There's a lot to see and do in Bali! But there are also a lot of things you should avoid! In this video, we are sharing 13 of them. USEFUL LINKS: Book your Bali tours and activities with GetYourGuide here: https://gyg.me/5kx1ijo0 With more than 60,000 curated activities in over 3,600 destinations around the world, from tours like this to skip-the-line tickets, GetYourGuide is the best place to discover the world’s most unforgettable travel experiences! And their tours are always led by knowledgeable local experts, giving insights into the culture. We booked our Bali food tour using the app and we never needed to print anything! 24/7 support and free cancellation up to 24 hours before schedule are also available. BALI FOOD TOURS: https://gyg.me/xD9MO87f

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If you're Bali-bound soon, you might be extremely excited about all the things you want to visit.

But hold your horses, there are some things you should avoid too.

In this video, we're listing down the mistakes you shouldn't make when planning a trip to beautiful Bali.

Hey there, poor traveler! We are Vins and Yosh.

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Bali is one of the destinations we recently visited.

And if you're flying there soon, you probably know that there's a lot to see and do here.

Which is why it is difficult to not get overexcited.

So much so, let's get started.

So much so that sometimes, we tend to overlook the other aspects of a trip that could lead us to making bad decisions.

So, without further ado, here are the mistakes you should avoid when traveling to Bali.

I made my first mistake even before I arrived in the island.

For some reason, I assumed that Bali is just as small as Phuket or Santorini or Singapore.

My friends, Bali is a hell of a lot bigger than those.

It is huge.

It is 8 times bigger than Singapore,

10 times bigger than Phuket,

64 times bigger than Santorini,

and 500 plus times bigger than Boracay.

Keep that in mind when building your itinerary.

Don't schedule your activities immediately after another if they're in different parts of the island.

Getting from, say, Kuta to Ubud does not take just a few minutes.

It takes a couple of hours.

And those faraway temples like Lempuyang,

or Ulundanu,

much, much longer.

Depending on your itinerary and what you're in Bali for, to begin with,

you need to pick the most ideal area to stay so you won't waste too much time on the road.

If you're staying in the Kuta or Seminyak area,

there's another thing you shouldn't underestimate.

Bali welcomes millions and millions of visitors per year.

In fact, from January to October 2023 alone,

it has recorded almost 1 million visitors per year.

It has recorded almost 1 million visitors per year.

It has recorded almost 4.4 million foreign tourist arrivals.

And a great fraction of them chose to stay in this area,

where you'll find Kuta and Seminyak.

And most of them do not use the public transportation,

which is not as reliable as one could hope.

Most tourists prefer a private tour by car or booking Grab or Gojek

to get from one place to another.

It's no wonder traffic buildup is a constant occurrence here.

So if you have a tour, a show, or a flight to catch,

it's always best to have plenty of lead time.

Traffic is not as bad in other areas, though.

But I also noticed traffic jams in Ubud City Center.

While we're in the subject of food, do not, I repeat,

do not drink tap water.

Not even the locals do this,

and they highly discourage me too.

Most accommodations provide filtered water.

If not, head to the grocery and buy those giant containers

and just refill your reusable bottle every now and then.

Why?

Because tap water in Bali is gonna whoop your insides like it did mine.

I never really believed in the term Bali-Beli until it was happening to me.

I spent an entire night in the toilet without ever coming out

because every 15 minutes, something inside me was starting a revolution.

So no, don't drink tap water, I beg you.

And don't forget to bring anti-diarrhea meds too.

Partly because of the many expats who call this island home,

Bali has a vibrant international food scene.

Before coming to Bali, my friends told me I should try this place

with the best burgers and the best Greek food and the best tacos and so on.

Lots of fast food chains and cafes too.

And that's great and all, but don't leave without digging into local food.

Balinese cuisine is spectacular to say the least.

From the mouth-watering babi guling or spit-roasted pork,

to the ubiquitous sate and nasi campur,

to traditional cakes.

The best part, they're everywhere too.

You'll find them at high-end restaurants,

to humble warung or small family-run eateries.

Most of them serve homey, hearty meals.

But if you want insider scoop, best to book a guided food tour.

By joining a food tour, you'll get to know the local favorites

and sample them while learning more about the Balinese food culture and other tips.

