forget Bali – go here instead

Bali is overcrowded, overpriced, and overrated. This neighbour island offers more for less

February 11, 2025

In partnership with

walking to the beach, Da Nang, Vietnam

Happy Tuesday, friend!

Spoiler alert: We’re diving into this digital nomad paradise today. But first, a quick update.

Right now, I’m sitting in a café called Normad in Da Nang—the so-called “Miami of Southeast Asia.”

One thing I didn’t expect: Some parts of Da Nang are full of Korean influence 🇰🇷. Not just tourists, but Korean BBQ spots, stores, cafés, signage—everywhere. I had no idea until I got here.

Turns out, Da Nang is a major hub for Korean travellers, and here’s why:
1️⃣ Direct flights from multiple Korean cities make it super accessible.
2️⃣ It offers a home-away-from-home feel with familiar comforts.
3️⃣ Koreans love self-care, and with affordable spas on every corner, it’s a no-brainer.
4️⃣ Vietnam’s affordability makes it an easy luxury escape from Seoul or Busan.
5️⃣ Golf trips with the boys? A huge thing here.

As someone who’s borderline obsessed with Korean BBQ and Tteokbokki, I’m not complaining.

Now, onto today’s main event…Lombok, Indonesia 🇮🇩

If there’s a textbook definition of island paradise for digital nomads, Lombok might just be it.

We’ve got a digital nomad on the ground there, and we’ll be interviewing him for an insider’s perspective. But here’s the short version:

Lombok has all the perks of Bali—without the overcrowding and overdevelopment. The beaches? Cleaner. The accommodations? More affordable. The pace of life? Slower, in the best way.

And don’t worry about feeling isolated—Lombok has a thriving digital nomad scene, making it the perfect balance of productivity and paradise.

We’ll break down the costs, tips, and must-knows below.

For the MANY new faces here—welcome.

Here’s the quick rundown:

🎟️ Want a shot at winning a digital Polaroid cam? Refer 1 friend—draw in a few days.
📄 Need resume tips to level up? Read this issue
🔥 Need a reminder that you’re HIM or HER? Read this issue
💰 Want a fresh perspective on money? Read this issue
💼 Looking to earn remotely? Read this issue

Each issue is a 5-minute, value-packed read. Let’s get into it. 🚀

This week’s menu:

  • Frosted Tips ❄️

  • Remote roles of the week 💰

  • Our Sponsor: The Morning Brew 📎

  • Meet Lathan - Nomad Diaries 📔

  • Pin It: Location of the week 🗺️

  • Jam of the week 🎧

Frosted Tip of the Week:

  • The coolest contest–enter to win a trip to Norway: Opera, a Norwegian browser company, is holding a contest where ten lucky remote workers a six-day stay in a cozy Norwegian cabin, complete with a 'hygge desk' designed for ultimate comfort and productivity. This unique opportunity includes round-trip flights, ground transportation, and accommodation. To apply, submit a creative text or photo explaining why you deserve this experience by February 28, 2025. Winners will be announced around March 5, 2025. I’ll be entering, you should too.

enter the contest today: credit: opera.com

Here’s Why Over 4 Million Professionals Read Morning Brew

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remote roles of the week:

Always looking for the golden nuggets for you.

I have zero affiliation with these roles & companies, I simply want to see you win and if the opportunity fits, great.

Spotlight Job Posts This Week: 3️⃣

NativeCamp -Online English Teacher - The OG of remote work. The pay isn’t the highest but it can be the first step towards your DN journey.

Donut Digital- Senior Paid Digital Manager - Paid ads expert, another agency position fully-remote is here. If you don’t know ads, you should learn. Opens many doors.

Discord - Recruiting Coordinator: This one is fairly into for any HR peeps out there only requiring 2 years of experience. If you’re a people person, understand the flow of interviews and candidate vetting, this remote role will pay the bills.

Nomad Diaries: Lathan

Digital Nomad Profile: Lathan
home city/country: Kelowna, BC, Canada 🇨🇦
current base: Lombok, Indonesia
role/profession: Founder of Unpopular Opinion & Tether Social, eCommerce Consultant
# of years as a digital nomad: 6

From a young age I knew I was born to invent things. I reaffirmed this by trying - and loving - an "entrepreneurship" class in high school, rode that straight into an Honors degree in Marketing, and I've been in the industry ever since. I've juggled my inventive side - inventing a variety of different products and brands over the past 10 years - while also building up my corporate profile with 6+ years as an intrapreneur, eCommerce consultant, and specialist in all things early stage startup. I exist to bring those wild ideas to life and see them thrive.

Lombok eh, tell us why you chose to nestle yourself there? I've spent time elsewhere in Indonesia on previous trips so this time around I decided to come check out what people consider to be "Bali from 15 years ago" and I just haven't left. Compared to Bali, traffic is way calmer, things are close, the beaches are actually nice, great surf, and a lot of other nomads end up staying here for a long time, which certainly helps in establishing a solid network that won't just leave the day after you meet them. The local warung restaurants and homestay options are very good and very cheap, so my expenses are quite low and very sustainable.Want to be featured in our Nomad Diaries? Reply back to this email & we can set it up!

what’s your biggest digital nomad hack?  Removing yourself from the Apple ecosystem and moving to something like Google. Apple's ecosystem is cool and all but something universal like Google means that you can access it on an iPhone, Android phone, Macbook, Lenovo Thinkpad, literally every device can access the Google ecosystem, which is great when collaborating with other nomads or clients. Google Chrome, Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Docs etc. are all just too universal to ignore.

