Latest news with #travelinfluencer
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Traveller reveals what dreamy tourist hotspot is REALLY like - with litter everywhere and buildings falling down
A keen traveller has opened up about his experience of a dreamy tourist hotspot and revealed the less desirable side of the island rarely shown on social media. Joshwa, a travel influencer who regularly posts about his journeys around the world on TikTok, posted a series of clips from his time in Bali. Bali is an island in Indonesia, located within Southeast Asia. Known for its beautiful beaches, delicious cuisine and jaw-dropping landscapes, the island is often portrayed as a luxury location. However, though Joshwa praised the 'fabulous culture' and 'great hospitality', he noted there were other aspects, including how locals don't reap the same benefits as tourists. One of the content creator's videos showed decrepit buildings, abandoned beanbags along a beach and litter piled high. The clip also featured footage of makeshift buildings with metal roofs and poorly maintained roads. He captioned the video with: 'Amazingly stunning Island. 'Bali's fabulous culture, beautiful people, with great hospitality did not fail to impress. 'However, the island lacks the infrastructure that it needs to be able to sustain 1. The littering and pollution issue and 2. the over tourism issue that currently is not sustainable.' The footage attracted over 700,000 views and thousands of likes, with many taking to the comments to share their verdicts on the tourist hotspot. One penned: 'Went once. Not for me. Gilly Islands were the best part about the trip but Bali is a hard no for me.' While someone else pointed out the economic situation of the country and said: 'The biggest bill in this country is literally $6, with the average salary $250 per month, what do people expect.' Another added: 'You go to another country for a cultural experience… that's Bali stay at the resort if your an influencer cause that's who you are a resorter… I like to embrace and immerse myself in the culture mix with the locals they are beautiful people!' 'Finally someone is actually showing facts…,' one watcher chimed in. In another video, that attracted over one million views, Joshwa highlighted the struggles of local residents in Bali. The camera panned to show a busy restaurant, before flipping to fragile-looking buildings. At one point, it featured a sign that read 'please stop littering', stood next to a pile of plastic bottles and other rubbish. He captioned the video: 'I really agree with what Zoe said. Bali was very pretentious for me. Maybe just me, but full of people that aren't really my style. you get one or two humans. others seem to be lost in a world. somewhere. 'The locals are the best people, so caring, kind and hospitality is off the charts. it's such a shame they can't share their Island and enjoy it to the full extent tourists do!. 'I'm going to do a longer reel on this but it's just crazy it came up at the same time. because just the other day I was saying how Bali is for pollution, poverty, lack of health standards. 'Whilst everyone is in a beach cop live in lavish life spending thousands of pounds and the locals cannot enjoy their life or even integrate with the tourists because of the lack of the above. 'Molly Mae's sister wasn't telling lies.' Joshwa's videos come after Molly Mae's sister, Zoe Rae, left Bali after just 48 hours because it didn't live up to her expectations. @plantpotworldwide I really agree with what Zoe said. Bali was very pretentious for me. Maybe just me, but full of people that aren't really my style. you get one or two humans. others seem to be lost in a world. somewhere. The locals are the best people, so caring, kind and hospitality is off the charts. it's such a shame they can't share their Island and enjoy it to the full extent tourists do!. I'm going to do a longer reel on this but it's just crazy it came up at the same time. because just the other day I was saying how Bali is for pollution, poverty, lack of health standards. Whilst everyone is in a beach cop live in lavish life spending thousands of pounds and the locals cannot enjoy their life or even integrate with the tourists because of the lack of the above. Molly Mae's sister wasn't telling lies. #PlantPotJosh #PlantPotWorldWide #TravelTikTok #fyp #Viral #Travel #Bali #Asia #MollyMae #Indonesia #Creator #RealLife ♬ original sound - Daily Mail UK The fitness influencer, 28, had planned the trip to Indonesia with her husband Danny to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. And despite staying in a huge sea view room at the Radisson Blu, a five-star hotel, they decided to leave early and jet to Dubai instead. Zoe explained that Bali looks better on social media than in real life, as influencers make it look luxurious, despite it being a developing country. In a new YouTube video, Zoe told the camera: 'Since landing in Bali, something for us wasn't quite right. 'We came here with high expectations because we had seen on social media that everyone was having such a lovely time. Lovely places to eat and beaches, and lovely gyms and coffee shops. 'But I don't think the reality of Bali is shown much at all, and I do think it is down to a lot of influencers posting the more luxury side of things.' She added: 'Before joining the army, I spent five months travelling South East Asia. I did Thailand, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, I did a lot and spent time in these countries. But there is something very different about Bali. 'We got told Uluwatu where we are now is one of the best places to go, so if this is one of the better places, I'm not sure where the other places are like. 'I wasn't going to sit down and say anything, but people want to know.' Danny then joined the video and said: 'You either go on holiday to travel and experience culture or you want to go away and relax.' Zoe continued: 'Yeah, and we could have got a flight tomorrow as today is our anniversary, but time is precious and we just want to get out, and why delay it. 'We missed the mark, maybe we didn't do our own research, maybe it is our own fault. I did a lot of research though. 'I think it is just personal preference, and our preference was that this isn't for us, and we are making the executive decision to go enjoy our anniversary somewhere we know that we love and can relax and can drink the water.'
