur seemed like the best bases, but to each his own 💯

[@michaelachatelle]

Visited Bali in 2017 and had a similar experience. Will never come back.

[@murtadha96]

I'm interested in hearing about Bangkok. Also tell us if there are any favourable laws for residency in any of these countries (Thailand, Vietnam...etc).

[@jennalane2596]

Love this. Please do a video on Cambodia too!

[@nbailey9391]

Having lived in Jakarta for almost 7 years and vacationing in Bali yearly I can agree. Even as a resident we do not need to pay the tourist fee, but I always only stay at Nusa Dua. It is quiet, white sands, private beaches and is amazing. But it will cost you. Avoid Grab, you can't trust the drivers stick with Silver Bird. Bali is over rated. And one thing I forgot, for a little money in advance you can pay for VIP airport service which moves you through quickly, police escort to your hotel/rental and I believe I only pay $300 for the family, get a private driver and please avoid Grab, like I said before they do not security check the drivers so anyone can be a driver.

[@DorianDevelops]

Nusa dua is the beach we went to that was over the toll bridge! That beach was nice!

[@lRedBaronl]

Which country has been the easiest to stay at as a digital nomad bro?

[@MegaGangsta4life]

This is why I trust you. You are a speaker of truth, and this gives you credibility in my eyes

[@pursuitofspirit]

Damn I just bought my tickets to Bali last week. Any recommendation for a solo 24 y/o traveler? And I appreciate the content man! Been following for a month or so now and always watch when your vids pop up.

[@DorianDevelops]

I think it would've been a slightly different experience if I was visiting single. Try to prebook a ride from the airport to your hotel before you get there. Once you're there rent a scooter and stay in a popular area. Canggu was really good in that sense and had the vibe of a young crowd party area. If I was 24 and single I would've just slept on the beach the whole time 😅

[@pursuitofspirit]

@@DorianDevelops Haha I might do just that! Thank you for the tips man!

[@shaneblackwell58]

1. Do not stay in Canggu *(Chunggu) 2. Learn about visas required and online customs declaration and Bali tourist tax- all this can be done online 3 days before you leave your country to ensure a smooth airport exit. 3. Learn about cultural do's and don'ts - Biut not from influencers - 4. There are many places in Bali not loaded with traffic, aim for a more local authentic experience rather than a beach club over priced wank fest. Northern parts are more traditional. Good luck

[@jinglyjones1677]

Properly appreciate the unfiltered view; yours sounds far more like my experience. Also glad to hear that not all American travellers are high on their own farts - so many of their videos are so excruciatingly sickly sweet that I can't believe a word they say.

[@p.m.8316]

Da Nang is so boring. and not a very special beach.

[@fahristorm9771]

Indonesian here, you are damn right. Bali sucks now. totally sucks.

[@jcnw92]

Thanks for this alternative view on Bali, Dorian!

[@petkopavlovski8535]

Hahahha I love this! Was always sceptical of Bali

[@vencoheira1228]

Man i really like you, and i can understand your frustration. Thank you for the insiders you shared because i want to be a digital nomad and i was thinking about Bali. But quality of service is really important to me, its even my biggest dislikes about my own country and one of the reasons i want to move out and i'm really glad you said that. But thats aside about the "gurus" and the posers, i think you might want to lean on your perception of people. It's not like you are wrong tbh. i feel you and i can understand where you are coming from. I'm also getting overwhelmed by cringe when i saw people that you described. But I still believe its just about perspective of life. You know the saying that goes as "Ignorence is bliss", i disagree with that but then i remember that comes from out of awareness. If you are not aware that you are Ignorant its really a bliss. Sadly individuals like us are both cursed and blessed with the high awareness. And you know what sometimes that blinds us. I mean most of them npc's and living the life out of thought yeah but hey thats most people. And there are not insignificant amount of people out there that lives like that, acts like that but they are not total npc's. It's just how they perceive the world, some of those gurus don't care about the stuff we care, some of those tiktok folks are highly aware of what they are doing and using but just using that to make more money fast because they don't know any better or just simply they don't care that what they do cringe which i can understand even though i don't respect. You know the time is passing, norm is changing, culture is changing. I wanted to say these because i tried to break this perception and the walls of mine and i found great business partners out of those people and they kinda changed my total perception. It's not like im feeling understood when I'm with them or working with them but I saw that they have their own worlds and even though it looks cliché and low from the outside i understood how it was from their perspective. Don't get me wrong, thats rare, but they are there. And also i kinda learned how to not giving a f*ck thanks to them so it saves me from some level of irritation lol I hope you wouldn't think that i'm criticizing you because thats not my intention. I'm still young at the age of 28 but i lived through some and i have some sense that i understand you most of the time and just wanted to "help you" in my way. I really want and hope to you to see you in way more positive energy, you deserve that. I hope the best for y'all and i hope rest of the adventure would be a better experience for you and your family. 🖤

[@NataleeHEALS]

In a weird way, you sold me on a Bali vacation. Are you and family around beginning of July?

