How a Near-Death Experience in the Philippines Made Her a Stronger Digital Nomad with Ali from @AliRealities | EP 46

What if getting caught in a storm and confronting your deepest insecurities became the very experiences that changed how you see freedom, health, and success?

Ali shares how travel forced her to face fears she’d been carrying for years and how that shifted everything about the way she works, connects, and dreams. 

You’ll hear how a near-death moment in the Philippines reframed her priorities, why an underrated city in Vietnam might be the next great digital nomad hub, and how friendships built through Instagram and hostels can open unexpected doors. 
Ryan and Ali also dive into how one conversation sparked a brand-new business idea that could change the way women experience solo travel. 

Listen if you’ve ever felt stuck, insecure, or unsure of your next move, this conversation will leave you curious, challenged, and ready to see what’s possible.

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DISCLAIMER:
Listening to stories of beachside zoom calls, mountainside work views, and island-hopping entrepreneurs may cause severe wanderlust and an irresistible urge to turn your laptop into a passport to freedom. Side effects include daydreaming about tropical co-working spaces, working with Ryan to learn how you can start working and traveling and buying a one-way ticket to Bali. Get ready to start living your dream life today!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Ali: You've been to a lot of different countries. Tell me one of your top five experiences. The first thing that comes to mind is the most recent one. I actually just posted a whole series about it on my Instagram. At the end of 2024, I was in the Philippines, and I did the three day It's supposed to be a two night boat expedition in Palawan. I went from El Nido to Coron, and essentially, you're on this boat during the day, going snorkeling, you're having fun in the water with this group of people, and eating on the boat, and it's taking you to all these secluded islands.

[00:00:32] Ali: The Philippines is stunning. I don't know if you've been there yet. but that was, oh my gosh, okay, this has to be on your list, 

[00:00:37] Ryan Mellon: It's been on my list and I just always get stuck in, like, Bali and Thailand.

[00:00:41] Ali: Yeah, that's, so, You do have to plan a trip in the Philippines more than you can just wing it in Thailand and Bali, but I would say those beaches were the most beautiful ones that I've seen. They're better because Thailand is obviously really touristy now. A lot of people go there and I think the Philippines is [00:01:00] not as, as packed.

[00:01:02] Ali: but yeah, that boat expedition is really popular and really common. A lot of people told me to do it. we ended up getting stuck in the ocean during a storm. And so, We got extended a day and we were sleeping in huts. It's a very rustic, bare bones experience. Sometimes there's no showers, it's just like buckets of water.

[00:01:23] Ali: And I wanted to do this to challenge myself out of my comfort zone and to prove to myself that I can do hard things, because I also am someone that gets seasick. And I, at the time, was feeling really insecure about my body because in 2024 it changed a lot. You know, with traveling, I had to let go of my Workout routine and that body that I had worked for for so long, like that was hard for me to let go of, but I knew that this was true freedom for me as well, traveling.

[00:01:51] Ali: So I've had to come to terms with how my body has changed. And so being on this boat. And in a bikini all the time around new people was so scary for me. And [00:02:00] I have past trauma with, my weight, because I used to be really overweight and I had a whole weight loss journey back in like 2017. And growing up, it was my biggest insecurity.

[00:02:08] Ali: And I think to this day, it's still one of the biggest insecurities. And that's why this experience was the most memorable for me. It was life changing because almost dying on that boat. It actually hit me. Like it made me realize, Oh my God, these things that I worry about. Are so insignificant when it comes to your physical safety and in that moment when we were stuck in the ocean and the waves were going crazy and I was feeling nauseous and I was freezing and I actually thought maybe the boat might sink. It just was such a good reminder for me to stop caring so much about all these little things and just go for what I want and don't let these things hold me back. Um, and that was towards, it was literally Christmas Eve that we got to land and, Made it out alive. So, it was a great experience and I'm not saying this to scare anybody that rarely [00:03:00] happens.

[00:03:00] Ali: It was just, I guess, bad luck, but also in the end, I would do it all over again for what I experienced. The life lessons I gained from that, that's how I know 2025 is going to be my year. I feel like I'm ready. I think near death experiences. Teach you a lot. 

[00:03:15] Ryan Mellon: I think all us travelers have some similar experiences for sure. Like, like, there's a couple that come to mind that are just, like, you know, real reminders that, like, you know, like, A lot of stuff doesn't matter, and you get in a different space and you do have some near misses sometimes, but overall the experience is generally very safe and controlled, but you do get to get that paradigm shift when you have some experiences that might just not go like you expected them to.

[00:03:48] Ali: I like how you said that paradigm shift. Absolutely. Yeah.

[00:03:52] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. So tell me, is there any one place that comes to mind for you that you feels underrated?[00:04:00] 

[00:04:00] Ali: Again, the first thing that came to mind for me now is Da Nang in Vietnam. That is the city that I'm actually going to go live in for three months where I focus on, because I want to have a 10 week program running during that time. And I want to be put somewhere so I can focus on it and focus on my clients that I'm working with.

[00:04:19] Ali: Um, I'm so excited. Become this version of me and I'm really dedicating myself to it. And Da Nang was the first city I went to in Vietnam last year in February. And I just instantly felt at home. Like it has a lot of the components of a city that make me feel like it's a place that I want to live in. It has easy access to anything you could need across the bridge.

