• Chapter 1
Before moving to Bali, I thought the hardest part was already behind me.
- tickets booked;
- visa sorted;
- accommodation booked;
- scooter rented.
What else could we possibly need?
As it turned out, quite a lot.
Not because Bali is some incredibly complicated island. It is just that when you arrive in a new country for the first time, a dozen completely ordinary everyday questions appear all at once.
If I were preparing for Bali again today, I would do things a little differently.
1. I would keep all my documents in one place
I would not just arrange the visa. I would check the full set of documents required specifically for my passport and my type of entry.
Besides your passport and visa, before the trip it is worth checking:
- a return ticket or onward ticket to another country;
- the electronic All Indonesia declaration;
- the Bali tourist levy;
- proof of accommodation;
- requirements specifically for your nationality.
When we entered Indonesia, for example, they really did ask to see our accommodation booking.
And yes, I would no longer rely on:
“They probably won’t ask.”
They might.
Entry rules change, so this is one area where I would not rely only on someone else’s experience from last year.
To check visa options and requirements for your passport, use the official Indonesian immigration website: Check available entry options
Electronic declaration: All Indonesia
Bali tourist levy: Love Bali
I put the full list together separately here: 📄 Which documents you need to enter Bali
2. I would sort out money in advance
This was where our first surprise was waiting for us.
We had around $250 in older US dollar bills with us.
When we needed to exchange money at the airport, they would not accept them.
At that moment, friends who were already living in Bali literally saved us. Before that, I had never even thought about the fact that the condition and year of issue of US dollar notes could become a separate problem.
Now I would not build my first hours after landing around a single payment option.
I would have several:
- some Indonesian rupiah or US dollars in good condition;
- a working bank card;
- a clear way to exchange or transfer money in advance.
For currency exchange and transfers, we currently use ExchCore, a FROGI partner.
You can contact the manager here: @ExchCore_bot
It is better to check the available transaction methods directly before exchanging money.
I will also prepare a separate guide about money in Bali: 💱 How to exchange money in Bali and what to pay with.
3. I would book a transfer in advance
Before Bali, I thought ordering a car after landing would not be a problem at all.
And technically, it really is not.
There is Grab, Gojek and official airport taxis.
But after several hours of flying, my attitude towards this changed:
sometimes comfort is simply one task you no longer have to deal with.
We landed at 12:50.
We had already arranged for our rented scooter to be delivered to the villa at 14:00 and were completely sure we had more than enough time.
We only reached our accommodation after 4 p.m.
Bali traffic explained very quickly that distance and travel time here are not always connected in the way you expect.
If I were arriving for the first time again, especially with suitcases, I would consider booking a transfer in advance.
And if you want to understand all the available options, I collected them separately here: 🚖 How to get from Bali Airport
4. I would set up internet before the flight
Probably one of the simplest things that makes the first few hours in a new country much easier is having internet that already works.
As soon as you land, things start appearing:
- message your accommodation host;
- find your driver;
- open the map;
- order Grab or Gojek;
- show your booking;
- contact family or friends.
And all of this is much nicer when you do not have to search for a SIM card at the airport first.
FROGI now has its own travel service: FROGI eSIM
You can prepare the eSIM before departure and connect to a local network after landing.
If you are staying in Bali long-term, you can still get a local SIM later.
But during those first few hours, there is only one task: have internet.
More about mobile connection options here: 📱 Which SIM card to choose in Bali
5. I would look not only at the accommodation, but at the area around it
Before the trip, I was mainly looking at the villa itself.
Is it beautiful? Does it work for us? Great.
Only after arriving did I realise that equally important questions were waiting outside the gate.
Where is the nearest decent supermarket? Where can I buy water? Is there a café nearby if I really do not want to travel anywhere after the flight? What is the road to the house actually like? How long does it really take to get to the places I need when traffic is included? What is around the area at night? Is there construction nearby?
These small things very quickly determine how comfortable your first few days will be.
We deliberately rented our first place for only a few days because we did not want to choose an area based only on photos and other people’s advice.
And now I understand that for a first arrival, that was a good decision.
Live there first. Look around. Drive through the area.
And only then decide whether you want to stay longer.
6. I would download a few apps in advance
In Bali, you build your own set of everyday services pretty quickly.
During my first few weeks, mine included:
- Gojek;
- Grab;
- Green SM;
- Google Maps;
- Surfline;
- Shopee;
- Tokopedia;
- Jungle Padel.
You do not need all of them on day one.
But I would definitely install Gojek, Grab and Google Maps before the flight.
I collected my full list here: 📱 My set of apps for living in Bali
What I would change about my preparation now
Probably the main thing is that I would not prepare only for the flight.
I would prepare for the first 24 hours after it.
Because the ticket and visa answer the question:
How do I get into the country?
And then completely different questions begin.
Where is my money? How do I order a car? Why are we still driving? Where do I buy water? Why is this supermarket so expensive? Which area should I even choose?
These were the little things we started figuring out about Bali only after we arrived.
For now, the list looks like this.
Maybe some time from now I will come back to this page again and realise I would add a few more things.
This book is still being written in real time.
📖 Page 2
📝 Useful notes
📄 Which documents you need to enter Bali
📱 Which SIM card to choose in Bali
🚖 How to get from Bali Airport
📱 Useful apps for living in Bali
💱 How to exchange money in Bali and what to pay with — coming soon
FAQ
Officially, I'm an editor of city media around the world. But really, I'm just that traveling frog who chases adventures, connects people, and discovers new ways to make life a little more meaningful, exciting, and full of wonder every day
