Bali Travel Guide: Tips for Traveling on a Budget That Will Save You Real Money
Bali, a tropical island paradise of Indonesian heritage with jawdroppingly beautiful beaches. They don’t call Bali the Island of Gods for no reason. Bali has such an amazing unique energy about it and offers something for everyone.
Everyone wants to come to Bali, but you’re worried you’ll end up busting your budget. There are so many different ways Bali can be enjoyed though, and its not necessarily just that luxury lovers’ version you see on social media where its all about people partying in infinity pools, lazing around their fabulous villas and eating fancy salmon egg.
Bali can absolutely be done on a budget, so we’re gonna show you so many ideas for how to save money whilst you’re in Bali.
For comparions’s sakes, eating local at the warungs can be as cheap as $3-4 for an average meal for one, including an amazing coconut or a glass of fresh tropical juice. Whereas a similar hipster
café meal starts from upwards of $10. Another great cultural experience food tip is to explore the Balinese local markets (pasar) and there are night and morning markets and the Balinese street food there is unbelievable as well as being even cheaper than some warung prices. You can check out and find some of recommendation great Pasar on Internet.
And for the ultimate Bali budget traveler there’s always something called Nasi Jinggo which are little banana leaf packets of Balinese rice with a combination of side dishes such as egg, been salad, sambal, and it’s so delicious and it costs usually just only 5.000 rupiah. At the price if you eat only Nasi Jinggo and other Balinese street foods, your budget might just last you forever in Bali. So, immerse more in the local culture and save money at the same time!
TRANSPORT
Transport coasts can easly add up if you don’t plan well and end up taxi-ing around Bali multiple times per day. So here in Bali, roads are great, buses are the main public transportation, but unfortunately if you’re thinking about going around busing it’s nt really viable because the bus network doesn’t seem to cover enough ground. Take a leaf from the locals and sort out your own private transportation. Now in descending order of costs, there are the options for private transport you might wanna consider.
The most expensive option will always be taxi-ing around place by place so these days most people use apps such as Grab or Gojek to order their taxis on ad hoc basis, so you probably want to download these apps onto your phone before you come here.
Next best option will be to actually book a car and a driver for whatever period that’s suits, can be like a day, or for a week. This usually works out much cheaper than taxi-ing on the fly plus an added bonus if you’re lucky. Your driver can stand in as a part-time tour guide for a little bit of extra tips.
If you’re adventurous you can cut of the cost of the driver, you can rent a car, drive around by yourself. Bali roads are great and Balinese driver are also really cool, they’re patient, they’re courteous, and compared to many Asian countries driving in Bali is a great option.
Gojek and Grab apss actually allow you to book motorbike taxis. These work well and are cheap as chips but the driver’s sense of driving might sometimes clash with yours. Cheaper and much more convenient would be if you can rent your own scooter and motorbike around by yourself but of course this is granted that you have an international driver’s license that allows you to ride a scooter in Indonesia. If you’re driving around without an driver’s license or without a helmet, even without a mask, you might be in for a hefty fine on the spot, upsetting your carefully planned budget. If you actually plan on being in Bali for long enough, you might also with to consider actually buying a motorbike outright and then relling it before you leave. If you manage things carefully this way your transport costs over the entire time that you’re in Bali might work put to be a little.
ACCOMMODATION
Bali has all sorts of accommodation to suit all budgets ranging from the largest down to the other end of the scale at about sat 78$ for short term stays. We recommend you try online search engines such a Agoda or Booking.com. For longer term stays, what works very well are these Facebook groups for Bali housing and accommodation so you can check that out.
Things to consider would include stuff like do you really need a swimming pool if you’re going to be hanging at the beach every day, you can expect to pay between like 400 to 600 per month depending on how long you stay, The interior fittings and whether you get cleaning services etc.
Surefire ways to lower this budget item include things like considering to Villa share with your friends and fellow travelers. Perhaps if you intend on using the gym during your time in Bali maybe getting an apartment equipped with gym facilities may obviate the need for you to spend more money on a gym pass. Especially for accommodation, booking online well in advance outside of peak travel periods is great way to ensure more discounts, and also the longer you stay the more negotiating power you have with the rent. Also bear in mind the areas that you want to stay in. If you’re comfortable scootering around by yourself then maybe you don’t need to stay right in the heart of places like Ubud, or Seminyak to be exactly right next to the sights and the scenes. Maybe you can choose somewhere a little bit more remote, a little bit cheaper, and even though it may be a little bit more of a drive away, it might also come in some gorgeous wildrness settings sometimes.
SIGHTS & SCENES
There are so many different approaches towards experiencing Bali. Some of you may want to download the top 20 must see & must do activities in Bali off Tripadvisor and cover exactly that, but probably all these 20 things will have be crawling with tourists exactly like yourself, have been done to death by the millions who got there before you, and you’ll be paying prices and tips per the tourism circuit, ergo: elevated foreigner prices. Or you can spend more of your time discovering the Bali that lies off the beaten path. Be open to navigating more on your own and interacting more with the locals. The local people are friendly, open, sincere and generous with smiles.
Doing it like this means you don’t need to pay for tour guides or book tours with travel agencies, and its always cheaper for everything, food, accommodation, entry fees, when you’re off the touristic circuit. Plus there’s always the bonus of unexpected adventures along the way and surprise detours and discoveries.
Bali is also the Mecca of fantastic nature & cultural experiences that also happen to be freebie activities. Spend a day lying around on any one of Bali’s stunning beaches free. Walking through the stunning padi fields to enjoy the sunrise vista free. Driving around and enjoying the picturesque countryside free. Visiting your neighbourhood Banjar community halls where your neighbours are practicing their traditional musical or dance performance free. Catching sight of the Balinese engaging in their traditional ceremonialcelebrations like at Galungan and Kuningan free, and pretty priceless, we might add.
SHOPPING
Bali has a lot of discounted clothing and apparel stores as well as cool designer furniture and homeware stuff. For some of us coming from certain countries, all this can seem really cheap and tempting. But you know honestly, maybe pause to ask yourself if what you're buying is something you really need or perhaps you might just be getting suckered into all the so-called flash deals and special offer, because let's face it: sometimes even if it's at eighty percent discount, you don't really need that unique wooden footstool carved in the shape of an elephant or your seventh pair of flip-flops.
On the other hand, if your idea of updating your wardrobe is buying five t-shirts in a whole year, then Bali sales outlets are a fantastic place to get quality apparel at discounted prices, so you look smart for that year without spending a bomb! What's not to like?
One of the unmissable aspects of time spent in Bali is getting a good old traditional Balinese massage. Again here prices run the whole gamut. You can get luxury high-end massages and spa packages from the luxury resorts or high-end spa starting from hundreds of dollars upwards for a couple of hours, or you can find a trusty little massage parlor place in your neighborhood.
At the lowest end of the scale, while you're chilling on the beach you will tend to be approached by Ibus who are trying to hawk you a sarong or perhaps offer you a beach massage by their trusty hands right. You can even just get Ibus to press your shoulders for just like 15 minutes, and actually the price is up to you to negotiate, so this is about as affordable as it can get for massage in Bali. Getting a massage in Bali is an experience not to be missed and the magic of Bali is that it can be had at so many different levels.
As with everything in life, the early bird that plans ahead gets the worm. Flights, activities, accommodations, transport etc and better deals if u book early and outside of peak periods.
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