# @stephmylife on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DMPwV8HsqqY
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32457924-stephmylife-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1ed6fa92ff.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-18T10:42:53.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Stephanie Barry Woods (@stephmylife) — https://gondola.cc/stephmylife

## Caption

Like you, I saw the Youtuber who came to Bali this week and left after 24 hours. I saw it kick off many videos of people who came to TikTok-famous spots here complaining that ‘it didn’t look like how I expected.’ Honestly? As someone who spends a lot of time here, I find that rhetoric so infuriating. 

I see people who scroll through TikTok / IG, base their entire itinerary on viral hotspots, and arrive with a fantasy version of Bali in their heads - then blame the island when reality doesn’t match their expectation. 

And here’s the thing: Bali isn’t the problem. The problem is lazy travel and focus on what’s trending over what’s actually good. The problem is travel agents who keep funnelling people into the same five overdeveloped areas here. The problem is expecting a place to perform for you without putting in the work to understand it. 

People used to buy guidebooks, read blogs, and put time into planning their trips. Now I see entire trips based off one Tiktok, and then complaints about how touristy everywhere on the trip is. I see it day and day out on here. 

I’m the first to say that Bali has its issues - overdevelopment, environmental strain being the mains ones -  but it also has depth, beauty, and soul. It’s so much more than the handful of places everyone goes to. You just have to look beyond the algorithm. 

Your enjoyment of a trip is very often a reflection of the effort you make. So branch out. Ask questions. Do research. And if you don’t want to / don’t have time to do research yourself, follow people who you trust and base your recommendations on what they show you, not random things that pop up. 

if you’re only chasing what’s trending, you’re not really travelling - you’re just consuming.

📍These videos are at Gembleng Waterfall in Sidemen, it was SO beautiful and empty at 10am on a Saturday!! See my last post for some more info on Sidemen if you’re thinking of going! 

#bali #balitravel #balitips #baliescape #indonesia #sidemen

## Stats

- **Views:** 11,863
- **Likes:** 917
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 63

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stephanie Barry Woods | @stephmylife | https://gondola.cc/stephmylife | Influencer |

## Tags

balitravel, indonesia, bali, balitips, sidemen, baliescape

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