I know that we are all a great bunch of well-travelled people here, but I have a small confession to make. Some of you may or may not admit to this, but here it goes: It’s rare, but I sometimes still suffer from post-travel F.O.M.O.
For instance, I’ve just gotten back from a trip (for instance, Bali), and I browse through social media. All of a sudden, I see someone currently in the Bali going on a really amazing day trip or doing a really cool Bali experience. And there I am, in my living room wondering, “Why haven’t I heard about this when I was there??”
If you’ve never experienced this yet, I envy you. But to those who have post-fomo’d like me, we shouldn’t worry so much! First, we now know better, and more importantly, there’s Traveloka to make sure we never miss out on amazing Bali tours and experiences.
What is Traveloka?
Traveloka is a techonology-based Indonesian company that provides travel booking services throughout the Southeast Asian region. While Traveloka initially started out as a hotel and flight booking company, they have now expanded their services to hotel and airport transfers, flight and hotel packages, tours and experiences, and even culinary directories.
It’s been popular and helpful with many Australian travellers because don’t we all love a good jaunt to Southeast Asia?
Here’s a mind-blowing fact figure for you all: In 2017, 1.09 million Australians visited Bali and this figure is expected to steadily grow. It’s undeniable. For many of us, Bali is simply our happy place!
And many Australians have been turning to Traveloka not just for their Southeast Asian travels, but specifically for Bali tours and experiences.
We are spending more on experience
Most of us will agree that travel is the only thing we buy that makes us richer. In fact, studies show that more than 70 percent of Millennials prefer to spend on experiences than material objects. And just to empahsise how significant this is, Millennials make up more than a quarter of the world’s population.
Even Forbes, the most renowned business magazine, has surmised that the secret to happiness is to spend money on experiences, not things.
Traveloka Xperience
The shift to experience consumption is a worldwide phenomenon, which is great news for businesses in the travel and leisure industry because consumers are finding more meaning in booking experiences.
And while I’m thrilled because this means many travel and local companies now offer tours and experience-based products, the situation I find myself in is either being overwhelmed with the sheer number of tours/experiences that a place offers so it would be extremely useful to have one portal or site to be able to find and discover all these experience-based products.
Traveloka understands this need very well and that is why earlier this year, they launched Traveloka Xperience, which is so helpful for travellers (like me) who fear missing out on amazing experiences!
Why book with Traveloka Xperience?
Well for starters, Traveloka is Indonesian-based so who would know better about the best and unheard of experiences in Bali but the locals themselves?
Not Your Usual Tours
Another thing I noticed is that Traveloka Xperience doesn’t just offer your usual tours. For instance, in Bali, I found that they offer more than 10 kinds of cooking class experiences. Which means these cooking class experiences are quite specific. There’s a cooking class for just making Balinese cakes and coffee roasting, and there’s also another one which teaches you all about coconuts.
This is amazing because I know for a fact that there are way too many run of the mill companies that offer cooking classes, and some are way too general or accept too many guests that you end up taking away not much from the experience.
It’s more than just tours!
What I love about Traveloka Xperience is that they offer things beyond touristy experiences. In fact, it’s not just a site to book tours, it’s also a place to discover almost ANYTHING in Bali.
And when I say anything, I mean: while I was writing this post late at night, I had a sudden hunger pang for Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice). And out of sheer curiosity, I just typed in ‘Nasi Goreng’ under the ‘eats’ section of Traveloka Xperience. Lo and behold, it gave me a list of over 500 pages worth of restaurants in Bali that serve Nasi Goreng, all with diners’ review (it is linked to the restaurant’s Trip Advisor page).
It’s comprehensive and also tells you which restaurants have current specials so you can take advantage.
This means that Traveloka Xperience is not just for tourists planning to go to Bali. It’s also perfect for travellers who are already there and searching for restaurants. It can even be for locals. Many of us are digital nomads and I know there are many in Bali so this site comes in handy when you suddenly feel those late-night or middle of the day cravings!
It’s beyond food too.
When I saw what other things you can book and discover through Traveloka Xperience, I was really quite impressed and thrilled:
You can also book movies, events, massage sessions, spa and beauty treatments with Traveloka Xperience.
Bali is one of those destinations where you’d want to stay for a minimum of at least a week. With many tourists staying in Bali for more than a week, being able to book these ‘everyday’ things like a manicure-pedicure, movies, and even upcoming events is a good way to be able to experience what it’s like to live as a local in Bali.
Tip: Are you going to be in Bali over the holidays and New Year? Check out these NYE events in Bali!
And here’s another fun thing I discovered about Traveloka Xperience. I was tickled pink to find out that you can even rent pool floaties! They start for as low as INR 64,500 or AUD 7.00! This saves most Instagrammer’s tough situation of having to pack and unpack heavy floaties.
Comprehensive Payment Methods
Now as if Traveloka isn’t cool enough, it even takes the bar higher by allowing users and travellers to have more than 40 different payment options.
Yup, that’s not a typo. Short of allowing barter trade, Traveloka not only accepts the usual payment options of VISA, Mastercard and PayPal. They have also partnered with local providers in Southeast Asian countries so that both locals and expats in those places will find it easy to pay for their bookings.
And get this: they even allow cash instalment plans and internet banking transfers. I think this is really quite generous of Traveloka. It shows that they really want people to make the most out of their travels.
Your Go-To in Southeast Asia
In a nutshell, Traveloka to me is like having that fun friend we all have (though virtually), who always has the best itinerary ideas. And because Traveloka is also available in an app, its even more convenient because you can book and discover experiences on the go even while you’re travelling.
American physician and poet Oliver Wendell Holmes has famously said that, “A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
Thanks to brands like Traveloka, we can all look forward to our minds expanding further with every new experience whenever we travel.
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