10 things you need to know before you travel to Bali

Sharing my top 10 tips that you NEED to know before you travel to Bali!

Fresh back from spending nearly five weeks in Bali, TRUST ME when I say I have just SO.MUCH.CONTENT to share with you all; from the best places to eat, sleep explore and party!

But, having spent five weeks in one of my favourite islands ever, I’ve also picked up some tips that I’m dying to share with you all (some things that I wish I’d have known before I left!). From money, to safety and travel – I hope you find these tips useful and enjoy your trip to the majestic island!

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1.) Bikes...

 I feel like I need to start with this point because it’s something I feel SO strongly about. Pretty much everyone gets mopeds around Bali as it’s the easiest and quickest way to get around with traffic, but not *always the safest if you’re stupid. And by stupid I mean drink driving; I so wish I was joking but I’m not, you’ll see countless tourists drunk driving and you’ll hear countless stories about tourists having accidents/falling off and worse, dying. I say tourists because 9 out of 10 times it’s tourists causing/having the accidents rather than locals, usually because they’re drunk, reckless or don’t know how to ride.

It’s absolutely something to be taken seriously, firstly do NOT get on a bike if you don’t feel comfortable, it’s just not worth it. During my first two weeks in Bali I only ever rode with locals (I felt totally safe as they always give you a helmet and drive safely, most of them have been on bikes since they were around 10 years old!!). If you don’t want to get on a bike with a local then don’t worry, it will only ever cost you £1-£4 usually in a taxi/Grab for a short journey so it’s super inexpensive.

If you’re hiring bikes; this again is even easier to get around as you’ll have your own transport and it costs from around £2.50-£5 per day which is super cheap, most people hire their own mopeds in Bali and get around that way, but again, if it’s something you’re not comfortable with then don’t do it. Ben and I decided to hire a bike on our last day in Ubud to go off exploring and we fell off our bike (luckily we weren’t badly hurt and were going slowly), but it happens wayyyyy more than you’d think.

I PROMISE I’m not trying to scare you; I’m just trying to make you aware and cautious if you decide to hire a bike and absolutely do NOT ride with anyone who’s drunk. Now we’ve covered the safety – riding bikes around Bali really is so, so beautiful and something that everyone should experience, safely.

2.) Bartering...

Like other Asian countries, you can barter in Bali and bag yourself some absolute bargains! The general rule of thumb when bartering at markets/stalls is to offer the seller half of what he initially quotes, but I usually go in for ¼ or 1/3 and end up settling and paying half or just under.

Don’t ever feel shy or silly bartering because the sellers expect you to, and actually invite you too! One market I went to in Canggu the sellers would say “This bag is 300k, but offer me your price”,  it’s almost like that’s just the starting point and they know you won’t pay it so ask you to barter with them. I absolutely love bartering in the markets and scoring some markets (I get it from my dad!) and bagged myself some great steals!

Some sellers will play along with you and it usually goes something like this:

Me: “Hi, How much is this bag please?”

Seller: “300K, but you can make me an offer, how much do you want to pay?’

Me: “I’ll give you 100K for it”

Seller: “Ohhhhhh no, cannot. Too cheap. I’ll do it for 200K”

Me: “No, sorry I only want to pay 100K”

Seller: “Okay 180K”

Me: “130K"

Seller: “I’ll do it for 170K”

Me: “150K is my last price, sorry”

Seller: “Can only do for 170K”

Me: “Okay no problems, thank you”. *walks away*

Seller: *Follows you out of stall* “Okay 150K, fine”

Et voila, you have your bargain! 9 out of 10 times if you say a price and walk away like you won’t buy it, the seller will follow you and offer the item to you at your last price. I usually end up paying half of what they originally said or just under, don’t offend them by offering too low, but you also want to bag a bargain so haggle hard.

3.) Local food...

The local food in Bali is delicious (if you’ve travelled to Indonesia/Asia before it won’t be too dissimilar from what you’ve eaten before). A few of their local dishes in Bali include:

Nasi Goreng: Rice and veggies / chicken / meat with a fried egg on top

Mie Goreng: Noodles veggies / chicken / meat with a fried egg on top

There’s loads of beautiful local seafood in Bali which has usually been freshly caught that day, so if you’re big on fish then Bali will be a food heaven for you!

4.) Money and currency...

I just withdrew cash on my trip as and when I needed it, I was panicking as I tried to change up currency beforehand but not many places offered Indonesian Rupiah, I ordered an Uber from the airport so I could pay by card then just withdrew cash at my first destination.

The most I’d take out / have on me at any one time was around 2,000,000 (approx. £100). Don’t carry too much cash on you as you’re just a walking target, I didn’t have any problems or encounter any crime but a boy friend of mine got mugged whilst walking away from a cash point (he walked down an alley which he shouldn’t have and was drunk – so just try to avoid being a target). Withdraw cash in the day in busy areas if you can, keep it in your safe and just take out what you need so if you lose it, it’s not the end of the world.

 5.) The airport...

Oh my GOD the airport in Bali is SO overwhelming (especially for a female solo traveller). I’d read a few things online about the airport & taxis n Bali but it’s honestly so overwhelming (the local taxi drivers can sense when it’s your first time there and if you’re looking lost so they’ll target you.). I booked a Grab taxi as soon as I got there and just headed for the car park (walk out of the airport and keep walking straight and you’ll arrive at the multi story carpark), the key is to just look like you know where you’re going (even if you don’t). I booked a Grab and headed straight for the carpark then called my driver and he told me what floor to meet him, it was pretty seamless once I’d escaped the crowds.

