Checklist to travel to Bali

We have made the latest checklist to travel to Bali to ensure that tourists have a wonderful time on the Indonesian island. It is necessary to know what items one should carry to Bali for holidays, what regulations they should follow, where they should eat, where visitors should go for shopping, and what actions shouldn’t be done while there.We have also mentioned some real-time examples that should help travellers understand and face the situations.

Also, read – Bali food prices

Checklist to travel to Bali in 2022

Table of Content

Which Mobile app is required to be installed to enter Bali?

The PeduliLindungi app is required to be installed to enter Bali, Indonesia. The link to the app for Android users is –https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.telkom.tracencare& for IOS users, it ishttps://apps.apple.com/id/app/pedulilindungi/id1504600374.

Checklist of Documents you should carry while travelling to Bali

Please note, once you will be getting on Arrival at Bali airport, you would need to show these documents. I could be in phone also. Also do remember to keep a change of 40 USD per person for visa fee at airport.

• Passport of All travellers – It should have 6 months validity from the date of travel
• Vaccination Certificate (Always Keep it handy)
• Hotel Voucher – Can be Kept in Mobile Also
• Return e-ticket – Can be Kept in Mobile Also
• Passport Size Photograph – Although not compulsory but is Must
• Insurance Policy of Equal to or more than 20000 USD (Not Mandatory now but recommended)

Checklist of Things you should keep While travelling to Bali

• Sunscreen – You will need sunscreen while you are on your tours in Bali.
• Light Clothes: T-shirts, trousers, capris, or other summer clothes In any season, you won’t require warm clothes in Bali. Keep lightweight clothes on and enjoy the coastal destination.
• One can also keep ready-to-eat stuff like Maggie packets, Thephlas, etc. In most hotels, there are kettles kept in the room.
• Comfortable Shoes & Sleepers: You might need to switch from your shoes to slippers or vice versa while you are on tour in Bali.
• Swim Clothes or Extra Clothes on water sports day – When you are done with your water sports activities, you will have to change your clothes to continue to the next tour plan. Always keep extra clothes on for this day.
• Clothes for Candlelight Dinner (If added in your itinerary) Keep your favourite attire ready on the day you are going to do a candlelight dinner. To make it more memorable for you.

Other Important Suggestions to travel to Bali

• First of all, it is very important to understand the time difference. On your tickets, the timings are mentioned as per the country. For example, if you are flying from India around 10 PM, then on the flight ticket it will be written 10 PM IST time. However, if you have a layover in Malaysia, the arrival time in Malaysia mentioned on the tickets will be as per Malaysian Standard time. The departure time from Malaysia will again be Malaysian Standard time. When you reach Bali, it will be the Bali standard time. Kindly keep updating your watch accordingly.
• One should always have USD before catching a flight to Bali. One can visit local vendors and get USD instead of getting it exchanged at the airport. Any airport will give you an expensive deal.
• Try to cover yourself when visiting any temple in Bali. Also, the culture and rituals should be respected all the time when you are in public places.
• If you are having any early morning tours or pick-ups, you can ask your hotel to pack your food in the morning. They might not be able to serve you in the early morning, but they should be able to pack it for you. This discussion should be held with the hotel reception one day before.
• The number of drinking water bottles per day will be limited to 2. As per our past experiences, it would be better to buy the bigger bottle from the nearest market and keep it in the room. If you are staying for a longer period,
• Many Indian restaurants are found in Bali. Once you arrive at the hotel, check for the Indian restaurant nearby.
• Usually, there is a layover in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam for Bali from India. Mostly the layover time is at night only. It is always better to keep some non-liquid food in hand baggage for that period. Usually, at night, all the food outlets are closed at these airports.
• There are a few Indian restaurants in Bali that are too expensive. Discuss with your driver the category of the restaurant before visiting.
• For a smooth beginning, discuss your tour plan with the driver on the very first day. Get his number and reverify the next day’s pickup timings.
• If you want, you can order the food via the app and check if payment can be made in cash before you order. For Android & For iPhone
• When at water sports activities, don’t pay anyone for clicking photos or any other service. You should refrain from getting into any scam.
• Silk & Mass in Ubud is a market where they sell you handmade cultural things. If you really have an interest and want to buy, only then agree to visit the place. Once you visit, you might be forced by the locals to buy the products at higher prices. However, these can be good souvenirs to buy if your negotiating skills are good.
• The best and cheapest market in Bali for tourists is Krishna Ole Ole, where you can buy inexpensive products like T-shirts, fridge magnets, etc. Obviously, the negotiation skills will be tested.
• Specifically for island tours, one should be ready at a given time (usually 6:45 AM) in the morning. There are specific ferry timings that cannot be missed. If you have an island tour the next day, be aware. And ask your representative about timings.
• Although, driver expenses are already included in your quote price. However, we have had queries where people ask about tips they should give to drivers. If you want to give them tips, currency equivalent to 500 INR is what most people give.
• Most of the drivers in Bali won’t be able to speak to you in fluent English. They will be able to communicate, but it is hard to expect explanatory answers. In this case, we recommend travellers keep translator apps on their mobile phones. You can explore these apps on Android or IOS. In the past, many travellers got amazing help using this technique.