Thankfully, there are a lot of food tours available on Get Your Guide,

the sponsor of this video.

We actually booked our food tour in Bali with Get Your Guide

even before they approached us.

So we're really happy that we're now collaborating for this video

because we already trusted them even before.

We booked an authentic food tour from Ubud

and our guide John K was polite, friendly, and knowledgeable

and could communicate in English really well.

He brought us to this babi guling place outside the city center

as well as this coffee luwak farm

and to Gyanyar Night Market

where he introduced to us more traditional dishes like betutu

and an assortment of desserts.

In between food stops, we dropped by rice terraces

and Tirta Empul, one of the holiest temples in the island.

This is just one of the many food-related activities available on Get Your Guide.

Some tours are for join-in while others are private.

Some will show you around the market so you get a better understanding

of the local ingredients and other produce.

You could also join a cooking class.

And these are just the food-related tours.

With more than 60,000 curated activities

in over 3,600 destinations around the world,

from tours like this to skip-the-line tickets,

Get Your Guide is the best place to discover

the world's most unforgettable travel experiences.

And their tours are always led by knowledgeable local experts,

giving insights into the culture.

We booked our Bali food tour using the app

and we never needed to print anything.

24x7 support and free cancellation up to 24 hours before schedule.

are also available.

To download the Get Your Guide app,

just click the link in the description and pinned comment.

And by street ATMs,

I mean those cash machines that you see in the streets,

out in the open and can easily be tampered with.

If you need to withdraw from an ATM,

choose a machine that is inside a bank

or other guarded or enclosed establishments,

but the bank is your best bet.

And you'll find a lot of virus-reputable banks,

throughout the island.

If you must withdraw from a street ATM,

always double-check for signs of tampering.

When in doubt, don't do it

and just find another way to pay or get cash.

Speaking of cash,

In Bali, the official currency is the Indonesian rupiah.

And 100 USD is roughly 1.5 million rupiah.

The highest denomination is 100,000.

Yes, that's 1 followed by 5 zeros.

For those who are familiar with the currency,

the notes can be easily differentiated by the color.

100,000 is red,

50,000 is blue,

20,000 is green, and so on.

But for us who aren't used to seeing that many zeros,

it can be a bit confusing,

especially because these zeros don't have a thousand separator.

No period, no comma, no space, nada.

So it's easy to think that 10,000 is 100,000.

It was so easy to make that mistake.

And just like any other destination,

you may run into someone who is willing to take advantage

when the opportunity presents itself.

It was already my fourth day when I finally got the hang of it.

But maybe I'm just slow in general.

But thankfully, I never really had to pay cash that much.

Most of my tours had been pre-booked

and I usually paid by card when available.

Fortunately, the supermarket in front of our hotel accepted credit cards.

Bali is generally safe and has a relatively low crime rate,

considering how busy and touristy it is.

But like many other tourist hotspots,

petty crimes do exist in Bali,

especially within developed areas like Kuta.

So, don't hold your phone, purse, or wallet out in the open

when walking or standing by the road

because someone on a motorbike might just snatch it away.

Keep it away from other people's reach

and don't leave them unattended on the beach

or use them to reserve a table at a food court.

Overpricing Taxis

Overpricing taxis are rampant in Bali.

In fact, we have been told by the locals to not hail a cab,

but use Grab or Go-Jek instead.

And if we must, only use Bluebird,

said to be the only reputable taxi company on the island.

If coming from the airport,

you may also pre-arrange a pickup service online.

If you prefer traveling by motorbike,

beware of scams too.

I don't ride motorcycles abroad,

so this isn't something I'm concerned about.

But I had been warned about rental shops

that would charge you for pre-existing damages on the bike.

Police scams are said to be prevalent too.

They say that some officers would just stop motorbike drivers

for whatever reason they could think of

just so you could pay them to let you go.

But if you insist on renting a motorbike,

make sure you have the proper driving license

and always wear a helmet.

Before you book multiple day tours,

check the itinerary first.

Most tours in Bali have similar attractions.

Usually, there's a stop at Tegalalang Rice Terraces,

a coffee luwak farm where you could taste

a variety of coffee and tea flavors,

and Instagrammable spots with a giant swing and the like.

And to be honest,

if you've experienced one of each kind,

you've experienced them all.

