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Digital Nomad Stories
Digital Nomad Stories
From Bali to 70 Countries: A Bali Guide, Visa Tips and Productivity Hacks
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Ever dreamed of jet-setting around the globe while working remotely? Olivia Purba, a digital nomad and entrepreneur, has it down to an art. Having visited over 70 countries, this Indonesian native shares her compelling journey, revealing the hurdles she's overcome as a globetrotter with a passport that isn't always warmly welcomed. Olivia's story is a poignant reminder of how we often take for granted the privilege of unrestricted travel.
Connect with Olivia:
- balihoneymoonguide.com
- travelingajadulu.com
- Productivity Retreat: fokusinbali.com
Connect with Kendra:
- @selflove_journey_ on instagram
- On her website
- Leave a review or voice message at digitalnomadstories.co
Interview With Digital Nomad Olivia Puerba
Speaker 1Hey Nomads , welcome to Digital Nomad Stories , the podcast . My name is Anna Claessen and , together with my co-host , kendra Hasse , we interview digital nomads . Why ? Because we want to share stories of how they did it . We talk about remote work , online business , location and dependency , freelancing , travel and , of course , the digital nomad lifestyle . Do you want to know more about us and access all previous episodes ? Visit digitalnomadsdoriesco . Alright , let's go into today's episode .
Speaker 2Welcome to Digital Nomads Stories , the podcast . My name is Kendra and I'm your host today . Today , I'm joined by Olivia Puerba and I'm super excited because she already travelled 70 countries and writes about her experiences , and she also will host a productivity retreat in Bali next year . So a lot of interesting topics today in this episode , and I'm glad that you are here , hi .
Speaker 3Kendra , how are you ? Thanks for having me .
Speaker 2Great , maybe we directly start with you presenting yourself a little bit . What is maybe your story behind all your travelling ?
Speaker 3Sure , sure , my name is Olivia . Yeah , you mentioned before , I'm originally from Sumatra , indonesia , but now I'm based in Bali , so I'm not travelling . I am a published author . I already published two books and four collaborative books , and I'm a blogger two travel blogger , entrepreneur and a sustainability consultant . My hobby is , of course , travelling , writing and then .
Speaker 2Wow , there's like a lot of things . So since when are you a digital nomad ?
Speaker 3Oh , okay , so I think I wouldn't draw a line about when I was a digital nomad . But as far as I knew , I was always into travelling . So I was born in a small town , tourist town in Sumatra . It's called Brestagi . It's near Singapore and Malaysia .
Speaker 3So growing up I saw a lot of people coming to my hometown and their tourist , of course , and it creates curiosity of me , like if people can come to my hometown travelling , I also want to see their hometown , their country , people of different skin colour with me , different eye colours , and I was just curious and that's the reason I took international relations for my major of my bachelor degree , so that I can be a diplomat in travel , right . But then I realised along the way my first year actually I was working for the government , indonesian government , negotiating UNFCCC on behalf of Indonesian government , so climate change related . But then I realised that bureaucracy and working with the government is not for me , it's not my personality . I was really stressed about it , about my job , so I decided to quit and I found other ways for me to travel .
Speaker 3So I would say that first time I travelled was in 2010 , when I was still a student , like a bachelor degree student , and I got scholarship to Australia for an exchange for six months and ever since I always find a way to travel , and most of the travel that I did before was a sponsor . So either through scholarships , studying eight different universities around the world , and all under full scholarships , and then I also did volunteer through government programmes . Usually I did part time jobs . I also worked somewhere abroad , did research or have a speech where they invited and like , sponsored my flight , etc . So I just managed to find a way for me to travel the outside but also still pushing through my career and my study , because that's what my parents want me to do so ?
Speaker 2do you have your home base in Bali and then travel from there , or are you also sometimes staying longer in other countries ?