[00:04:48] Ali: It's like the whole city. I. Like, and just quality services to like any like lashes, nails, like those kinds of things in Vietnam. It's so affordable and so high quality and the food is amazing. [00:05:00] And then across the bridge, there's a beach and that's actually the side that I was staying on last time too.

[00:05:05] Ali: And it's becoming, or already is a really popular digital nomad hub and. it's not as touristy as places like Bali, that I still feel like it's a little underrated. I think Vietnam is one of those sleeper countries. People don't realize how amazing it is until they go. But the price point is way cheaper, the quality, like I said, is very high, and there is community there, and there is a beach, and it, yeah, I'm super excited to go back there.

[00:05:33] Ali: The weather being nice as well, um, and because it's a digital nomad hub too, and a lot of expats go there and live there, there's a lot of western food. So I think for someone like me, coming from the west, it helps me feel that balance between both worlds. Yeah, and I can't wait to go back. 

[00:05:50] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. Yeah. I love it. I spent six weeks in Vietnam and it's like, it's like no other place I've ever been. And it's one of the most least, least expensive. I've [00:06:00] not been to Da Nang since it's become a digital nomad hotspot. So I'm curious to, to see what it's like now. But yeah, Vietnam is a very cool, cool place. tell me, what's one of the best ways to make friends in a new city for you?

[00:06:15] Ali: I love this question. I also started making videos about it. One of the best ways that I've made friends is through social media. Through my Instagram. A lot of people have found me from there. And, cause I'm always posting. I do daily photodumps and I tag the locations. So I think a lot of people who are traveling.

[00:06:30] Ali: End up coming across me or just random reels that reach their Feed. And so I have made a lot of good friends just through messaging. And then we ended up voice noting or meeting up in a city that we're also both going to be in. And I found. That to be the best way so far. I love it because off the bat, I already have a connection with someone.

[00:06:51] Ali: I already know about them because I see their social media and usually it's other content creators or people that are traveling similar to me. So I already have that [00:07:00] mutual like common interest and it's so much nicer than going into a hostel and like having to filter out the people to see who is your people.

[00:07:11] Ali: Obviously, I get lucky sometimes too. I still recommend hostels. That's another way that I've met so many new friends and made great connections. So I would say social media is number one and then two hostels. 

[00:07:22] Ryan Mellon: Absolutely. Yeah, I've stayed in hundreds of hostels over the years. I, I feel like I'm, I've aged myself out of them now, be 40 soon, but the scene is a little bit different. when I, when I was a younger backpacker, like best way by far for to have me people and just make those instant connections. and it's so affordable to, and even a lot of, um, um, yeah.

[00:07:47] Ryan Mellon: Our building in like co working spaces and stuff into the hostels now. So you, you have that environment of both, you know, the hostel living and, and the younger crowd and the fun that [00:08:00] goes along with that, but then you can also like go into the office space and have good internet and get work done. So it's a nice change, I think.

[00:08:10] Ali: that's something I'm going to be gravitating more towards now that I'm focusing more on my entrepreneurial journey.

[00:08:16] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. Have you ever turned a travel experience into a business opportunity? 

[00:08:22] Ali: So actually, I met up with someone in Bangkok that I connected with on Instagram. So he found me because when I was in Koh Tao last year, he. He told me he actually checks the location tag and as I posted there, he saw me and since then we've been following each other because he has an online business and he posts content.

[00:08:40] Ali: And over time, we've just been watching each other's lives and supporting each other's content. And then this year, like a month ago, we met up in Thailand. And he, because we've been connected this long, it was like instantly, like we already knew each other. And he was saying, you should do a group trip. I could totally see you leading a group trip.

[00:08:59] Ali: [00:09:00] Cause he does them, which by the way, his name is Emilio Ramos. I'm going to give him a shout out. If you want to do a group trip in Thailand, he does a bunch of those. And my first reaction was no, I'm like a one on one person. I want to do one on one coaching and like him and I were hanging on one on one.

[00:09:15] Ali: Like, I'm like, that's too much for me, but he helped me. Change my mindset on it. And he was saying, no, you don't have to do a big group and you end up connecting with every individual one on one during your time on the trip because it's a long time together. And by the end of our conversation, I was actually so energized by this idea of Doing a group trip because I think a lot of people would see value in it and would want to travel with me I've learned so much about how to solo travel by understand the fears that come with it and also as a female There's a lot of safety concerns.

[00:09:45] Ali: Definitely And so this idea came to me this business opportunity. I Think I want to lead a group trip. Currently. I'm envisioning in the fall when I go to Europe again I loved Spain and I could do like a two week [00:10:00] girls trip to Spain and I want to keep it small like me and three girls So I, I'm gonna put feelers out there on here if anyone is interested, reach out to me.

[00:10:11] Ali: I'm also going to talk about it on my Instagram. And I think if there's enough interest and I have people that want to do that with me, I would, I just think it's a good segue for people that have never solo traveled before or are scared to go abroad. and stay in hostels. Um, so it's a good way that you can have that experience.

[00:10:29] Ali: And I'm going to make sure I plan out this trip where we have time to do solo activities. And I want to help them also equip them with ways to do it on their own next time and give them tips on like how you can follow your own intuition while you're solo traveling too. 

[00:10:43] Ryan Mellon: I love it. Yeah, if you're interested in solo travel and it's you want to, like, have the crash course or, you know, kind of go in slow, like solo, but but not like. I think that's going to be a great opportunity for you. 

[00:10:57] .

[00:10:57] Ryan Mellon: