Thought we’d do a quick post about a few more things we thought might help we preparing for Bali.
CASH
Bring both English (to exchange there) and pre-bought Bali cash! Lots of places accept card however there are loads that still don’t so cash is King. There are cash machines on the island however they are usually a bit of a pain to get to, you get charged a fair chunk, and they are all limited to a certain amount of(around £80) at one time meaning you’d have to do it multiple times on your trip. We ended up having to use them a lot last year and it wasn’t ideal and costs us £3-£4 each time.
CARD
Unless you have a credit card that is free for international spending, your best bet is to bring a Monzo or Wise card. It’s important that you have a physical card to bring as a lot of the card machines on the island don’t have contactless ability. FYI I don’t believe you can use Revolt in BALI as there is no option to transfer money over to IDR on the app.
SIM CARDS
Getting an international SIM card on arrival is a must. We got ours in Denpaser International airport when we touched down. There was a pop up shop that was offering them for around £30 for as much Data as you’ll need for the weeks you are there. They took our phone and set it all up for us, replacing them SIM cards and giving our British one back for safe keeping. It was super simple, cheap, and meant we could use 4g/5g for the whole time we were there with no problems. If you don’t grab one from the airport you’ll find loads of places everywhere you go offering the same deal so not to worry!
GOJEK!
This leads nicely on to one of the best things about Bali. Gojek is their version of Uber but it’s better lol. Download Gojek and sign up once on the island and from that point onwards you’ll be able to get wherever you want at the touch of a button. The payments link to your Apple Pay and you can pick between getting a car or a scooter. I don’t think I paid much more than £1 per trip on a Scooter and a 1 hour taxi drive will cost you about £15. Scooters will typically be with you within 3-4 minutes, cars sometimes slightly longer. Either way walking from place to place isn’t really a thing in the main towns of Bali so make sure to utilise Gojek.
HIRING SCOOTERS.
If you’re confident enough and fancy it hiring scooters is super cheap, and easy. Most AirB&B’s/Hotels you stay at will arrange one for you if you message them and ask (or ask on arrival). I think I was paying like £3 a day for hire, and fuel is crazy cheap! It’s optional however by law you are meant to have a International drivers licence (IDP). Most places will still give you a scooter without one however I’ve heard stories of police dishing massive fines for anyone caught without one. You can get a digital one for about £35 from the website below. Any questions just give me a shout.
https://internationaldriversassociation.com/pricing/
VISA
You do need a VISA to enter Bali, however this is pretty cheap and easy to get. Most people do this when they land and there’s machines to use on the route to collect your bags, so you can pay as well as print your VISAs. UK£25 / 500,000 IDR. There is a way to do this prior to flying I believe but it may be something you have to look into if you wish to do that.