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Travel influencer sparks fury after tossing son off a cliff in 'wild' parenting moment on lake trip
A popular travel influencer is facing backlash online after posting a controversial video of himself throwing his young son off a cliff. Garrett Gee, 35, the patriarch of the well-known influencer family known as 'The Bucket List Family, ' described the moment as part of his 'unique' parenting style. The video, shared on Instagram on July 12, was filmed during a recent family trip to Lake Powell - a reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona. It shows Gee teaching his youngest child, Calihan 'Cali' Gee, how to cliff jump. The clip opens with an on-screen message warning: 'Most people won't love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump.' In the video, Cali appears hesitant as he approaches the edge of the rock and reaches for his father's hand. He then turns away, shielding his eyes in what appears to be fear. Moments later, Gee lifts his son and throws him off the cliff into the water below as Cali can be heard screaming during the descent. The video then cuts to the family's two older children, Dorothy and Manilla, jumping from the same cliff together. Anticipating the controversy, Gee included a disclaimer in the caption: 'This is NOT parental advice. This is NOT something I advise you try. Also, this is NOT something we've done with all of our kids. Each kid is quite different…' He later defended the decision, saying that throwing Cali was a calculated choice made with safety in mind. Gee claimed he selected a safe height and wanted to prevent his son from hesitating and potentially injuring himself. 'He wanted to jump but was not feeling confident… I threw him,' Gee explained, comparing the moment to a baby eagle being nudged from the nest. 'Eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest... or be tossed out of the nest ;) and learn HE CAN FLY!' Online critics were quick to respond, with some applauding the family's adventurous lifestyle and praising the father-of-three for teaching courage and trust. 'Coming from someone who grew up in a very fear-based/avoid all forms of struggle environment: you training your children to be courageous and to confront their fears is an absolute GIFT to their future selves,' one supporter wrote. Others, however, were disturbed by the video and questioned its ethics and safety. 'Honest question, no judgment. Did he know he was going to be thrown?' one commenter asked. Gee replied, 'YES. He had the choice… He chose to be thrown.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Garrett Gee (@garrettgee) The Bucket List Family first gained attention in 2015 after Garrett Gee sold his mobile app, Scan, to Snapchat for a reported $54 million Despite trying to keep the tone light - even joking that brave kids might one day jump from heights their parents wouldn't dare - the video has sparked a broader debate about parenting in the influencer era. 'Cliff jumping is very very dangerous! Ask an ER doctor or nurse. How do you reconcile that as a parent?' one critic commented. 'This is about the dad, not about the emotional safety and wellbeing of the family,' another added. 'Negligent and irresponsible just for views?!!' a third wrote. Gee, however, seemed unfazed by the uproar. In response to one commenter about the backlash, he wrote, 'Eh, that's basically everything on the internet these days ;)' He ended the post with a message that straddled encouragement and caution: 'But warning: teaching your kids to be brave starts to backfire when they become older and begin jumping from heights that you don't even dare!! /// BE SAFE OUT THERE! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! HAVE FUN!' The Bucket List Family first gained attention in 2015 after Garrett Gee sold his mobile app, Scan, to Snapchat for a reported $54 million. A former BYU student and Mormon missionary, Gee chose to invest the money and live simply. He and his wife, Jessica, 39, sold their belongings and embarked on a global adventure with their children, documenting their experiences as a family travel journal on social media. Over the past decade, the Gees have visited more than 90 countries and built a brand rooted in 'family, faith, and fearlessness.' Their nomadic lifestyle has earned them millions of followers and partnerships with global brands and tourism boards. Although they established a home base in Hawaii in 2018, the family continues to travel extensively. In a 2023 interview with Jessica reflected on the joys of their unconventional lifestyle:
