My Spiritual Awakening in Bali: Part 2
Following up on Part 1, Victoria Jenn shares about her extended stay in Bali, highlighting the perks and insights of being an entrepreneur who can work from anywhere. She reflects on the freedom of extending her trip without seeking permission, traveling business class, and the inspiration drawn from other entrepreneurs she met in Bali.
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Full Transcript:
Hola, mi gente. Welcome back to Banking on Cultura. I am your host, Victoria Jen Rodriguez. And on this show, we discuss Latino culture, the vibrancy, the complexity, entrepreneurship, and all the bon chinche in between. And since you last heard from me, I was still in Bali, having my spiritual awakening. And shortly after recording that episode, I made the executive decision to extend my trip by another week.
And I'm so excited to bring you today's episode because I want to share more of what went down in Bali after I decided to extend my trip. What the thought process was for extending my trip. And how dope it is to actually be an entrepreneur where I didn't have to ask anyone for permission, right? I didn't have to ask anyone for permission to extend my trip.
I didn't have to worry about possibly losing my job because I wanted to continue to revitalize my soul. I didn't have to think about any of that. So when I decided to extend my trip, I was really, really happy. To not have to consider a boss or my team or have to worry about, you know, what are people going to think of me if I choose to invest in myself in this way or any of those shenanigans.
, so I was really, really happy in that moment to actually be an entrepreneur because y'all entrepreneurship can be very hard, but when it comes to managing your time. And your schedule and having freedom around where you're able to make money. It really pays off. And this was one of those moments where I was really, really grateful and thankful to be an entrepreneur and have the autonomy and quite frankly, the authority to make the executive decision to extend my trip and not have to, not have to answer to anyone.
But myself, , so yeah, so since our last recording your girl decided to extend her trip by another week and I want to talk to you a little bit about You know why I decided to make that decision, but also what came out of making that decision a I decided to make that decision and and this is the bone change a y'all A, I decided to make that decision because I felt that I needed more time.
I needed more time to be with myself. I needed more time to talk to God. I needed more time to get more clarity. And I just wanted to see more of Bali, quite frankly. So much of what I was introduced to during my first half of my trip was Really taking place in that beautiful villa that, excuse me, that I was staying in with the other ladies, but I really didn't get to see much else of Bali outside of that villa and kind of a few things that we did around that villa in Ubud.
And so some of the ladies that I was with on that retreat were staying in Bali for like another month. And I was like, Oh, that sounds snazzy. Your girl can't do another month. But she can do another week. Where are we going? And so I ended up visiting this city of, , Chengu. I hope I'm pronouncing that right.
, and it was a really cool city because it is where a lot of entrepreneurs and expats work. So it was really cool to visit that city because it motivated me to work. So while I was there, I was actually. Answering emails. I was letting people know what I was going through. I was reaching out to my email list.
I was reaching out to Potential corporate partners and I was still working because I was in this atmosphere of work and it was so Interesting because here I was with these ladies who were extending their trip by like a month And this is something that they do all the time. They're actually very used to like working Outside of their home base for the majority of the year and I started thinking to myself and I was like, damn B, can you work across the globe for an entire month, two months, three months?
And I was like, you know what? I don't think I have that in me, but it was really inspiring to see how these ladies were able to literally work from anywhere that they wanted to and spend months. In different countries outside of their home base and be able to run their businesses that way. So it was really, really inspiring to witness that.
And of course, being in the city of Cangu to see all of these different entrepreneurs from all around the world, just kind of hibernating and, and feeding off of each other's creativity. And building together. So it was really cool to be in that environment because it kept me motivated and made me feel like even though I extended my trip for another week, I needed to still work.
Right. And, and that's one of the things about entrepreneurship that I always like to, , you know, hit home for people is that yes, you have this freedom and yes, you have the authority to make decisions. You also decide when you work, when you don't work, but that doesn't take away from the fact that work still needs to get done.
So even if you decide to spend two weeks on the other side of the globe, you're more than likely still going to have to work some way, somehow. I, I know for me as an entrepreneur, It's difficult to turn off. So I'm always working regardless, even when I'm not quote, quote, working. Right. , and so that was something that I learned very much.
So on this trip, like it doesn't matter where you go in the world. If you are a business owner, you're going to work right. Because it's just in your DNA. There is no, no turning off and. That's okay. It's okay. So after we went to, , Chengu, I got to go to this beautiful kind of oasis, , beach town called Uluwatu, and it was absolutely stunning, y'all.