Speaker 3Yeah , so the story is after finishing my master degree in Australia in 2017 , I was living there for three years for my double masters and then I decided to go back , to return back to Indonesia , working with the NGO in Eastern , based in Bali , but helping farmers in Eastern parts of Indonesia , in Eastern islands . So I decided , like I just want to have a Bali as my base , but I'm still very passionate about traveling . I keep traveling from Bali and then , not so long after , I met a man who became my husband now and luckily he is still a digital nomad , you call it so he works online . So together we travel very often . Sometimes we stay in a place for , let's say , like five , six months .
Speaker 3We were in Costa Rica this half year , there this year , and before was many places in Brazil , in Argentina five months we got stuck during Corona and often time in Netherlands , because he's from Netherlands , but we have a house in Bali and we store our everything there . And if I would say that , yeah , my home is in Bali and I have a physical house too , there- Wow , that's nice .
Speaker 2But that's like this perfect mixture of whenever you feel you want to go home , you can go home , you have your house , and whenever you feel you need to see something of the world , so on yourself , like in this traveling working world .
Speaker 2You don't want to do it , and so your books and your travel blog is it all about your experiences while traveling , like ? Maybe you can share with us some things we could read in the book . So what are maybe interesting stories for our listeners , for the general mad ? Some nice experiences you had , or maybe also some challenges you faced ?
Speaker 3Sure , sure , yeah . So , as an Indonesian , you might or might not know that my passport is not as strong , so I have to apply to visa to most of the countries that I visit pretty much , and it's a very complicated process . It's not like go online and then I get the visa in one day . So I've prepared a lot of documents , including my , you know , like my bank account , proof that I have money there , my family card , insurance , booking of hotels , booking of return ticket , itinerary ID card , school certificate , work certificate , business certificate , whatever , like so many , lots of documents . I have to collect that in order to get this visa right , especially in the US visa , canadian visa , etc . And it's also I have to pay . So I'll pay around 50 to 200 USD depends on which country that I want to visit , and the process is lengthy and tedious . It takes one to three months .
Speaker 3So it's not easy for Indonesian to travel , and so a lot of people saw me traveling , indonesian especially , and they wonder how did I travel ?
Speaker 3What's my secret of travel ? And also our currency is not strong , so we don't have like purchasing , purchasing power , so it's expensive for us to travel to , let's say , western countries , and a lot of people asked me through Facebook back then and asked me personally as well , and I also have a lot of stories to tell them , like how , as a woman , I traveled by myself back then before I met my husband , and a lot of ways that you can do . But people were hindrance or the family . Well , in Indonesia also , like family takes a lot of influence , the decisions in you . So they said , oh yeah , the girl shouldn't travel , it's dangerous out there . So I want to write about my experience that inspired me to write down how I get to travel , what's the preparation , how I get a visa , how I get a scholarship , how I get to travel for free and my tips and tricks traveling on the road as a solo female traveler . And I just wrote it into a book because it's so long . So if I explain one by one , it's so long to people .
Speaker 2And what would be maybe like once though , that's like super interesting for digital nomads like around the world . Because I love already what you shared , because if we are living in Europe or in the United States , it's so easy for us to travel and they always feel it so unfair to people like you who are living in Bali or who are from South America , from any Eastern country that really needs a visa , and I feel we sometimes forget how luxurious we are . You know so , how beneficial we are that we just can go wherever we want without really needing like a visa for three months .
Speaker 2This is like for me , because I'm from Germany , that is already something that's eye-opening . What else would you fear could be like an eye-opening story ?
Speaker 3Eye-opening stories for people who want to travel .
Speaker 2Yeah , like for digital nomads , like because I feel sometimes for us it becomes like normal , right , but it's like so different , like depending on your nationality , how your digital nomad life is really being .
Speaker 3I think a lot of people forget that they have privilege . It's a privilege to have a strong passport , for sure , and I was just not lucky in that draw that I get . I was born in a country where the passport is strong . I love my country I'm not saying that I'm not but it's just hard to travel . But I think with a lot of passion and hard-working and that optimism for sure , still we can get a visa . It takes time and of course , money too , because applying it also costs a lot . But I've never got my visa rejected . It was always accepted because whenever I travel there is always a strong reason . I make sure that through the interviews if they have interviews some countries ask for interviews that my reason is legit . Either I travel for work , for sightseeing , and I don't have intentions to misuse my visa , for instance and I just complete all the documents that are necessary to prove that my intention was not to overstay my visa or to misuse it .