[@coreydunkin]

I've been to Bali about 7 times now, im not sure if my experience was just different being single, coming from Australia, taking bikes everywhere. Incredible looking villas with great service. I understand a lot of what youre saying and maybe yeah it's different if you have a family.

[@3m4i]

as indonesian peep. you were rite. bali sux rn. everything so expensive including the food. its crowded in one area like kuta. i'll go bali just to vacation in couple days. n honestly i've been there for nomad, so its not recommended. try another city or island in indonesia, or another SEA country. best luck for you sir

[@kitkatk5152]

Thanks for being real, great content.

[@koma7778]

Excellent video. Please roast locations more.

[@glenns9386]

Dude I’m sorry but I have also arrived in Bali and it really isn’t as bad as you’re making it be. The whole E-visa thing and scanning the QR code just takes a few minutes. There were no issues and I saw many people besides myself getting through security quickly etc. Perhaps research it before you arrive. Also what do you expect travelling to certain parts of the world? You know it’s not going to be as smooth as in let’s say Europe or North America. Still it really isn’t anything to complain about in my opinion. It literally took me max 10 mins in total and the people working at the airport are incredibly friendly and helpful. Also who told you that Bali is super cheap? I don’t know where you get your information from again but do your own research before going. It is well known to be a tourist destination for westerners, hence the higher prices compared to other parts of Asia but still way cheaper than what we’re used to in Europe or North America. Do you get your information from Instagram or something? I mean come on man.

[@RadenYohanesGunawan]

I know right. What a drama queen he is But I agree with the infrastructure. Buses are so lacking so if u don’t have a scooter you’re basically miserable Other than that, he can stay in America then 😂

[@DragonSlash42]

lmao this series is the realest digital nomad series ever. Bali definitely feels so overhyped nowadays and the crazy traffic etc takes a huge chunk of your mental energy

[@Adnanhasb1]

THank you for the honest video

[@notquitehim]

Alt title: Gentrifier realizes gentrification isn’t pretty

[@magicpotatoyt2001]

Please visit us here in Philippines!

[@user-hm9is5ke9i]

Thanks for the heads up. Glad I avoided this.

[@TimoTalksTech]

Build them a new website and add a voluntary payment to Dorian stripe account.

[@enic-ma]

Come to Medellin Colombia!

[@kangaroobot]

Finally, someone tells us the grim realities of Bali. I keep seeing these “I moved from the US to Bali” on Tiki Tak and they all show the generic recycled content, but always leave out the important stuff.

[@RadenYohanesGunawan]

Who allowed y’all to gentrify Bali anyway?

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

Haha welcome to my world. I was in Saint Martin island for 1 year . Good luck at the tropical carp. All tropical places are unsanely bad. I have developped a foemula for best places and it is very simple. If there is Snow the country is good. If there is never winter the place is poor and very bad. It works about almoat all places. I would never attempt to live again on a tropical place. The beaches are horror stories (sand flies ),you cannot fish because you will die from siguatera and so on. No thank you.

[@self..destroyer]

What BS 😂

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

@@self..destroyer haha yeaaa bs my rear.

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

@DominicTaylor-go2hj yes ,colder countries have better economies. Tropic countries are poor cheap trash and it is very expensive for everything. Food insane prices,rents the same. Just pure nightmare.

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

@@self..destroyer where are you from ? Tropical places. Hurricane warning season Hurricane shopping nonsense Dependent on ships delivery for food Crappy beaches that are unavailable after 6 pm sand flies are going to eat you alive. On the Bulgarian beach i cam live 365 days per year . Tropical fish infected with siguatera and you can die in misery. Rents extremely overpriced and the quality pure junk . Rampant crime Clueless police corrupted Bad healthcare. Still you think is a nonsense. Hahah Lived all over the world but tropical places beat the record. And dont tell me u lived on only one island. On that island we had people from all islands claiming that their islands were worse than saint martin and saint Martin is a trash of the trash. That is why they moved out of their islands.