Times
10-05-2025
- Times
This is the ultimate hack for getting through a long flight
It's a little awkward to admit, given that I do it a lot for work, but I hate flying. I get twitchy when there's turbulence, spend an inordinate amount of time greedily craning my neck to check when the food and drink is arriving and sweat about the overhead baggage situation. Let's call flying what it is: boring. It's even worse when you're travelling with small children; each minute feels infernal. My customary strategy has been to 'time block', creating a strict routine divided into hours so that I know exactly what I'll be doing at any point during the journey — recently touted as the latest expert way to hack your flight experience. For people such as me who thrive on structure, I'd argue that it's the only way to get through a long flight. Here's how it works for, say, a flight from London to Hong Kong — a 12-hour stint, typically overnight. I divide the journey into hour-long blocks and allocate a task to each. If I'm flying alone I usually spend the first hour reading or napping to ease into the journey (and what the travel influencer BeachyKJ calls the 'vibes'). The second hour is for eating, glugging those tiny bottles of red wine and watching something mindless — reruns of Friends or Modern Family, usually. • 15 of the best family holiday destinations for 2025 Depending on the time or level of turbulence, I'll either spend the third, fourth and fifth hours working, tidying up emails or documents (if it's bumpy this is the best distraction), or sleeping (if it's smooth or I've had enough mini merlots to anaesthetise an elephant). After that I might reward myself with a film or a box set. By the time I've checked off 12 different tasks: ding! — I've landed at my destination. And maybe I've even enjoyed myself. This time-blocking strategy kicks up a gear when I travel with my family. I parent in the same way I fly, with an iron fist, so every journey I've taken with my son has been structured as rigorously as his school days. The difference is that the flight is broken down into 30-minute segments and my husband and I will take turns to entertain our son so we can each watch that new blockbuster in stages. • 11 of the best long-haul destinations for 2025 Take, for example, the nine-hour daytime flight to Barbados when our son was 18 months old — the most difficult-aged child to travel with, as I know from bitter experience. I came up with a schedule that would make Gina Ford weep: a roll call of activities from eating apples (this takes time) to a session on the iPad — and even playing football in the aisles. He never got bored; neither did we. And as for the moment when he fell asleep right on schedule and napped for three hours while my husband and I sat in shellshocked silence, well, that felt like being in first class. European flights are much easier, of course. On a recent visit to the Algarve I allocated my son two 30-minute blocks for watching the iPad, another for colouring, another for Uno and the last for snacks. For a flight to Athens, Malaga or Rome, for example, I wouldn't deviate much from that. It sounds militant and boring, but it works, with the added benefit of keeping us all sane until we touch down. As you read this we'll be in Sri Lanka, having smashed a ten-hour journey that will have involved a frightening number of snacks, Peppa Pig episodes, stickers and games of Mind the Gap. Take it from this frazzled frequent-flying mother — it's worth it. Do you have a strategy to get through long flights? Let us know how in the comments Become a subscriber and, along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times, you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners, especially for Times+ members
Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
How Bali became the influencer hot spot
I have just got back from a two-week holiday in Bali. I saw countless waterfalls, beaches with amazing sunsets, and yoga studios. All to be expected. I did not expect to see quite so many influencers in Bali. They were everywhere I looked. They aren't hard to spot. These gorgeous women in their twenties and early thirties float around in effortlessly bohemian outfits, sipping iced matcha lattes. The majority of them have lip filler, long beachy hair, toned arms and shiny tanned skin. The spotlight has turned on influencers in Bali this week. Alexandra Saper, an American travel influencer with 100,000 followers, made headlines after saying she had to flee Bali, where she was living. She left the country after her alleged British