Speaker 2So yeah , well , that is already like I feel like a really good insight , because it's I'm like curious how do you manage it that none of your visa has been rejected ? So one first thing is like the interview preparation . Then you are like really conscious when filling in the document that you are like traveling with good intention , anything else that you really need to keep in mind together to be sent out rejected .
Speaker 3No , really , I think there is a lot of documents , right . I just I just make sure that my documents are complete when I apply for visa and that , yeah , the reason is strong and what's the right time . The countries are afraid , like if you , if people gonna go there and not returning back to their countries , or they were doing illegal work somewhere in their country , within the country . So I was . Whenever I applied visa , I always make sure that , yeah , the intention is clear . I have a house in Indonesia , for instance , I have a proper job , I have a if I'm studying , that I have a university , that I have to return . So there is a reason , a strong reason , for me to go back to my home country , yeah , to return , pretty much . So that's I think that's a legit reason why I was never be rejected for my visa .
Speaker 2That is a great insight and I'm glad to hear that you , that you manage where will be like your next travel be like ? For what visa are you currently applying , or are you applying for any current no ?
Speaker 3so I've seen quite a lot of visa that I needed . I've got the five years US visa , five years saying and visa . Most of the time , people struggling with saying and visa , especially from developing countries , because if , like , if people apply for two weeks , they just give like straight two weeks , right . So if they want to extend , they can't , they have to return , booking a return flight as well . And I think because I applied often like between 2014 to 2017 , every year I apply for saying and visa because have the like 100 Euro each applications and because I apply every year , then when I apply in Dutch embassy in 2018 , if I'm not mistaken , that is all on my passport I apply every year . So then , even though I ask for one month saying and visa , they give me five years . Yeah , and ever since , if I apply again , then they give me just five years because I've proved that I always return back and never , ever use my visa , never overstay my visa . So , yeah , that's it .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think it's also like really great to see , if we are like conscious about it , that we can make it happen somehow .
Speaker 3True .
Speaker 2Yeah , and the other thing where you are like , where you are like working on , is your productivity we treat . Maybe you want to share a little bit about it . So , and what can I imagine about this retreat ? It's like it sounds like really nice , but maybe you can do it .
Speaker 3Yeah , it's funny , right , because it's a retreat productive . So I just finished my study in Costa Rica my third master on sustainability business in Costa Rica and university and then I learned a lot there and my previous career I was always working either with the government . In June , my last job was a startup on plastic recycling in Bali and I want to make my own journey . I am currently sustainability consultant for businesses , but I also want to make something out of my own . So then I thought I started doing something here and there , just testing the market in VPNs and traps , but then I realized that it is easier and more powerful when I'm surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs who are striving for betterness , and when we get it together , there is accountability towards doing our own . So that's the idea comes from , because I was in Bangkok a few weeks ago , a few months ago in June , and I met a couple of entrepreneurs and I realized that when I'm with entrepreneurs , like the creativity , the minds and the focus is there , like I am more striving , because I see how the progress is shared , their tips , et cetera , and I want to create an environment where these people are together and we are supporting each other , accountable to each other and share our own . So that's why I created this focus retreat , because I also also for me , because I also want to be surrounded with these kind of people .
Two-Week Bali Retreat for Digital Nomads
Speaker 3So the idea is to have two weeks time in Bali , in Ubud , in the middle of a rice field , of course , in Bali , and then we will be together working on our projects . So every day , people will share what they want to do today , and then later on we will do masterminds as well and sharing their things about entrepreneurship , either like scaling up , marketing or HR , whatever they can share on . And then I also want to invite a startup founders or business based in Bali who are based in Bali it could be international or like local and they share their insight as well , how do they execute their business , et cetera . And on the weekend I want to invite these people to visit local heroes , we call it , or people who micro entrepreneurs Bali's people or Indonesian who run their own business with a purpose . So they , for instance , the purpose of business are a woman empowerment , or they also have tempeh soybean agriculture or a bomb orchid sector , but those business are having a mission , positive missions that empower local people , or having a focus , that issue that they want to take , like woman empowerment , hiv or conservation or environmental plastic issues , etc .
