Cold Hard Truths About Moving to Bali so You Can “Rediscover Yourself"

A fresh perspective from a local

Most people get it wrong about living in Bali. They let Instagram Influencers tell them how to be happy.

I was born here in Indonesia but I never lived in Bali until I started working remotely back in 2019.

Just like any other millennial who’s sold on this idea that “you need to be in Bali in order to be happy”, I made sure moving to Bali was on my bucket list.

And did make it come true.

However, it’s strange how I still felt pretty much the same despite living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The truth is, travel doesn’t necessarily erase your problem.

And if you’re currently feeling lost in life or getting your heart broken, the cure isn’t always to make extreme decisions — just like how many young people promote nowadays.

Selling all your belongings, and booking a one-way ticket to Bali might not be worth it — let me explain.

Living in Bali isn’t as glamorous as it looks like

Instagram Influencers are the ones who overhype the idea of living in Bali.

In case you haven’t noticed, most of them won’t miss adding “enjoying life in Bali” on their bio. Followed by 4K videos from turquoise beaches that looks too good to be true.

Or this: they do a party every night in a private villa and still manage to work by the pool the next day. Money is easy because everything’s cheap as hell.

While I’m sure there are some nomads who live that lifestyle, it’s too naive to think that’s what living in Bali is all about.

Do these Influencers also tell you that all beaches aren’t that pretty? What about the trashes everywhere?

Poverty is a real thing and there are some Westerners who came here, ran out of money, and end up living in the streets.

Of course, they don’t tell you that because it’s all about the good life. They encourage you to ditch everything you have because life in the city sucks.

At first, I looked at the content as somewhat inspiring but then I realized how its lack of practicality.

Yes, Bali is cheaper compared to living in Hawaii but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows either here.

Bali isn’t the only place where you can “rediscover yourself”

Bali has become this one place now where people believe it can heal everything.

A popular book called, “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert has started giving this idea to people. But then, social media Influencers take it to another level.

A friend of mine in Canada feels bad that she didn’t move to Bali. She’s on a mission to rediscover herself and moved an hour away from where she lived because that’s all she could afford.

Yet every time she looks at her Instagram page, she feels like she’s missing out. She blames her slow progress and thought it’ll be faster if she were in Bali or any other tropical place.

But it’s not true. Not at all.

Bali isn’t the only place in the world that you can go to for your healing process. It doesn’t have to be beautiful and exotic. What matters is how you feel about the place — not what others think about it.

Living in Bali doesn’t necessarily make my problems disappear. It doesn’t magically change my life for the better. I still have to put a lot of effort to work on it.

I agree that where you live can impact how you feel. Bali has definitely its own magic but avoid moving here just because everyone you see on Instagram is doing it.

In the end, life is what you make it

One day I sat on the beach in Bali, crying because of how lonely I felt.

My life looked perfect on paper but I was far from being happy — despite living in paradise. It’s a curse and blessing at the same time.

And once I moved back with my partner this year, I could see a change in my overall mental health. Happiness is indeed meant to be shared.

A place can change how you feel but not forever. At the end of the day, you need a real connection with people who truly care about you.

I am no longer interested in the high life that places like Bali have to offer. Those private villa parties get boring. and if you’re in the dating pool, no one wants to have a relationship anymore.

This article isn’t to discourage you from traveling to Bali. It’s more of making your own decision that’s not based on what you saw on social media.

What people portray about Bali isn’t 100% true. While it’s aesthetically pleasing, life isn’t always easy here.

If you escape from your hometown and expect Bali to cure it all, then you need to think twice because most likely, you’ll still have the same problems — if not more.

There’s a difference between wanting to visit Bali because you’re genuinely curious and doing it because some random people on Instagram told you so.

The latter has some real consequences. One of them is a financial issue that you might face.

With that being said, preparation is highly important for a smooth trip.

Here are some tips if you wanna travel to Bali:

• Search for the place through Facebook Marketplace instead of Airbnb. And have a budget for renting an apartment/villa for at least 6 months.
• Visa can be complicated and pricey if you don’t do enough research beforehand, so make sure you do your homework properly.
• Make friends with locals as it’ll make things easier for you.
• Lower your expectations about all the beautiful places you saw on Instagram so you won’t get disappointed.

Lastly, make sure you do it for yourself and that you’re indeed in a good place financially to do so.

However, if you think you aren’t ready, there’s no need to stress out about it. There are other places in the world that you can travel to — that’ll be as great as Bali.

Remember that while Bali is beautiful, it isn’t the only place where the magic happens.