Bali Travel Setup Guide
Most people heading to Bali for the first time don't bother with a solid setup before they land, and they pay for it. Here is how I would do it. Start with your SIM. Get an Indonesian eSIM before you fly. Telkomsel has the broadest coverage on islands outside Denpasar, and the Airalo or Nomad apps let you top up data straight from your phone. I bought my first physical Telkomsel card at the airport in 2022 and it took forty minutes of line, language barriers, and an agent who needed me to spell my name three times. Since then I have used an eSIM and it works the second the plane doors open. Download Gojek and Grab before you arrive. You will need one of them for pretty much everything — ride-hailing, food delivery, even paying for small purchases at some warungs. Gojek tends to have better coverage in Ubud and the south. Grab is more reliable in Canggu. Having both installed gives you options when one app glitches or goes dark during peak hours.
For payments, carry small denominations of rupiah. The exchange rate sits around 16,000 IDR to 1 USD as of mid-2024, but that number moves. ATMs everywhere charge a flat fee per withdrawal, usually between 15,000 and 25,000 IDR. Withdraw larger amounts less often to minimize those hits. I learned this the hard way when I pulled out 500,000 IDR five separate times over a week and burned almost 100,000 IDR in fees alone. Combine that with a TravelCARD or Wise debit card that offers zero foreign transaction fees, and you keep more of your money where it belongs. Power. Bali uses Type C and Type F outlets, 230V, 50Hz. Most hotels and villas provide adapters, but they are often cheap ones that fall out of the socket. Bring your own if you have electronics with UK or US plugs. A single universal adapter with surge protection costs about twelve dollars and saves you from hunting for a replacement in a local toko. Health and documentation. Make sure your passport has at least six months of validity remaining past your entry date. Visa on arrival costs roughly 500,000 IDR and is good for thirty days, extendable once for another thirty. Pay it online through the immigration website before you land to skip the queue — the kiosk line moves faster but still takes twenty to thirty minutes during peak travel season. Carry proof of onward travel. Immigration officers check it randomly, and having a confirmed flight out within your visa window keeps things smooth.
A few things that do not work the way they should:
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- Water. Tap water is not safe to drink. Bottled water is cheap and everywhere, but if you are staying in a villa long-term, install a gravity filter. I tried drinking filtered shower water once by accident — do not do that.
- Scooter insurance. Most rental shops claim to include insurance. They do not. Check your personal travel insurance policy for motorcycle coverage. Without it, a flat tire becomes a five hundred dollar problem.
- Internet in rural areas. Satellite backhaul means latency spikes during rain. If you need consistent connectivity for remote work, stay in areas with fiber infrastructure like central Kuta or parts of Seminyak.
The setup itself takes about two hours spread over a few days before departure. Order the eSIM, install the ride apps, confirm your visa status, check your electrical adapters, and verify your insurance covers motorbikes. Do not treat this as optional. The people who skip these steps usually figure it out the uncomfortable way.
