A Bali vacation is all about relaxing and rejuvenating. However, the chaos of traveling tends to turn that resting time into stressing time. With the following Bali Travel Checklist, you can rest assured you have taken care of the absolute essentials when visiting the Island of the Gods, and the journey beyond.
Before You Leave Home:
1. Passport and Visa:
Your passport is a given, just ensure your passport is valid for at least another 6 months beyond your intended stay in Bali. Immigration will give you a hard time about this criteria, so just make sure you are in the clear.
As for a visa, we have a separate article detailing what type of Visa is best for your intended stay. To keep things simple here, as a quick visiting tourist, you best option is a Visa-On-Arrival. You can pay for this upon landing in Indonesia or you can fill out your information for an electronic VOA (e-VOA) on this following website.
Although not necessary, an International Driver's Permit is also very important of your Bali Travel Checklist as well as your stay here on the Island of the Gods. All information on the IDP is included in here in the Official International Driving Permit Website.
2. Travel Insurance:
Whether you plan to visit Bali for a week or travel across Southeast Asia for a year, travel insurance is extremely important.
Of course the level of coverage depends on your stay duration, but as a general rule of thumb, we recommend you look into the following:
Trip Cancellation and Interruption
Bali's tourism industry tends to run on non-refundable payments. In the course of unforeseen circumstances such as illness or injury, visitors can acquire insurance that reimburses the cost of their non-refundable purchases.
Medical Coverage
Building on the point above, unforeseen events happen. It is difficult to say when and where they will happen, however, when they do, you want to be covered. When looking into travel insurance, medical coverage is a must-have. Make sure you find insurance where you are covered for doctor visits, hospital stays, and just in case, medical evacuations.
Travel Delay
Although not the most necessary, Travel Delay coverage certainly takes a lot of stress out of traveling as your costs can be reimbursed due to unexpected travel delays.
Baggage and Personal Belongings
This form of coverage is highly recommended. It should cover lost, stolen, or damaged baggage. This is incredibly important while traveling in Indonesia. We have had guests who's baggage was lost in transit by no fault of their own. Luckily, they had coverage for everything, including electronics, are were able to secure reimbursements for the loss. If you are surfer, this coverage is nearly mandatory for the sake of your boards. A damaged board in transit always puts a damper on the rest of the trip, especially if you have to pay for the repair out of pocket (if the board can still be repaired).
Personal Liability
This coverage will assist you in the case you cause any injury or property damage during your travels.
Adventure and Sports Activities
Another nearly mandatory coverage for surfers. If you plan on performing other activities, such as enduro motorbiking, ensure your plan covers the activity or inquire about additional coverage.
Flight Cancellation
Worst case scenario, you are left stranded in an airport very far from Bali, or any other destination in Indonesia. Among all the chaos of trying to find a new route forward, having to stress about the extra costs is not something you want on your list of worries. It may not happen often, but being covered for this event guarantees smoother travel even if the worst were to unfold.
24/7 Service
Although not a form of coverage, your ideal travel insurance agency should have 24/7 customer service in the case you run into any emergencies.
As a starting point, the digital nomads in our team highly recommend Safety Wing for longer period stays. It works on a monthly subscription so you can turn on your protection when you travel and turn it off when you arrive back safely in your home country.
3. Flights and Accommodation:
Make sure you confirm your flight reservations and accommodation bookings. Receiving confirmation emails is our preferred way of checking on this note. As an extra layer of security, take a screenshot of your travel confirmations and add them to a dedicated travel album. If you prefer the paper route, traveling with a documents folder also works wonders.
4. Itinerary:
There is a lot to do while in Bali during your visit. It helps to create a rough itinerary with a list of experiences you hope to enjoy. We emphasize "rough" simply because we believe your vacation here in Bali should be exactly that, a vacation. Coming to the island allows you to rest and relax, so don't get too caught up in the planning of events (unless, of course, that's your go-to).
6. Prescription Medications:
Bringing a safe supply of any prescription medications you need is a must for your Bali Travel Checklist, or any travel checklist for that matter, along with a copy of your individual prescription. While sourcing over-the-counter solutions is relatively easy (a pharmacy in Indonesia is called an Apotek, you can mostly find one down the street from your accommodation), finding specific prescription medication is not such a simple task. Be on the safe side and bring what you need.