Checklist of Indian Restaurants in Bali

• Gateway Of India
• Queen’s Tandoor
• Bollywood Restaurant in Ubud
• Warung Little India
• Indian Delights
• Ganesha Ek Sanskriti
• Indian Dhaba
• Atithi
• La Rouge
• Spice Mantraa Indian Cuisine
• Queens of India
• NU Delhi
• Earth Cafe

Some Important Words in the Balinese Language

• Good Morning: Selamat pagi (sounds like: “suh-lah-mat pah-gee”)
• Good Day: Selamat siang (sounds like: “suh-lah-mat see-ahng”)
• Good Afternoon: Selamat sore (sounds like: “suh-lah-mat sor-ee”)
• Good Evening: Selamat malam (sounds like: “suh-lah-mat mah-lahm”)
• Ya: Yes.
• Tidak: No.

Other useful markets in Bali

• Pasar Ubud: Located in Ubud, this traditional market offers a wide range of goods including traditional clothing, handicrafts, and souvenirs.
• Pasar Seni Sukawati: Also located in Ubud, this market is known for its traditional Balinese art and crafts.
• Kuta Art Market: Located in Kuta, this market is popular with tourists and offers a wide variety of souvenirs and crafts.
• Pasar Badung: Located in Denpasar, this is the largest traditional market in Bali and offers a wide range of goods including clothing, food, and household items.
• Pasar Sindhu: Located in Sanur, this market is known for its traditional Balinese fabrics and textiles.
• Pasar Semawang: Located in Sanur, this market is known for its traditional Balinese food and fruits.
• Pasar Malam Kereneng: located in Denpasar, this night market offers a wide range of food, clothing, and souvenirs.

Things you can buy in Bali

1. Handicrafts: Bali is famous for its traditional handicrafts, such as batik fabrics, wooden carvings, and traditional baskets.
2. Batik Clothing: Batik is a traditional Indonesian textile that can be found in a variety of clothing, scarfs, and sarongs.
3. Jewelry: Bali is known for its unique and beautiful jewelry, such as traditional Balinese silver and gold jewelry.
4. Home Decor: Bali offers a wide variety of home decor items, such as traditional statues, masks, and paintings.
5. Spices and traditional herbs: Bali is known for its spices and herbs, such as lemongrass, turmeric, and ginger.
6. Fashion: Bali offers a wide range of fashion items, such as beachwear, boho-chic clothing, and traditional clothing.
7. Food and snacks: Bali offers a wide variety of traditional snacks and food items, such as the famous Babi Guling (Suckling Pig) and traditional cakes like the black rice cake.
8. Skincare and beauty products: Bali is famous for its all-natural skincare and beauty products made with traditional ingredients like coconut oil and aloe vera.

Few real examples that will make you understand and deal with scenarios while on your Bali tour

Mr. Rahul had a trip to Bali and was fully excited about it. However, they thought that they would exchange currency at Delhi airport for their expenses in Bali. When they reached Delhi airport, they were given Rs 96 per USD price. They realised that the current price of the USD is 80 USD in the global market. But there was no option left, so they had to bear losses on the very first day of their tour.

In another incident, Mr. Sreejith and his wife from Chennai boarded a Vietjet flight to Bali. They never changed their watch timings as per the Vietnam standard time. The connecting flight to Bali was at 4 AM Vietnamese standard time, but they reached the counter at 5:30 AM Vietnamese standard time. They were also not able to understand the announcements properly due to language barriers. They ended up missing the flight and paid again for the next one. The timings mentioned on the tickets are always as per the country you will land or depart from.At that time, Mr. at 5:30 p.m.