You seem to be an expert in networking–drop your tips: The worst thing that can happen when you introduce yourself to someone is that they aren't interested, but the best thing that can happen is that you meet someone awesome, and in my experience the latter happens much more often. I'll gladly trade the odd awkward conversation in exchange for the many great conversations. After introducing yourself, find a way to get them talking about passions of theirs, be it hobbies or work. People feel comfortable talking about their passions, and it's a great way for you to sus out if you share any common interests or not.

Blessing or curse doing all your traveling while single? It's more a blessing than a curse because if I want to just lock in and do nothing but work, or just do my own thing for the day, I don't need to concern myself with what others want to do. Then if I feel like my recent days have been productive and I want to take a night off and enjoy socializing, again, it's completely my decision to do so. There are moments where I know that if I did have a partner who was supportive of what I was pursuing and helped challenge me to get there, that would also be a blessing, so I can see having a partner also being beneficial but I have no complaints living the solo life at the moment.

biggest digital nomad f*ck up? Missing a very important client meeting because I mucked up the time zones by almost a full day. Gotta love that international date line 🙃

what’s your non-negotiable item when travelling? I mean if we remove nomad essentials like a passport, phone, wallet and laptop, I'd say that something I really get a lot of value out of right now is my DJI Action 4 camera. I don't have a dedicated camera with me, but the Action 4 shoots in 4k, super slo mo, amazing underwater footage when diving or snorkelling, solid audio for vlogging, it's just such a solid all around camera that takes up next to no space at all. And no, I'm not paid to say this haha.

Favourite & least favourite destination?

fav: As a country I love how much variety Indonesia has to offer, but if we're talking specific spots probably Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites. You get this really nice fusion of Italian and German cuisines, the views in the surrounding area are incredible, and there are so many amazing hikes and via ferratas to explore in summer, then as winter comes you head right into ski/snowboard season. It'd be a bit lonelier as a digital nomad wanting to socialize, for that I'd look to Lombok if surfing is your thing, or Koh Tao if diving is your thing - both of those being much cheaper than Italy as well.

least fav: Semporna in the Bornean province of Sabah, Malaysia. It's the biggest case of Insta vs. Reality I've ever seen and all of the tourism dollars that go into that city just go into "foreign" pockets who own all the private islands and dive companies, so the town never gets improved and it's quite sad really. Please avoid. Oh and Phuket, Thailand is a definite skip as well.

okay last one, one piece of advice for a new nomad? Do something you actually like doing, even if that starts as a hobby. It's much more sustainable and enjoyable to do something you find fun vs something you are simply doing for cash. My mindset is that if you are passionate about something you will become good at it, and when you become good at it, the money will come, whether that's getting enough money to run a non-profit dog shelter, or getting enough money to bounce from 5 star hotel to 5 star hotel creating luxury content for them, whatever your passion is, pursue that over money.

What's the best way for people to reach out to you? I'm most active on my personal Instagram @lathanmckinney . 

Real quick, keep watch for Tether, a new app that I'm launching (@tether.social) which will completely change the way we stay in touch with friends. From childhood friends you haven't talked to in 10 years to people you meet while travelling who inevitably leave to their next destination, Tether will allow you to always keep tabs on your friends in the chance that you end up in the same city as them down the road. I can't say too much more until we officially launch, but I have some lofty goals for this app and think it's perfect for digital nomads trying to maintain a well-connected network.

📍Pin It: Lombok, Indonesia 🇮🇩

I’ve been yapping about how damn good this island is for digital nomads. As Lathan said, the Bali before the over-commercialization. Truly an island for you to lock into health & work.

Let’s run it down:

  • 📍 Pin It: Lombok, Indonesia 🇮🇩

    💰 Cost of Living: ~$900-$1,200 per month for a solo nomad—cheaper than Bali but rising in popularity. (even cheaper with a friend)
    🏢 Coworking/Coliving Spots: to save some $$, best to cafe-hop or go to the common space in your hotel/homestay. If you prefer coworking spaces, check out South Lombok Cowork
    🛂 Visa Info: Most nationalities get a 30-day visa on arrival, extendable up to 60 days. For long stays, look into Indonesia’s Digital Nomad Visa (E33G Visa)
    🏄 Perfect for Beach Lovers: Surf at Gerupuk Bay, relax at Pink Beach or chill at Tanjung Aan Beach—some of Indonesia’s most stunning shorelines
    🍽 Food & Culture: Enjoy fresh seafood at El Bazar or sunset drinks at Surfers Bar Kuta
    🧘 Stay Active: Join yoga sessions at Mana Yoga Retreat, gym sessions at Xeno Fit, or hike Mount Rinjani for unreal sunrise views
    🌎 Digital Nomad Community: Connect with remote workers through Lombok Nomads & Expats Facebook Group
    🏠 Housing Tips: Affordable long-term rentals available—use Facebook groups or check out Airbnb deals like this one

It wouldn’t be a weekly newsletter without the jam of the week. A vibey house-tune for your Tuesday.

Just gonnnna leave this here again.

Somehow we always end up here, the end of the issue. It’s a good habit.

Appreciate you, stay frosty.

Until next time,