7. Travel Adapters and Voltage Converters:
The nomads on our team made this a mandatory part of the ultimate travel checklist. Although our villages are all equipped with modern international sockets, we can't say the same for a majority of establishments in Bali.
If you are looking for the specific adapter, Bali uses the European-style C and F electrical sockets with a standard voltage of 230V and a frequency of 50Hz. If you have the universal adapter already, perfect, you are ready to go. If you don't have one, our team almost solely uses the Mogics Donut as part of their travel checklists. Although it has a strange name, the Donut is the most versatile travel companion for anyone who extensively uses electronics on the go. Truth be told, only one person on our team doesn't bring the Donut with them in their electronics bag, and he receives a lot of shame for his decision.
8. Local Currency:
Bringing Indonesian Rupiah from your home country is not entirely necessary. There are plenty of ATMs in Bali, all with an English option to ensure ease of transaction. It ought to be noted, however, that using an ATM or money changing service in the airport is slightly more expensive that anywhere else on the island.
9. Travel Documents:
Make photocopies or digital scans of important documents like your passport, visa, travel insurance, and itinerary. Paper copies are particularly helpful for government aided services such as extending your visa. This is because they take your documents for a short period of time, leaving you without identification if you were to give them your official document.
10. Travel Apps:
While in Bali, there are a few apps that make your stay much smoother.
Google Maps is a must. Using Apple maps will occasionally leave you lost, not to mention most businesses are not registered on the Apple maps system.
Google Translate. Although Google Translate doesn't do the best of jobs translating some languages, it is widely used in Indonesia due to its accuracy.
Gojek or Grab. These are Indonesia's equivalent of Uber. They are both inexpensive ways to transport yourself from point A to point B. Just be aware that some zones in Bali ban GoJek and Grab in order to preserve local taxi businesses.
Packing Checklist:
Packing checklists are a personal preference, and as such, we won't include the fact that you might want to bring beachwear. However, there are a few notes we would like to make in order to ensure your stay is more pleasant.
Polarized Sunglasses and sunscreen. The UV here in Bali can reach 13, sometimes 14 (the scales maxes out at 15), mid-day and wearing un-polarized glasses can negatively effect your eyes more than not wearing glasses at all. Without diving into the science, this is because your eyes dilate with shaded glasses, allowing more UV light in compared to not wearing sunglasses at all.
Insect Repellant. You can purchase inexpensive insect repellent here in Bali. We only recommend you find something natural that contains lemongrass and/or eucalyptus.
Reusable Totes and Reusable Water Bottles
During Your Trip:
Lastly, there are few items that you don't have to bring, but are nonetheless included on our Ultimate Bali Travel Checklist. Similar to traveling in most other countries, local people here shine a bright smile when you can speak a small part of their language.
"Hello"
"Halo" in Indonesian
"Om Swastyastu" in Balinese
"Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night"
"Selamat Pagi, Siang, Sore, Malam" in Indonesian
"Rahajeng Semeng, Tengai, Sore, Wengi" in Balinese
"How are you?"
"Apa Kabar?" in Indonesian
"Sapunapi Gatra?" in Balinese
"Good"
"Baik Baik" or "Bagus" in Indonesian
"Becik Becik" in Balinese
"Thank You"
"Terima Kasih" in Indonesian
"Matur Suksma" in Balinese
One note on pronunciation. "C"s are pronounced as the English "ch" sound. For example "becik becik" sounds more like "bechik bechik".
Just about everyone in Indonesia can speak English to a varying degree. As such, it is easy to forget they have both a national language as well as native island languages. Understand that making an effort to speak to most locals will allow them to understand you care about connecting on a deeper level. Making a mistake here and there is common and a completely acknowledged part of learning. The locals in Bali are specifically kind to those travelers who put in effort. That being said, while everyone in Bali will understand you when you use the Indonesian translations, there is nothing quite like the unbridled excitement from a Balinese local when you use their native island language. Give it a go, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Lastly, Have Fun. Relax, enjoy Bali’s natural beauty, and immerse yourself in the island’s rich culture and traditions. You deserve some rest, you are on vacation after all.