We were invited by this beautiful couple to their impromptu wedding ceremony. After a year in Bali, they were moving back to Europe.

At the request of the bride, Jon drove back home, loaded his guitar and amp on to his motorbike, and arrived again, this time as their wedding singer.

After the ceremony we learned that they have been married many times - to each other!! How many people do you know that have thought to treat marriage this way? Each time they live in a new place, they have a love ceremony to include all their new friends in their union.

It was an inspiring evening that got a group of former strangers discussing how we could be more kind and loving in our own relationships. See the good in each other, work together, and encourage each other. As we like to say, "One plus one equals three". Are you feeling this in your relationship? What can you do to make it even better?

And we drank wine 🍾🥂

#ChooseLove #ZelementHappiness #LivinLocal #BeZelemental #spreadthelove 
•••••
"The rules do not always apply, think outside the box."
#2 Leadership Principle of Velinda Stevens 1952-2017 #N407VS 🚁
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Read our stories inspired by other leadership principles of Velinda:
#1 Find Joy in Every Day
#5 Be Generous

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Generosity comes in so many different flavors. How are you generous?
With your time?
With your money?
With your listening?
With your kind words and encouragement?
 •
::Sometimes we think we don't have 'enough' to be generous::
This would be a good time to think about how you can be more generous with YOURSELF.
In what ways are you criticizing yourself - telling yourself you aren't ______ enough? (Fill in the blank.)
In what ways are you holding yourself back from what you really want to have, do, or be?
 •
::Sometimes we think we don't have 'enough' to be generous::
Ketut & Wayan have huge hearts. When we sit down at their warung they bring baskets of complimentary snacks that get refilled before they are even empty. They watch our stuff while we are in the ocean. They let us pay them 'next time' when we don't have enough money with us. They greet all our friends with a smile and open arms. They stay late so we can enjoy conversations by the ocean in the moonlight. When we leave they fill our hands with snacks to take home.
Many Balinese have relatively little when it comes to money, education, access to stable housing and plumbing, yet they act generously. 
•
So, when will you have 'enough' to see yourself as generous? 💖
•••••
#BeZelemental #LivinLocal #ZelementHappiness
•••••
- #5 Leadership Principle of Velinda Stevens, 1952-2017 #N407VS 

Read my thoughts on Velinda's #1 and #2 Leadership Principles ~Find Joy in Every Day~ and ~The Rules Don't Always Apply. Think Outside the Box.~

Changing the existing state of things isn’t necessarily bad, but transforming a village into a city isn’t necessarily progress.  Does the progress serve the community or humanity? From the perspective of whom? It may benefit some, but it may degrade the greater community and culture. And it may be difficult to see this in the moment. When we set up our Clubhouse in a foreign community,  we desire to not add strain to the existing infrastructure.
​
Zelement Club prioritizes positive community contributions and minimizing negative impacts to a community. It is vital for us support community projects and wages. If there is an opportunity to create excess personal financial profit at the cost of the well-being of the local community we will forego the excess profit.

​When we select a location for our ClubHouse we will use these operating principles as our guide:
• We will purchase food, goods, and services from locals rather than foreign companies when we have comparable choices
• We will not intentionally impede the ability of the locals to afford their current lifestyle.
• Rent from locals, rather than buying if buying will contribute to inflation and eventually an affordability crisis for the locals. For example, buying and developing land for appreciation well above what locals can afford is in opposition to our beliefs as individuals and as a company.

​So come be a part of something good in this world!

​Guest Post from Jonnie Law, co-founder of Zelement Club.

We subscribe to the daily email from www.theflightdeal.com. It arrives around noon Pacific Time every day and takes about 15 seconds to scan on my phone. We also get daily emails from www.secretflying.com. Here's what I'm looking for to find a good deal to Bali.

1. Denpasar (DPS) is the airport on the island of Bali and the only airport that is practical for our place. Look for flight deals to this airport, regardless of the departure airport listed. For example, even if they only advertise a deal for LAX – DPS, I find there is still a deal for DEN – DPS, they just only list the cheapest flight.
2. Similarly, if you see a deal to Jakarta, check to see if there is also a deal to DPS.
3. If you see a deal to Singapore, check to see if there is also a deal to DPS. Or see if you can find a cheap flight on a local airline from Singapore to DPS that you book separately. With the separate local airline purchase and checked bags consider a layover of 3+ hrs.
   Sometimes the Air Asia and other regional airline websites give challenges with ticket booking from America or Europe.
4. We found a great deal from DEN to DPS by booking SFO-DPS then getting a Southwest Airlines flight from DEN-SFO.

 
We also use Google Flights to search around and see what is out there, and boy have we found some great deals!

• You can enter up to 5 airport codes in the Origin and Destination fields. For example:
  • Origin: SFO, SEA, PHX, PDX, SLC
  • Destination: DPS, SIN, KUL
• Beware: When you select all your flights you will then be presented with your buying options. We prefer to buy from a company we have heard of, either the airline itself or Expedia, Orbitz, etc. 

​Anything under $1000 roundtrip from most major US airports and on reputable carriers, I consider to be a very good deal.

Here are some rules to know before you buy your flight. This is how it currently works for US Passport holders, I’m not sure about other passports. When you check in for the first segment of your flight, the ticket agent will ask when you are leaving Indonesia and possibly will ask to see confirmation. I've never had them do more than glance at a printout I had with my itinerary.

• You don’t have to go back to your home country, you just have to have a flight booked to somewhere outside of Indonesia.
• Hint: Singapore, Malaysia (KL), Bangkok, and Perth are choices that often have cheap fares.

Speaking of passports, did you know that your passport must be valid for at least 6 more months after your arrival date in Bali and have at least 2 completely blank pages? Read more about entry and exit criteria here.

Trip Insurance: Do you ever feel nervous to pass up the trip insurance because of how they present it when you are buying your flights? We have read the fine print on these offers and suggest that you do too. What we have found is that they vary quite a bit in coverage and we like this policy from World Nomads. They have been very easy to work with when we had to make a claim.

Your checked baggage policy will depend on the the airline operating the first leg of your journey. Knowing this could save you hundreds of dollars if you plan to bring oversized items like golf clubs or surfboards.

Sometimes the cheap fares involve an overnight at an airport. To determine if this is worth it, I reference www.SleepingInAirports.net.

Do you have other tips for finding good flight deals? Let us know in the comments.

One of my favorite things about travel is food. I love trying new things and I love food made with love. Also I usually eat way too much of it because it is so good and I think, "I'm only here for a short time, I need to eat as much of this as I possibly can, while I can." (Japanese mountain potato is an exception).

I wasn't always this way, I was a very picky eater until college when I finally started venturing outside my food groups of pizza, chips and salsa, and grilled chicken.​  So I can relate to people when they are hesitant to travel to new countries because they are not sure if they can find enough food they like.

Bali has nearly endless option so for the adventurous eater and also for the person who wants to find meals like they would have back home. And the best part is you can eat at a fraction of the price we are used to paying in America, Australia, Europe, and parts of Asia.

New cafes are opening all the time here - many of them set overlooking the beach or a peaceful rice field. There are so many reasons to come to Bali but if you come for no other reason, come to eat like a king!​​​