Speaker 3So the business has a purpose , not necessarily like just making profit , but there is something beyond that . So I'm hoping to gather people who have like minded . Plus , I think it's important also to diminish all the destruction . So that's why we're going to have like in-house chefs cooking Indonesian or having a local delicious food , because maybe a lot of people don't know like delicious food in Bali , so I can get them there . Also the London to King care and we will have like a nice product . How to say , a chair desk is very important for digit right .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think they are like already so many things and let's dive a little bit deeper into this topics . So I really like this idea , like of working like for ghost and productive , and I think that's like a topic that's really also important for us right and for our listeners , because if we are maybe sometimes , when we are like traveling or in different countries , it's so easy to to get lost because of all the adventures that are waiting for us outside and this fear of missing out , and then maybe sometimes it's hard to really get like focused and productive . And it's always helpful also for me to search like co-working cafes wherever .
Speaker 2I am to be in this , to be in this headspace . What else do you think is can help us besides the retreat , then ? Because after in the retreat is a certain amount of time where we really can be productive . What do you do normally when you are traveling around to really work productively ?
Speaker 3Yeah , so when I travel , that's why I always try to find like-minded people . I think it's important to make sure that I'm also pump motivated by these people when we talk about stuff Like , for instance , last time in Netherlands , I tried to find this community of like woman enterprise and meet up so I can inspire , get inspired on or be inspired as well by this woman . And if I am traveling and I don't know people just yet like right now I'm in Les Palmes I haven't met people because I'm still settling down a few days here . What I do is I have this note where I put what is the things that I want to achieve today . So it's just very simple , it's just like a point on the paper , like things that I want to achieve today , and so it get me on track on things . So , yeah , that's the thing I want to do . I'm doing .
Speaker 2Yeah , I think that's also a great tip . And what I also really like about your retreat is that you're going to visit these local heroes . Yeah , so whenever I feel , when we are traveling , do you have any recommendations Like , how could we find these local heroes also in other countries ? Because I feel it's so important and valuable , also when you're like traveling around , that you get immersed with the local people , understand the local culture and not just the you know with the international people .
Speaker 3Yeah , I agree , I think it's very disconnected , what I oversee between the bubble of digital nomads and the locals , and it seems like there are many reasons why it's it's it's just not connected . First , like the really different lifestyle they go every day and they meet . They already have like local people . I mean , they already have their friends and family , so they just interact on themselves and they do their daily life . And the second , maybe also the language itself . Like many locals on speech , the language of the digital nomads , we usually use English . I mean the locals probably also don't understand the lifestyle and there's nothing that they can relate to . So I actually don't have a lot of tips . If I am abroad , I'm also struggling to find local , unless otherwise I live in a country for long . So , for instance , I was in Costa Rica . I lived there for six months . Of course , I know my neighbors , I interact with them . If I have food , I share with them , so that we just build connection , even though I speak really bad Spanish or not at all .
Speaker 3Yeah , I just I just start to go out by myself and then , like people are just being friendly and talk to me and yeah , just like with the Google Trans , that we just communicate or like with body language , so people start to know me and I got to know them and they invite me sometimes to whatever like their event . If they have a party celebration at home and I got invited , then I can get to know the locals . But if I'm just staying for two weeks , it's really hard . I don't know people , I don't know how to start it and maybe not enough time even to settle down by myself , not to mention to get to know locals .
Speaker 2I also think like two weeks is like a super less , but what you just said the language .
Speaker 2I always like hear that the language is also like a super important topic and that if we stay really for several months in one country , it's really worse to learn the language . Okay , so I guess like to learn Spanish when we're staying in Latin America . It's way easier than , for example , learning any Asian language . Yeah , depends where you're from , but then at least make the effort . Why , as you just said , with Google Translator , I always suggest just to not make just language like this one barrier , because to create like connections sometimes it's also possible with gestures and showing interest .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah , yeah . I think people also appreciate if we just start learning , even though they don't understand . But they will open up their , they become just warmer the moment they know that we're trying to speak or to communicate with them . From experience .