If you guys are not following me on social media, at IamVictoriaJen over on the Instagrams, like, make sure you guys follow me over there because I give a different behind the scenes, I have in my feed the sunsets, I have in my feed just the fits darling, I have in my feed, you know, the behind the scenes of the different cities that I visited, and you can get a lot of the visuals of what I'm sharing with you.
over there on social media, so make sure you check that out So I extended the trip got to see different cities But this is a follow up to episode for part one right part one of my bali trip you guys know that I spoke about my scarcity mindset around , traveling business class. And if you haven't listened to part one, I encourage you to stop listening right now and listen to part one, because this is going to make sense for you and come back to part two.
Right. So when I was traveling to Bali, I ended up traveling economy. And after traveling economy, I was like, Oh, wow, I don't know if I could do this going back home. Like, I don't want to do this going back home, right? I was, I was kind of managing through a scarcity mindset. And so when I decided to extend my trip, one of the reasons why it was easy for me to extend my trip beyond just Seeing all the all the other parts of Bali and also continuing my spiritual journey Was also because I was able to fly home business class at a cheaper rate.
So your girl got to experience business class darling international business class and it was an entire Vibe highly recommend. And it really was one of those moments that I think set the tone for how I want this year and the rest of my life to play out around investing in myself and making sure that I operate from a place of abundance in all aspects of my life, not only open to receiving abundance, but also open to operating in abundance.
Meaning if I want to drop a bag. I'm flying international business class. Then that's what the hell I'm gonna do. And I want to talk to you a little bit about what that experience was, because I want to encourage you and hopefully inspire you to invest in yourself and experience. These parts of, of life so that you can feel alive,
life is meant to be lived darling. And I definitely felt like I was living in that business class situation. Okay. So I traveled Emirates going in economy, and then I ended up booking Emirates. Business class coming back and it was the best decision that I made. Okay. Because first of all, if you're traveling business or first on Emirates, they treat you like the criminal crime, darling, like you are getting access to their business lounge, which is absolutely gorgeous.
We had our first layover in Dubai. So coming back, right, I had to go from Bali to Dubai, and that was a nine hour flight. And so I got to experience kind of like a little, you know, insider of what business classes I have, my little private area. It was a little vibe, you know, they give you out, they give you this like, kind of care package where they have lotions, they have toothpaste, they have like a hairbrush, anything that you need to like, not smell for your breath or your body.
Not to smell you get, you get all these knickknacks. They're feeding you like crazy. You get you enter the plane, all those things. But that to me, wasn't even like the icing on the cake. Once I get to Dubai, darling,
once I get to Dubai, I get access to the Emirates business lounge and it is the most gorgeous.
Lounge that I have ever been in to date. First of all, it is huge. And one of the things that you get access to when you travel business, , via Emirates is you get access to this lounge, which is located in the airport where you can have any type of food that your heart desires. They have food from all around the world.
They had a spa in there. They had lounge chairs. They had a place where you're able to sleep a place where you're able to shower. , they had shoe shining services. So you can just chill while you're at the airport, which was perfect because I had a three hour layover. Between my first and second flight.
So I'm chilling in this lounge. I'm basking in it all I am loving it. And here's where it starts to get really cool y'all.
So I Found out that when you're in business class the plane actually comes to you Which means that you don't even board Via the gate that the general public boards through, there's a specific entrance for you as someone who is in business or first class that you actually enter directly from the business lounge.
So, you don't even go back to the general public, y'all. You are like in this private cocoon, okay? And the plane comes to you. So that was really cool. So we have this private entrance. And as I'm walking to the plane, I end up getting into this elevator with this gentleman and I overheard him speaking with a staff member and he was in first.
And I was like, I wonder what's the difference between first and business class. And this is why it's so important for you guys to talk to people when you're curious, right? And not be afraid to ask questions. So he gets into the elevator and I asked him, Hey, what's the difference between first and business?
And he says, well, obviously the price. And I'm like, duh, there's definitely a big difference. , but then he goes on to say that. You know, when you sit in business class, you kind of like in your own cubicle and it is a vibe. And as I said, go on my Instagram so you can get the visual y'all. It is a vibe.
You have like your own section. , that's filled up with water, champagne, like anything that you need, the TV remote, a blanket, a pillow. They even give you pajamas y'all. Like it is just. To die for okay, so die for and when you're traveling 24 hour plus like I was it makes a huge Difference and worth every single penny darling So for first class, they actually have like a door that they're able to open and close for their section, right?
so you don't have to see literally anyone if you choose that and And then he said they serve caviar, unlimited caviar, the entire flight. And I was like, well, okay, darling, it might be worth the, you know, the price increase then. But it was interesting because I never knew. And so he put me on, he kind of told me what was the difference, and I was like, hmm.
