An Escape to Bali with Visa

Creatively, travel is what we’re fuelled by. The inspiration we extract from journeys abroad spill into every crevice of our work; fashion editorials set on wildly exotic shores, wedding styling drawn from a location’s abstract cues; darkly decadent textures that mirror volcanic surrounds, folds of fabric evocative of desert sand illuminated by morning light.

For us, the travel images left imprinted never resemble the tourist cliches that lured us there in the first place. The poetry of a destination always lies in its pockets. The moments etched on our minds are never the ones we anticipated, they’re the authentic, intangible ones, that unfold in between bigger plans. They’re the deep rambling conversations, morning light, the impossible perfection of nature, the languid afternoons that turn into midnight revelry. The freedom of living wildly. Weightlessly.

The more we travel, the more we realise that you can’t control how or when the moments that truly move you, take shape. But your travel plans and decisions made alchemise the perfect set of circumstances for that magic to unfold. Drawing on our experiences, lessons and discoveries made on our travels and most recently a spontaneous escape to Bali with Visa, we’ve put together 3 of the key elements for a magical travel experience….

Travel Light

An overseas adventure is the chance to give yourself the complete juxtaposition to your every day – a feeling of weightlessness and complete freedom. When we look back, the best memories are always the spontaneous, unplanned adventures, so we travel in a way that allows us to jump at opportunities on a whim, without being bound by excess luggage, needing to return to your hotel to collect cash, or spending time packing and unpacking between locations. It’s always great to have a starting point but complete flexibility to be guided by what feels right, and let go of set plans when you uncover a location’s little gems along the way.

We also want to forget that our stay is temporary, we want to slip into life authentically to get the richest experience possible. We’re romanced by the idea of being permanently part of an unfamiliar world, flirting with that possibility for a moment and forgetting reality by limiting the luggage we carry around that hint that we’re traveling as a tourist.

Similarly, when it comes to decor purchases and payments for all the artisanal finds we love, we look for ease. Rather than carrying around cash, worrying about juggling different accounts or whether different cards are even accepted, we’ve always used Visa for both store purchases or cash withdrawn nearby in any destination from Morocco, Iceland, to Cuba, or Bali (since Visa is accepted at over 2 million ATMs worldwide) for all of our travel, as if we’re at home. When our trips are usually fleeting, or our minds are already consumed with production on overseas editorials, it means less to worry about, less time spent lining up at a bank or exchanging cash at the airport, that can be better spent on experiencing a destination.

The Local’s List

What we search for in travel is an immersive, authentic experience where we feel part of the destination, it’s landscapes, the culture; a complete escape from our reality. Nothing dulls the romance of travel than feeling like you’re replicating the exact experience as every other tourist. We despise cookie cutter travel packages and bucket list cliches. We want our path throughout a new destination to be forged organically. To feel our way through experiences, and uncover a place’s layers, like we would in the city we call home.

Every time we travel, we make sure we have a local’s list. Whether it’s a friend, or reach out to someone with a similar outlook, inspired by the same creative experiences that we are – nothing beats having someone you trust to do the filtering for you. Someone who has fallen in love with a destination, and can speed you through the process of discovery, pointing you to the things that will make your heart beat harder than any gimmicky tourist spot or over exposed destination. We want to see the location through the eyes of someone who lives there, moving through creatively inspiring spaces, tasting local cuisine, finding little hole in the wall places that offer pure magic.

Travel Smart

It goes without saying that to completely enjoy yourself and really let go, you need to feel secure. Whether it’s a luxurious stay or a cultural experience in a third world country, there’s always room for things to go wrong that can’t be helped, but better planning will help avoid the things that you can control. A few tips we’ve learned along the way:

– Use Visa instead of cash. You don’t want to worry about losing cash or having cash stolen. And know you have immediate access to a 24/7 help line if you need it, as well as being protected by Visa’s Zero Liability promise.

– Don’t waste unnecessary money on bank fees when exchanging cash. Visa ensures you can lock in an exchange rate each day, and removes any currency conversion fees that come with exchanging cash. This applies to both ATM withdrawals and payments made in store.

– When it comes to styling, the best things are always found when you’re not looking for them. You never know when you’ll stumble across something inimitable – treasures that you won’t ever come across and want to purchase for your home or wedding. You want the option of being able to use Visa for those must-have pieces you can’t possibly leave behind, without the limit of cash you can withdraw each day.