Speaker 2Yeah , so yeah , it's nice to put it like all in this in your retreat , the things together , and also another point you mentioned that I feel is also part of the digital nomad experience is trial to the local food right . We are always like craving for it . So what would you say is we all need to try when we are in Bali .
Speaker 3So I understand , because now , like I , am traveling around Europe but often people also miss Asian food . I go to Asian grocery and Asian restaurants , so I understand also the other way around people who will miss their food that they get used to , right . But I think it's also good to explore , be more adventurous a bit , and there are many . I don't know how I can drive to Spain , to Bali , but there are many local cuisines . That is delicious and cheap and it's hidden gem . Of course , a lot of people love digital nomad . Don't know it because it's just not advertised out there , because it's local , like the one that is advertised normally like catering to western or like gas or to tourists . So we have like a sake pig , like baby guling and ayam baklava , fried chicken with balinese sauce . Well , in an Asian dish is usually a lot of chili and garlic and onion and local spices , but I miss it a lot and also like mixed culinary , chinese , indonesian and yeah , I don't know where to start because there's so many food down in my mind .
Speaker 2Looks great . So we all now have like plenty of options . Yes , I would really recommend there One thing you also shared with me before and I don't want to skip it because I think it's also really nice . It's like your honeymoon guide . Oh , okay , sure , sure , for Bali . So for all the listeners who are thinking maybe to get married in Bali , they really should read your website , right ?
Speaker 3Sure , yeah . So it's a project together with my husband now . So this is the thing we live in Bali for . I live in Bali since 2017 . My husband lived there since 2018 . So every time we live , every time our friends or family come , he always ask a recommendation . Of course , like , if you live there , they will ask you a recommendation of accommodation or food or activities , right ? So we gather a lot of this information . We just write it down and then my husband has an idea .
Speaker 3Oh , maybe you know like a lot of people come to Bali to do honeymoon . Why don't we write it ? Because it's fun , you know , and most of the time , we try already most of the places that we mentioned there BaliHanYongHunGuidecom , because we also like to explore Bali every weekend . So many things to do , so many new restaurants or so many good cuisines western , asian or any kind of a cuisines that we can try out there . Like instead of we keep it for ourselves , we think you'll be just write it down .
Speaker 3So that's how we create BaliHanYongHunGuidecom . So it's monthly , from our own experience , and we hand pick all the hotels that we suggested there , all the food that recommended and activities I recommended and Bali is big and it's even though I live there we live there for like five , six years there's always always things to do . It's now it never get bored . From east to west to north , there's always something pop up new . There's always new activities . People come and go like always meeting new people , and yeah , it's just never ending list and we like to put it there , so to keep and we will .
Speaker 2We will put it for sure in the show notes so anyone who is like interested can check
Digital Nomad Life in Bali
Speaker 2it . But what would you maybe , what I like , the key recommendations or opportunities you see for really staying as a digital nomad , some kind of Bali , and what are like also the challenges you see if we if we imagine some of our listeners now are thinking should I go ?
Speaker 3to Bali or not ?
Speaker 2what could we give them as advice ?
Speaker 3yeah , so BaliHanYongHunGuide has been really popular this is for digital nomad sport right in the past few years , and so the challenge I will say it creates , like a housing market , a spice among expanse or digital nomad on people who want to live there long , especially in particular areas , because that's a hard sport . But in the past , in the capital , where most locals live there , it's not happening . People want to live in the nearby seashore and see , so the the cost of the accommodation is really expensive . Now it's almost like in Europe in some areas too like even , yeah , equal to western Europe , and it's also challenging to find the accommodation there .
Speaker 3It's not all too urban being need to go through Facebook groups and ask around and check around , and sometimes there are also fraud cases where people advertise but it's not there . So we have to be careful as well . Don't send the deposit before I don't know . It's tricky because you want to keep it . When you send it there , post it , they're gone , they're not there . The agent is just a fraud . So to recommendation of friends is also important . Yeah , I think that's the challenge when a combination now this is expensive .
Speaker 2Well need to be tricky . And I think that's a really good point we need to be aware of when preparing our stay environment .
Speaker 3Yeah , and other than that also , I think , well , this is particular my challenge . People come and go . There's not many . I think there are people who stay , but , like we are digital nomads , of course we come and go . So I think a lot of people who stay there longer there is a struggle to find long-term friendship . First , people who have a base . They want to have like kind of stability , the people that they hang around , not like starting all over again with the conversation what are you doing ? Blah , blah , blah , like just sort of this conversation . They want to have like more in-depth conversation . And I think , as a very transient place , Bali is not the best place to find long-term friendship somehow . But if you want to meet people , that's perfect . That's a lot of people come and flop in and hop off there .
Speaker 3Yeah , but the good thing about Bali is , as I mentioned before , it's a very beautiful island . There's so many things to do , from mountain to beach . There's so many options of food as well , from Western Asian spicy bland , you name it . Also it's very . It's also there's a city . There's facilities . You can buy anything that you want that is in the Western hemisphere . You can have it there . There are malls , hospitals , everything . So it's not just small island . It has everything you need and if you get bored from Bali , you can go hop into islands nearby . There is Lombok , there is Sumba , which is more pristine and more secluded compared to Bali , and if you want to go to city , there's Surabaya and Jakarta . I don't know if people digital . There is just a city . If you want something that you can't find in Bali , like electricity or whatever , you can just go there . Yeah .
Speaker 2Wow , that's like yeah , that sounds nice . And what is like your special secret tip for Bali ? My special secret to Bali is Like a special secret recommendation . Oh , secret recommendation .
Speaker 3Do not use five seconds . Wait , let me think . Secret recommendation oh , okay , maybe I have one . I think a lot of people stuck in the in Kangaroo , right ? Well , mostly Changoo or no Perenane and Cese . I think if you want something a bit different , go , try out to go to explore north of Bali , because that is like another word , like it's so different from Hazel and Basil , of Changoo and Perenane and Cese . You can say Minyak , for instance , ahmed , it's very good for surfing , for diving , and it's very beautiful . You can see the mountain agung there , very beautiful . And explore the north . Where is it ? Like Chandidasa or north of Ubud . They're very pristine . Yeah , like way more pristine than the south . I think that's a secret if you want to try something new and try to avoid traffic and pollution in the south .
Speaker 2I think that's amazing because I haven't been yet to Bali . It's also on the topic . Oh no you should and I really I may be next year for your retweet . Let's see . And then , yeah , I've heard about it a lot that we are all going to the same spot and it's amazing that you shared this recommendation with us . Thank you . So , before we now finish and for sure we'll put all of your links for the retreat , for the honeymoon diet , for your travel vlog and the show notes , but anything else you would like to share .
Speaker 2Anything I haven't asked you to talk about .
Speaker 3I think I said everything , but if you were Again , I will say it again If you're looking for romantic things in Bali not only romantic but general place to go and do check on balihanimunguidecom , because it's all everything there , not necessary for a couple , but even for general tourists that happen to be in Bali . It's very useful and I'm happy to meet you if you decide to come to Bali and if you're an entrepreneur , I would like to get connected too , because it's always nice to meet other people who are trying out business , especially sustainability business .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's it , yeah , perfect .
Thankful for Insights and Requesting Reviews
Speaker 2Thank you so much . A lot of insights . I think it was a nice talking to you .
Speaker 3Thank you . I'm forward to have you too , can try in Bali , pink me . If you're there , I will be happy to show you around .
Speaker 2Yeah , now I'm motivated to show you .
Speaker 1And that's it for today . Thank you so much for listening . I appreciate it very , very much . I would appreciate it even more if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts for me . That way , more people can find this podcast , more people can hear the inspiring stories that we're sharing , and the more people we can impact for the better . So , thank you so much if you are going to leave a review . I really appreciate you and I will see you in the next episode .