[@self..destroyer]

@@EPICSOUNDTRAX Which tropic countries are you referencing? St. Maarten and vicinity are in ways 3rd world compared to developed South-Easr-Asia countries, which i suspect you've never set foot in

[@TJ-bx5px]

Binn to bali for 20 years now, bali wife., and everything...Bali sucks, i absolutely agree.. I just go there because my wife family.. for wite sand beach, u need to go to Virgin beach.. Go to kintamani

[@elliesdad9342]

Nice honest take

[@luciditywaling]

One also has to be mindful of the extreme poverty in Bali

[@SeanietheSpaceman]

I would not call it poverty since the cost of living is so low. When you come here, dont think like a foreigner expat cultural coloniser. Immerse, and assimilate. I lived on 300 a month for a year in Bali (Local base wage) to reset my expectations and truly appreciate the quality of life. Best thing ever.

[@luciditywaling]

@@SeanietheSpaceman You may be right

[@SeanietheSpaceman]

@@luciditywaling letting go of material needs and appreciating the friends the family the environment you are in is one of the most freeing things you can do.

[@luciditywaling]

@@SeanietheSpaceman That said, people there are being priced out by nonlocals. It's real.

[@SeanietheSpaceman]

It is locals who sell/lease their land to foreign entities who create that issue. This is a problem with capitalism and global wealth Inequality in general. ​@@luciditywaling

[@machinelearningid3931]

I'm Indonesian, living in east Java, try go to east Java, at Malang, we have lot of beaches, mountain, research it, I my self don't like Bali, it is overrated

[@timduncan2847]

Staying in Jakarta atm, sounds just the same. Not impressed with Indonesia.

[@thehungrycat7281]

Come checkout Sri Lanka.

[@travis8106]

Entire regions are catching strays from this man now

[@jaseman]

Why would anyone leave Miami? South Beach is beautiful.

[@ahmadazfar6518]

Malaysia suits for you

[@teddypunu7814]

there are too many tourists in Bali right now and the infrastructure can not accomodate the tourits influx ... Bali will be better with less tourists ....

[@SeanietheSpaceman]

Yawn i have been in Bali Lombok for ten years. Serial Founder. Built a healthy stack, hotel, family, 3 kids. You are doing it wrong.

[@MichaelSouvannavong]

go to Laos!!!

[@sti04alex]

Really enjoyed visiting Laos and seems like a good place to work remotely from if you haven’t been

[@koma7778]

It can. Be but a bit boring/quiet life. Not bad though. But maybe not a place with excitement.

[@Misterloy]

forget Asia and try to come to Brazil

[@self..destroyer]

Crime is out of control, guns aplenty and just plain unsafe. I like walking around knowing I won't be robbed or shot at, So no thank you 😊

[@JenJHayden]

⁠​⁠@@self..destroyersounds like..... here in the U.S. Tell me you have never traveled anywhere without telling me you have never traveled anywhere. All of the U.S. is not the south side of chicago yet people like you are stupid enough to think the entire country of Brazil is crime ridden.

[@Misterloy]

@@self..destroyer this is one of the mains reasons people avoid coming to Brazil. I hope things get better in the future. I will write my top 5 destinations in Brazil. 1- Lencois maranhenses 2- Foz do Iguaçu 3- Chapada dos veadeiros 4 - Rio de Janeiro 5- Arraial do Cabo ( these are the best I have been but there might be better places like : Fernando de noronha, Maragogi, chapada diamantina…)

[@self..destroyer]

@@Misterloy Thank you for the list! Your recommendations will be worth noting when I finally get to visit one of my life's travel wishes

[@Misterloy]

@@self..destroyer Yes... They are good places... I have been to 15 countries and the most beautiful places I have been were in Brazil. If you don't go to these places I just feel sorry for you.

[@freetimejunkie]

You're bringing your first world expectations to a third world country. I live in Bali and yes there is traffic and yes there's room for improvement on the infrastructure side, but the pros far outweigh the cons.

[@big789]

Lotf people in bali

[@hey.im_him]

The website for Laos E-Visa was trash too (2022). I hope they improved it. I was literally not able to get my visa because the website didn’t work. Couldn’t even submit the app 🤦🏽‍♂️ To be fair, cultures in these places are different, I wouldn’t put to much into people trying to haggle 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@koma7778]

I went in February this year and it worked fine.

[@hey.im_him]

@@koma7778 maybe I’ll try again when I’m back on that side of earth.