So if you're booking more than one private tour,

ask your contact or guide if you could replace

some of these stops to avoid a repetitive journey

and you could experience more of Bali.

We've done it before and every guide obliged

because it's not difficult to find another point of interest along the route.

Of all the destinations I had set foot in,

Bali is perhaps the most IG-worthy.

It's just bursting with Instagrammable spots,

both natural and man-made.

By now, you probably know about this,

the Gate of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple.

And you might already be aware that this is just a mirror trick

and that there's no body of water on site.

But that's not the only thing you should be aware of.

You see, it's so popular that the line for this photo

can get crazy long.

We're talking about up to three hours of waiting time here,

just for a minute of photo session.

On our last trip,

we arrived in the afternoon in time for the sunset

and we waited two and a half hours.

They say that to avoid waiting times,

go in the early morning.

My teammate Paikan did just that

in time for sunrise.

They were second in line.

But even if your timing is right,

don't expect everything to be picture perfect.

Most photos you see were either taken under the best conditions

or enhanced digitally.

Often, the skies don't cooperate.

It's more likely that you'll get a plain white backdrop

because the mountain is hiding behind the clouds or fog.

A lookalike can be found in the north.

This is Handara Gate,

which also has the same effect.

It's not as popular as the Gate of Heaven,

but you could still wait for 40 minutes to an hour for your turn.

Even here at Tirta Ganga,

the lines can get crazy long,

especially at this spot.

I personally don't mind the waiting times

because I know how to keep myself busy.

I usually spend the time chatting with our guide and other locals.

But if you're not really into IG-worthy spots

and you want to maximize your stay,

you might just be wasting a lot of time queuing.

There are other picturesque but less crowded attractions elsewhere in the island.

But if you really want these shots,

sure, go ahead.

You're already in Bali,

might as well experience the full package,

queues and all.

Since we're already talking about temples,

know that you must dress modestly within the vicinity.

Some temples provide sarongs that you may borrow,

but to be safe,

just wear something that covers your shoulders,

upper arms, and legs.

This applies to both men and women.

If you're bleeding,

say you have an open wound,

or for women,

if you're menstruating,

you should not enter the temples.

Even when there's a lot of tourism activity in the island,

Bali remains religious,

conservative,

and traditional.

It will become apparent to you on your first day

just by taking a short walk.

In front of the houses and on the sidewalk,

you'll see small palm trees with flowers and food.

These are Chanang Sari,

which are daily offerings to the Supreme God of Indonesian Hinduism

as a symbol of gratitude.

So watch your step and please do not step on them.

Also, when handing out something to a local,

always use your right hand.

Your left hand is considered dirty and is for toilet duties.

And never touch anyone's head,

which is considered a sacred part of the body.

Mosquitoes are common in Bali,

so it's best to be prepared.

We didn't think of it until we checked into our hotel room

where we found a free mosquito repellent spray.

And we realized,

hmmm.

Of course,

some places and some months are more prone than others,

but to be on the safe side,

just bring one with you when touring.

The last thing you want is to catch dengue or other mozzie-related diseases.

When we think of Bali,

we immediately conjure up images of its beaches.

Growing up,

I thought of Bali as a beach paradise.

But when I was there,

I realized that Bali's biggest assets are not its sandy shores,

but its well-preserved culture and inland natural attractions.

I was much more awed by its temples and waterfalls and cuisine

than by its beaches.

Don't get me wrong,

the beaches here are not bad.

Not at all.

But just to manage your expectations,

if you've been to other beaches in Indonesia

and you're expecting Bali to give you the same sparkling beach scape,

then you'll be underwhelmed.

That's not to say that you shouldn't come to Bali at all

because you definitely should.

You must.

But there's so much more to Bali than its shores.

I know it sounds obvious,

but it is very important that you know this.

First of all,

don't do drugs anywhere you travel to.

But especially here in Bali

because Indonesia has some of the strictest laws

when it comes to drugs.

Possession is punishable by imprisonment for 4 to 12 years or

if the amount is big enough,

you can be imprisoned for life

plus fines of up to 8 billion rupiah.

For trafficking,

the death penalty may be imposed.

That's not the kind of adventure you want to experience abroad.

In our next video,

we'll be sharing with you how to plan a trip to Bali.

Yes, that's our comprehensive Bali travel guide

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