 There’s nothing wrong with getting a local taxi and it’s totally safe to do so, they will just charge you around 3 times the amount. My taxi from the airport to Canggu cost 90K (just under £5), but with a local driver at the airport it will cost around 300K (around £15). Download Grab / Go-Jek or Uber and book your car from the airport!

The taxi drivers will follow you pretty much out of the airport and don’t tend to take no for an answer, trying to force their business cards on you. Just stand firm, decline and walk on. Also, it’s not unusual for local taxis to pretend that they’re your hotel pick up/ pick up driver so make sure you know exactly who you’re looking for, and take down their number prior!

6.) Be in the moment

In Bali I noticed that everyone seemed to be an influencer / blogger / YouTuber of some kind (which in itself is bloody amazing!!), but don’t be surprised to witness people living their life through a lens. I know that in our generation it’s just something we do, but Bali is truly, truly beautiful and sometimes you just need to take a step back, put your phone / camera down and watch the sunset, stand in the waterfall, swim with turtles, enjoy a beer with friends!

There’s so much to do and see in Bali and of course, whilst it’s natural to want to capture everything, occasionally just make sure that you’re being in the moment and truly soaking up every second. One of my favourite things to do in Bali was take a towel & a beer down to the beer and just sit there and watch the sunset; it’s truly breathtakingly stunning and hands down some of the best sunsets I’ve ever witnessed!

7.) Look after your valuables...

Kind of related to being on bikes, but a friend of mine has her phone stolen from out of her hand whilst she was on the back of a local Go-Jek bike, be SO careful when riding bikes with your phones/bags. As there’s so many bikes in Bali, it’s super easy for driver to creep up behind you and snatch your bag or phone. Drivers will always have a compartment under their seat where you can put your bag and don’t use your phone whilst on a bike.

When you’re out (especially if you’re partying), just be aware of your valuable and be careful of your belongings. Someone I met told me he was walking along the pavement to a bar with a girl and her bag was swiped from her by a passing bike. Sometimes these things can’t be helped and it’s a case of bad luck/ timing but just be careful where you can (cross body bags, backpacks and bum bags are good as they’re harder to steal).

8.) Respect the locals...

This is a HUGE point for me and something that needs to be known, I know that you’re all respectful travellers anyway, but in Bali respect is SUPER important. Whether you’re respecting the people, the place or the religion, just be wary to not disrespect anyone. A couple of things to note:

• Always say hello, please and thank you whilst being served.

• Don’t ever be aggressive towards locals, they find this extremely disrespectful and tend to stick together, you don’t want to find yourself in a sticky situation.

• If you’re out drinking, don’t litter or trash the streets, it’s just not cool in such a beautiful country.

• Bali have a lot of religious celebrations, don’t disrespect any local traditions or religions (they also place ‘offerings’ outside their shops / homes each day on the pavement - *try not to step on them, easier said than done as they’re everywhere!).

9.) Grab / Go – Jek / Uber...

 When you get to Bali, make sure you’ve downloaded Grab & Go-Jek (their local equivalent to Uber, they do also have Uber too, but Grab and Go-Jek seem to be more popular). You can get a bike pretty much any 5/10 minute journey for just 50p and £1-£2 in a car.

Everyone that doesn’t have their own bike uses Grab/Go-Jek, it’s just super convenient and easy/cheap to get around. A few things to note about Grab & Go-Jek:

The locals don’t like it. Kind of like what happened in London with Uber and the black taxis. They don’t like the apps because they’ve taken away their work and undercut their prices, which is completely understandable, but when a lot of people are travelling and sticking to a budget, they usually go for the cheapest option.

Following on from the locals not liking it; there are plenty of areas in Bali with big signs saying ‘No Grab / Go-Jek / Uber’ and they will only let drivers drop off there and not pick up.

Most people still *do book Grabs to these places, and just hope that the locals/taxi drivers don’t chase the Grab driver away. Some Grab drivers will message you saying that they won’t pick you up there because they’re scared of the locals.

Try to book Grab taxis from areas without the signs to avoid confliction between the driver and the locals.

I’m with 3 for my phone operator which means I can use my 4G allowance abroad which is great as I can turn it on pretty much anywhere to book my car/bike. If you don’t have a phone package that allows you to use your 3/4G then you might struggle booking Grab taxis (always just book them from your hotel/restaurants with wifi etc).

Failing that local taxis/bikes really aren’t that expensive and can also be haggled down on the price!

10.) Have fun & make your own memories!...

I didn’t want to make this post in anyway negative as I honestly had the most magical five weeks in Bali, BUT I just wanted to point out a couple of things about safety, bikes, currency etc that I wish I’d have known, and whilst they aren’t essential to know, it’s helpful!

I hope I haven’t scared any of you into visiting Bali because it’s just the best place EVER and I had SO much fun, I just want you to be wary and cautious about certain things, it’s not always fun and games. That being said; GO HAVE FUN because oh my god you guys will love Bali; take in the beautiful sites & see that stunning country for exactly what it is!

Have you been to Bali before? Is there anything you wish you'd know before you went to Bali? Are you planning a trip there? Let me know as I'd love to hear all about it; you'll have the BEST time!