Tips for your Next Trip to Bali
I did not do much planning at all for Bali. So, here are my tips and tricks that I found were most helpful along the way:
Choose hotels that have reviews that say “great and helpful staff.” Traveling solo, I felt comfortable, cared for, and safe because the hotel staff was watching over me and making sure I had everything I needed. The day before I would ask them to hire me a driver to take me to X, Y, and Z. The driver would be ready to pick me up the next morning at exactly the time I asked for. Also, at one hotel, I got seasick while snorkeling, so the yoga instructor at the hotel made me tummy-calming tea and we did a private yoga session together which focused on calming my stomach.
Bring an underwater camera if you decide to go snorkeling or scuba diving! I did not think that through and wish I had. Although, because I got seasick, I would not have been taking pictures for very long!
One of my friends lived in Bali and recommended I visit Ubud, Munduk, Lempuyang (for the temple), Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Cenigan, and Nusa Penida. She had me stay away from Kuta and Denpasar because they are very touristy and busy areas. Nusa Penida (and the Lempuyang Temple) was also very touristy at certain destinations but if you go early enough you can miss some of the crowds (and the hot weather).
I traveled to Bali in February, which is their off-season due to it being their rainy season. It mostly rained in the late afternoon/evenings except for one time it rained all day. But, it was not as crowded as it normally is in the spring, summer, and fall months which I very much appreciated! Out of all of the towns/islands I visited, Ubud was the most crowded, and Nusa Penida had crowded destination spots (like Diamond Beach and Kelingking Beach). So, plan adventures to these places early in the morning if possible.
Rainy season wasn’t all so bad with a raincoat
Nausea meds are very important especially for the ferry trip from Sanur to either Nusa Penida or Nusa Lemongan islands. I also appreciated having nausea meds for the long plane rides. You may also need them for the windy roads to/from the waterfalls.
Bring a really good mosquito spray that you are okay with the scent! You will be spraying this at least twice a day on your body to protect yourself.
Bring sunscreen. Even on a cloudy day, the sun will get you here since you are very close to the equator.
Check with your phone provider before getting on the island about fees associated with international data usage. You will want to have this for many reasons including having directions/use of Google Maps.
Bring a Raincoat! You never know when it will rain and it is great to have too when going to see the waterfalls if you want to get close.
Bring an easily foldable yoga mat or towel. It was so nice to have my towel with me to use whenever I wanted to do yoga or a workout (basically every day!). I also brought the yoga towel with me when riding a motorcycle for one of my tours. When I got back on the bike after a short stop, the sun rays on the black seat were too hot to sit on it!
Bring headphones or ear plugs. There are chickens/roosters everywhere! Unless you are used to this sound, you will need to bring headphones or ear plugs. At one homestay I was up at 2:30am since one rooster thought the sun was coming up! I thought it was hilarious and luckily went to sleep very early that day so it didn’t bother me too much.
Bargain for prices if you go to the markets or in the streets/alleyways when purchasing items. This is a part of their culture and is not seen as rude. This was very hard for me to do but I got much better at it as time went on.
My yoga towel came in handy!