And then he told me This is like a hot tip y'all so For all my business owners out there if you travel a lot You should have an american express platinum card. I recently got an american express platinum travel card There's a hefty fee. It's like I think about 690 bucks now for you to get the card, but It comes with so many perks and it's so worth it.
So You know you get access to lounges across the world , even if you're not traveling business or first, you get access to a lot of lounges, especially the American express, , lounge, you get access to, you also get discounts on hotels, you get discounts on, , renting cars. , you have incredible customer service.
You also, , you know, get a lot of points that you're able to use for a number of different things. And this is what the gentleman told me. He told me that. If you book business class, right, that you can upgrade to first for like 30, 000 points, which is like nothing. So instead of you spending an extra five to 10 grand to go into first class, you can use your points, which is about 30, 000 points and you automatically upgrade to first.
And that was like a huge hack y'all. So if you. Don't have an American Express Platinum card get you one. Actually. I'm gonna give you guys my referral link. I'll put it in the show notes Let me make a note here. Hold on American Express Referral a link I'm gonna put it in the show notes So if you are a business owner and your credit score I think you need to have at least a 680 or more And you don't have an amex platinum, but you travel a lot as a business owner And you know that travel is something that you can expense.
I want you guys to get this card Use my referral link you get points. I get points everybody wins Because I want you to have this type of access because ever since I got that card y'all I'm getting into lounges. I'm networking my booty off with people I normally wouldn't network with. I'm getting food for free and y'all know, airport food.
Is expensive darling. Okay, even water. Okay, even water , so i'm getting access to those lounges And it is just a breeze using american express travel to be quite honest Like they're not paying me to say this. It's just true. Is this has been like my experience? , and then when homeboy told me about this hack is like even more of a reason to get the card so So get you a card if you haven't got a card.
So I'm experiencing the luxury of business travel. I'm laying down, I'm enjoying it, but this is where it got cool. Have you guys ever watched, , any of the movies where there's like this bar that's on a plane up in the air and people are like chilling in the bar areas, almost like a lounge. I got to experience this for the first time myself.
I got to experience this lounge and it was a total vibe, honey. It was a full bar. They had snacks. People would chill there and chit chat throughout the flight. And it was a really cool experience to have. And this is something that I noticed. So when I boarded, I realized that there weren't many people who look like me.
I was the only Latina of a cabin of 50 people in this business in first class. I was the only Latina and there were less than four women of color in business in first class. And it made me . not feel alone because at least there were other women of color there. But it got me a little upset because I was like, damn, like, why, why are there not more women of color here?
And it really made me think about how important it is for women of color. To invest in themselves in this way. You know, we hear a lot about like this soft life talk and we hear a lot about, you know, pouring into me and it's gonna be about me and I need to pay attention more to myself, et cetera, et cetera.
But that goes beyond just the pedicure that goes beyond the manicure. It goes beyond, you know, booking your. , massage every week. If you have an opportunity to experience something that is life changing. And for me, this business class travel was life changing because it now shows me kind of how the other side lives.
If that makes sense, meaning like how people who this is like natural for them, traveling business, traveling first class, like this is something that comes. Easy breezy, like it's, it's not something they think twice about, , for, for women of color to, if they choose, right? Because you may not like business or first class, but let me tell you something, darling, once you get exposed to it, especially international travel, I promise you.
You will never want to go back. You will never want to go back. It's like when you test drive a Toyota versus a Mercedes, right? And no shade to those who drive a Toyota, but you notice the difference, right? You notice the difference in luxury, the smell, the look, even the ride. Like you just notice there the differences.
And so I want more women of color to experience the differences so that you can at least Expose yourself to what else is out there so then you can decide if it's something that you want to continue with or not. I, I hope that makes sense because I, I was really sad. I was really sad that I didn't see more women of color.
, In business or first class. And I was like, damn, like, I hope that by you listening to this episode, you tuning in to banking, uncle Judah, that you are encouraged even mobilize to take, , your financial stability, your financial health, your financial capabilities up a notch, right. In, in this year and beyond.
So that you're able to have options and that's really what this is about. It's about options, you know, and of course we promote entrepreneurship here on the show and we want you to have options via entrepreneurship, right? I wouldn't have been able to extend my trip for another week unless I was an entrepreneur in corporate, that would have never happened, right?
