Rachael Smith has been traveling to Bali long enough to know the questions never change. In every Facebook group, across every thread, the same ones cycle through: 'who's a reliable driver, which ATV tour is worth it, where should you take the kids?' The answers either vanish in hundreds of comments or get replaced by paid placements from businesses with bigger marketing budgets than the operators who deserve the booking.

She spent 12 months on Passion.io trying to build something better, a single trusted local directory that could surface the smaller operators who never get the online exposure they deserve—but an unreliable system and a price tag that didn't match the service pushed her to look elsewhere.

On Movement, she built the Bali Gems Phone Book: a fast, branded travel app with built-in messaging that connects travelers directly to vetted businesses and drivers, with no ads, no scams, and no scrolling through comment sections to find a straight answer.

Can you tell us about our business and who you help?

We travel to Bali often and noticed that the same questions are asked repeatedly across Facebook groups and social media. Where's the best place to take the kids? Who's a reliable driver? Which ATV tour should I book? Where can I get my hair braided? 

The answers often get lost in hundreds of comments, or people are bombarded with advertisements instead of genuine recommendations. That's why we created the Bali Gems Phone Book—a platform designed to answer all those questions in one convenient place while helping travellers discover authentic experiences and trusted local businesses.

We also wanted to shine a light on the many smaller businesses that don't always have the big marketing budgets or online exposure of larger companies. These local operators offer incredible service and unique experiences, and we believe they deserve to be discovered. That's why they're our Gems.

"These local operators offer incredible service and unique experiences, and we believe they deserve to be discovered. That's why they're our Gems."

What led you to choose Movement?

I first came across Movement on Facebook and noticed your team had travelled to Bali for a team-building event. After checking out your platform, I decided to join because you were Australian-based, and having local support was really important to me. It gave me confidence knowing there was a team closer to home that I could connect with if I ever needed help.

"Having local support was really important to me—it gave me confidence knowing there was a team closer to home."

Had you tried any other platforms before Movement?

I was previously with Passion.io for 12 months and was unhappy with the service, the system, and the price point for a service I could not access. The system was always down and inaccessible—giving me more headaches than customers.

"I was previously with Passion.io for 12 months and was unhappy with the service, the system, and the price point for a service I could not access. The system was always down and inaccessible—giving me more headaches than customers."

What do you particularly love about using Movement?

The Movement platform has been fantastic for our business. It's incredibly fast, with all the functions loading quickly, which gives our app a very professional, modern, and eye-catching feel.

One of our favourite features is the built-in chat and messaging system. It allows travellers using our platform to communicate directly with businesses and drivers, making it easy to ask questions, organise bookings, and arrange services without leaving the app. This creates a much smoother experience for both our users and the local businesses we support.

"The built-in chat and messaging system lets travelers communicate directly with businesses and drivers—making it easy to ask questions, organize bookings, and arrange services without leaving the app."

Would you recommend Movement to other creators?

I would definitely recommend Movement—the system is easy to build within and you can use the information in many areas at the click of a button. The support has been outstanding and the best asset from the development stage to launching.

"The support has been outstanding and the best asset from the development stage to launching."

For travel creators, community builders, and anyone trying to bring a curated local resource to life in a single place without patching together directories, Facebook groups, and contact forms, Rachael's story shows what's possible. 

A year on Passion.io meant continual outages, inaccessible support, and more headaches than customers—time she could have spent actually building. Movement gave her a fast, professional app with direct messaging built-in, a builder she could actually use, and a support team that treated her like a priority from day one: "The support has been outstanding, and the best asset from the development stage to launching." 

It's the kind of backing that lets creators stop worrying about the tech and get back to the reason they built in the first place. Explore the Bali Gems Phone Book here.

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Ready to build something better than a Facebook group for your travel recommendations?

Whether you're a travel guide, community builder, or local business tired of watching your recommendations get buried in comment sections, Movement gives you a fast, branded app to bring it all together—vetted directories, direct messaging, and a clean experience your audience will actually use. No ads and no algorithms. Just your direct recommendations.

What is Movement?

Movement is an all-in-one platform that helps coaches, creators, and community builders launch beautifully branded apps and memberships—without needing to be technical or piece together multiple tools.

Whether you're offering courses, events or programs, selling digital products, or hosting a private community, Movement gives you everything you need in one place: content and video hosting, chats, events, directories, and more.

It’s designed to be intuitive for you and seamless for your audience—so you can focus on delivering value, not managing tech.

For coaches who are tired of stitching together tools like Kajabi, Squarespace, and Facebook Groups, Movement offers a simpler, more scalable way to grow your business and deepen client connection—all under your own brand.

Find out more or sign up for a free account here.