Mr. Srinivas, on his honeymoon, reached Bali. He started completing all his procedures and got stuck with the baggage part. His baggage got missing, which he got almost 1:30 hours later. Unaware of the fact that he could connect to the airport’s wifi and inform the concerned executive or driver about this issue, Mr. Srinivas just waited for the baggage and came out. The driver, on the other hand, realised that the traveller had not shown up even after 2 hours of flight arrival and he left the premises. If there is any delay due to any reason, inform the driver or executive right away.

Mr. Hari from Bangalore went to Bali on his honeymoon and checked into the hotel. He never asked anyone about the Indian restaurant and kept on eating Indonesian cuisine in the hotel, even after they disliked it. They spent the whole trip eating the same food. However, Mr. Swami, who also came for a honeymoon from Cochin, went and asked for the Indian restaurant at the hotel reception. Reception also guided them to download the food delivery app for Android and iPhone. When they were staying in Ubud, they ordered food, and in Kuta, they enjoyed nightlife by walking and had food outside. A small initiative by Mr. Swami made his tour much better than Mr. Hari’s.

In another incident, Mr. Gupta asked for the driver’s recommendation for good Indian food, and the driver took them to the restaurant. Without knowing the fact that the restaurant is very expensive, Mr. Gupta went inside and ordered the food because there was no option left. It generally depends on the individual’s budget. However, whenever you ask someone about food recommendations, don’t hesitate to ask if it is too expensive or normal.

Mr. Varun, from Delhi, went to Bali for his honeymoon. They had an island tour planned for the next day, for which the pickup time was early in the morning, around 6:45 AM. Mr. Varun was not able to wake up on time and was late coming to the hotel lobby. The driver left the hotel and treated it as a “No Show”. Mr. Varun then started fighting for a refund or re-arrangement of the tour. However, once the island tours are booked, they become non-refundable and non-reschedulable. As per the policies of ferry vendors, nothing could have happened, so the whole day was ruined for Mr. Varun.

Mr. Vinay from Pune came to the hotel lobby exactly on time at around 6:45 for the island tour. However, the driver came to the lobby around 7:10. Because Mr. Varun was on time, he did not panic and went on the tour, enjoying it a lot. He also asked the hotel one day before to pack breakfast early in the morning for him. The whole tour was perfect for him, and he enjoyed it a lot.

In an incident, there was a candlelight dinner arranged after Watersports and Tanha Lot temple for Ms Sindhuja. Ms. Sindhuja was smart and kept clothes for candlelight dinner in the car so she could make that moment special. They changed their clothes at the venue and enjoyed their lovely moments.

While Mr. Bhupendra and his wife were doing water sports activities at Benoa beach, one man approached them to click their photographs in exchange for 5 USD. They paid him 5 USD. However, that man never showed up with clicked photographs. You should always deal with trustworthy individuals when on tour.

Ms Vidya and her Husband from Bangalore went to Bali for their anniversary. They made an amazing bond with the driver. The driver made extra efforts to keep them happy. However, it was not the same for Mr. Devendra from Delhi, who also went to Bali for his honeymoon. Mr. Devendra started treating the driver rudely like a servant from the very first day. He started giving orders and made the driver uneasy. The driver, though, completed that tour professionally, never made any extra effort to please Mr. Devendra. Also, it has to be kept in mind that any actions we take in a different country will directly or indirectly affect our nation’s image.

Destination Requirements to travel to Bali

• If Vaccinated RTPCR test is not required
• Initially, there was a rule that every international tourist arriving at Bali Airport would have to get a test on arrival. However, as per the update on April 6, 2022, there will be no test conducted on arrival, even for international tourists.
  • Everyone will have to pass through the temperature check at the airport. If the body temperature is higher than 99.5 degrees, a COVID test will be conducted then and the cost will be borne by the traveller.
  • If the COVID test is negative, the traveller can continue with the tour plan.
  • If the COVID test is positive, one will have to be quarantined for a minimum of 5 days, and then another test will be conducted. The quarantine stay cost will be borne by the insurance company or the traveller.
• As per the latest requirement to visit Bali, travellers should be fully vaccinated with 2 doses of WHO-approved vaccination. On 6th April 2022, it is also added that travellers can also show a COVID recovery certificate with a few terms and conditions.
  • Travellers with less than 2 COVID doses will have to get quarantined for at least 5 days.
  • For travellers below 18 years of age, there is no requirement for a COVID certificate.

Also, read – Rules to travel to Bali