There would have been like, no, honey, you need to get home. We need you like ASAP. No, you cannot extend your trip. Sorry. Right. Sorry, not sorry. Right. But also when you pay for things as an entrepreneur, it just hits different. When you're making money overseas, it just hits different. When you're able to literally run your business from anywhere in the world, like it just hits different having that type of Freedom and and having that as an option, right?
And I truly believe that life becomes more fun and enjoyable if you have options. Right. If you have options, if you're, if your back isn't against the wall, right, if you have options and, and that's what this trip really taught me a lot. It taught me a lot about the significance of having options, even from the places that I stayed at when I was in Bali, after I was in the villa and I went to Cangu and I went to Uluwatu, like the places that I chose to stay at, like this matters.
This all matters because they it's symbolism, right? It's, it's symbolizing what else is happening in your life and how you choose to show up. I'll give you an example. when I arrived in Uluwatu, which is kind of like the beach town, , oh, wait, before I tell you about that, let me just finish the business class experience so that you guys can get the full scope.
So it was a vibe. They had the lounge up there. I, I, I, I was mad. There weren't enough women of color. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to vow. I'm going to talk about this experience to hopefully encourage more women of color to travel and business in first class. But outside of being served food outside of being able to lay down outside of being just traveling in comfort, right?
Because The first flight was nine and a half hours. The second flight was 14 and a half hours, right? So being able to kind of travel with this comfort, what was the icing on the cake y'all? And I don't know if other airlines do this, but for Emirates in particular. They give you a private chauffeur, darling.
So when you land in your destination, instead of begging someone to come pick you up from the airport because you know nobody want to come to get you at the airport. Okay, instead of you begging someone to come and grab you at the airport or waiting for an uber, you can pre book the chauffeur and they take you 50 plus miles, , to wherever you need to go for free.
And I want to say free in quotation marks because
The amount of money that you spend for this business or first class travel. I assume that that price Includes the chauffeur, right? It includes the chauffeur. It includes all the food You're getting it includes all the like the knickknacks that they give you like the PJs Like the toiletry bag like it includes all of that, right?
So Take it with a grain of salt, but still it's still pretty cool to know that you can book it , so yeah, so I had a chauffeur waiting for me when I landed and it was super easy Took me home and it was amazing. Okay, so key takeaway there is If you're traveling internationally and you can book business or first class.
However, if you do need to go economy and you're on a budget, Emirates does have, I would say in my opinion, the best economy class for you to travel internationally. Okay. So that is that. I wanted to share the story of when I arrived at Uluwatu, which is the beach town in Bali. I go to this beach town and I arrive at my destination, by the way, this beach town is like, it's, it's, you have to go downstairs in order to get to the beach.
So they had these beautiful gentlemen come and grab my heavy ass suitcases to literally carry down this narrow alleyway downstairs. To get to my hotel, which was on the beach. I arrive at the hotel and they show me this room that had a view of the beach, but it wasn't an open balcony, it wasn't, , a clear view of the beach.
Actually, there was like this roof in front of me 'cause there was a building underneath of my window. , It was like green and then you saw the beach and I was like, , this is not how I envisioned My time in bali like this ain't for me and I expressed that to the gentleman I was like, i'm, sorry, this doesn't look like the pictures that I saw online and this is not what i'm really Into right now, and I got a little frustrated and he was like, wait, wait, wait, I'm going to figure it out for you.
I'm going to figure it out for you. And I'm like, okay, so we go back to the reception area and the whole time I'm thinking like, what is this man going to find me? And I'm kind of getting frustrated because I just went down all these steps. It is hot. probably gonna need these gentlemen to help me carry my luggage if I end up going to another place because I was like Absolutely not like I am not staying in a room That has this view.
I was really on my bougie vibes and you know, some people would try to make you feel bad because you have bougieness in you, but I truly feel that it is a gift. It is a gift because it is what allows me to never get the short end of a stick. I'm always going to expect and ask for the best. Because I truly believe I deserve that.
And in that moment, that's how I felt. And luckily the next room he shared with me. Was my vibe it was like a whole suite I had the view of the ocean I had the balcony and he actually hooked me up , because the room that I booked was not the same price of this week But he hooked me up because he saw how upset I was and talk about customer service darling And that's why he got a big old tip but my point is I would have never gotten into that room If it wasn't for me speaking up for myself and having a certain expectation Of how I wanted to live my life, right?
Because this was an experience This was part of an experience and how I wanted to live my life Which also speaks to, you know, me booking the business class, coming home. Like we have to operate in the way in which we want to be perceived in the way we want to be respected in the way that we want to just experience life.