[@kamilp3992]

Watching your videos lately, you may get the impression that you have no idea what life outside the USA is like. And you had no idea that you were born in one of the best places in the world. This is bad, that is bad and so on

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

Agree completely with you. I was on a tropical place too for one year. I discovered immediately that it is all a lie. Now places for me are North america and Europe I am not going anywhere else. Sorry just the other places and countries are bad. I am European and know what we have and i have lived in north america for 20 years. No more attempts to go to "tropical paradises" because there is no such place it is a lie. Tropical places have too many natural disadvantages to be good to live there. Just too many

[@istefanemaria1]

I have a feeling that being mediocre you still can win as an average american. But for the rest of us (latin americans) life sucks and you have to work much more to win. At least nature is beautiful and you can go there on vacations ...

[@KimSkid2k]

I'm from Copenhagen Denmark and im fully aware that this is one of the best places to live in the world...

[@Misterloy]

@@EPICSOUNDTRAXThere is no perfect place to live. There are people who adapt to every enviroment and people who don't. I have never been to the US but I think it should be a nice place to have a life on.

[@EPICSOUNDTRAX]

@@Misterloy adaptation is one thing survival os completely different. On tropical islands you learn to survive not adapt.

[@koma7778]

So Bali is more fake than the corporate world lol lmao? People go to Bali to escape the rat race only to find it to be more fake than corporate world😂😅

[@tungha94]

I guess the posers part is correct lol

[@sahil885]

Bali is the Cancun for Australians hence why you have probably seen/met so many of them haha

[@gabrielk4120]

Please stop coming to Bali and Indonesia in general. This a place for at least Intermediate+ surfers and yoga lovers(ubud). And that's it. If you don't fit in these categories, go somewhere else, you will have a lot more fun.

[@Agustin-jo8mv]

lol. It's all for the likes sadly. I'm sure there is a place out there you will love for the cheap, but that will be a journey you will have to take. Man, if you speak spanish as a cuban I imagine mexico should have a place for you. Just be intelligent with your safety of course, but mexico is big af with different climates to pick from.

[@self..destroyer]

Mexico would be great if not for all that murder and violence. No gun culture in Asia and people aren't as murderous and criminally minded. I like being able to walk anywhere day or night without worry.

[@DorianDevelops]

Mexico makes me nervous af! We are eyeing a few spots in South America tho! Sea is still nice and we have a lot of places left to visit still

[@Agustin-jo8mv]

@DorianDevelops Got ya. Well I hope you find a place that will work well for you and your family. 👌👌

[@self..destroyer]

@@DorianDevelops I guess my comment spelling out my honest takes on Mexico were laid on too hard, to the point of it being removed . Basically, I just don't favor countries where murder and violence can occupy a significant part of ones' living experience 😅

[@WisomofHal]

Those Taxi drivers have something you’ll never understand…it’s called persistence.

[@collinsa8909]

Actually,it's harassment. They're not supposed to repeatedly hound somebody

[@AdrianTregoning]

Man that's a lot of moaning! :) Depends where in Bali you go to. But generally what do you expect for a tourist trap that is a stones throw away from certain first world countries. I wouldn't likely go again, the world is big enough to discover more. I had a better time on the islands of Karimun Jawa, north of Central Java. Basically no tourism, no white people at all. It was awesome, at least in 2012 it was.

[@user-sp7fg2ev5z]

it's called donkey island for a reason

[@UCcdTp7XpCkVLkaRCsDcifFg]

try java hahaha

[@abdulsufi7894]

Stay in America bro lol

[@OlawaleAfi]

did you do any research before going? lol every complaint you have if you search "pros and cons bali" on youtube theres tons of videos saying everything you said. $200 a month? who is even saying this - everyone who knows se asia knows canggu is the priciest place around bc westerners drove up the prices. also, you went to an island for 20-30 years olds there to party and find community and you expected city-level infrastructure that's ideal for a family. completely missed the mark on what the destination even is about and so aggravated about everything. going to canggu and being surprised about all these things you mention is like going to bangkok and being appalled that there are ladyboys walking around. such a suburban american old dad take on everything, getting that pissed about airport hasslers lol you're not meant for developing countries you should go to europe or east asia or resorts. i mean all your points ARE true but its just so funny how aggravated you got about what canggu is already known for. bragging about beating up posers? so cool bro

[@notquitehim]

Yeah this guy is your average ignorant American. He went there expecting a disney world resort lmao

[@rakryanodoro5883]

You judge too much from the perspective of a developed country. Is there no shortage in your own country ? There are residents of your country who have no homes, criminals, rasis, some dirty and smelly places, unemployed, and so on. Even though you are a developed and prosperous country, why are there still so many shortcomings ? Learn to accept that no country is perfect. Hopefully enlightening.