We only have one life to live. We hear that all the time, but in moments like this, it really reminds me of how significant that saying is because. Whether you believe it or not, you have full autonomy over the life that you live. You are the architect of your career of your life, right? And the only way that you are able to have real control over that is for you to use your most valuable asset that nobody can take away from you.
And you know what that is? It is your voice, it is your voice, right? So in that moment, I used my voice and I was like, I'm not staying in this room. You need to find something better for me. You need to find something better for me. And and he did. And it really added to my overall experience and made me feel, , really proud of myself for speaking up for myself in that moment.
But also being able to experience Bali and just live the way that I believe I am deserving of, right? I am deserving of the balcony that overlooks the beach. I am deserving of the suite, right? I am deserving of all this space. I am deserving of the AC. I am deserving of all of this. And what I hope that you are able to take away from my, my quick summary of my Bali spiritual awakening.
Is a couple of things. So one, you're the architect of your career in life. Use your voice. Stop dimming your light and stop lowering your voice just to make other people feel comfortable. You're doing yourself more of a disservice than good when you do that. Okay. Two, pay attention. Pay attention to the signs that are being put in front of you.
If you keep seeing the same thing, if you keep hearing the same thing, if you keep seeing things that come up that seem like a coincidence, pay attention to those things. That is God talking to you. And I don't know if you believe in God. I don't know if this is something that sits with you, but I want you to pay attention to this, to the signs.
And then thirdly, and this is actually leaning into our taboo topic, right? Our talk that talk segment. I want you to travel alone, especially if you are a woman, I want you to travel alone. And I actually looked up some stats because I wanted to share them with you on this episode. And according to dream big travel, the site is okay, edit this out guys.
So according to dream big travel far, women are more likely to go on a solo trip than men. 26 percent of millennial women have traveled alone. And 84 percent of solo travelers are women. And the expectation is.
Okay, this is part two So I'm gonna start it from the top when I'm giving this stat so it can all just be in flow So you can edit out what's in the previous and follow up here. Okay, so
According to dream big travel far women are more likely than men to travel alone 26 percent of millennial women are choosing to travel alone. And the expectation is that more women will want to travel alone in the future because currently right now, 84 percent of solo travelers. Are actually women. So what this should indicate to you is a, that it is safe to travel alone as a woman.
Of course, you want to do your research. You want to make sure you're going to places that are known to be safe for women. As an example, Bali is known to be a very safe place for female solar travelers, right? It is actually one of the reasons why I decided to go. So you want to do your research to make sure that it's a welcoming place for women.
So that you're not caught off guard, right? Safety is a requirement. So do your research, but also I want us to normalize women traveling alone. While I was away, I had so many dudes up in my DMS saying to me like, Oh my God, I can't believe you decided to travel alone. Like, are you not concerned about your safety?
And I'm like, gentlemen. Sir, appreciate the concern, but like, I'm Gucci, but it was just so interesting that it was a whole bunch of dudes saying this. Not one woman said that to me. It was like a whole bunch of dudes saying this to me. So anywho, just giving you some more bonjinche there. But I hope that by listening to, you know, part one and part two, that you guys are inspired to travel dolo if that is what your heart desires.
Make it a mission of yours to do so in 2024 and listen, it doesn't need to be Across the globe it can be somewhere close. It could be another state It could be another city that is within your state. Like don't be shy to Experience something on your own you will learn things about yourself that you cannot learn when you're in a group You will also not be able to quiet the noise because people will just be around you and you'll be having to entertain other people or you'll have to accommodate for other people, you know, when you're in a group.
Honey, it is not as fun as it used to be when you knew when you were in your 20s traveling as a group Okay, when you become more grown and more seasoned You want your space, right? and as we enter this new year and we all are thinking about what is our next chapter gonna be and Who do we want to be and why do we want to be and all those things those answers are within us But we have to give ourselves Permission and also give ourselves the opportunity to create environments where we are able to Quiet the noise so that we can tap into ourselves and find those answers Okay, y'all so a quick psa before I let you guys know Let you guys go Let's edit that out.
So a quick psa Before I let you guys go is we have an email address banking on cultura at gmail. com. That is where I want you to send in your questions. Anything you would like me to answer any guests recommendations that you guys have any feedback. Tell me what you're thinking about the show. That is how you can connect us directly.
So please email us at banking on ura@gmail.com. We cannot wait to hear from you. And also, if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe. Make sure to hit the bell. Make sure to download us. If you're listening to us on the audio streams, please leave your feedback. All the things. You guys know the drill until the next episode.
I appreciate you guys. Ma, thank you so much for being here. See you next time.