Everything you need to know before visiting Bali

Bali is a beautiful Indonesian island known for its coral reef, beaches, volcanos, rice paddies and rich culture. Balinese people are very hospi table and generous. You'll see some incredible and unique sights, have fun and try some great food and drink if you visit. As always there are some things you need to be aware of when travelling to a foreign country.

1. ATMs

ATMs are widely available around Bali, in those funny little glass boxes. Most of them have a surcharge of around $2 – 5 per transaction. Some ATMs release money first and then the card, which isn't the norm for a lot of tourists. Be mindful of this and don't walk off without your card. Avoid foreign banks that you recognise like Commonwealth because they charge higher fees and are serviced less often, which makes it more likely to have a problem. Avoid old looking ones too for the same reason. It's better to avoid ATMs in convenience stores as again, higher fees, best to opt for ATMs attached to banks. I know my friends experienced some problems but I used Revolut, which worked at any ATM I tried. Sign up with my link and get a free Revolut card for awesome exchange rates abroad.

2. Pickpockets

As always wherever you travel be mindful of pickpockets and have your wits about you. I felt very safe in Bali but being at the wrong place at the wrong time then things will obviously go wrong. Be extra mindful in markets, where there are so many people and it is easy for someone grabbing your things to go unnoticed. As a solo female, it's best to avoid being by yourself at night time in quiet areas, just to avoid comments or any strangers approaching you.

3. Culture and customs

There are so many beautiful temples around the island. When visiting temples and sacred areas you must cover arms and knees but shawls are often provided at entry points for hire. Keep an eye out for 'canang sari', which are little boxes of incense and flowers placed out by Balinese Hindus as spiritual offerings. They are pretty much everywhere you'll go. Please don't step on them.

4. Don't drink the tap water

Avoid typhoid by not drinking tap water and avoid uncooked foods like salads from street vendors. Trust your gut, avoid dodgy-looking restaurants and you'll be fine. If you can take a water bottle with filter device so avoid the heart-wrenching feeling every time you buy a plastic bottle that will end up killing a turtle. It's recommended to avoid drinks with ice in them but my friends and I didn't experience any problems, as long as it's a reputable place you shouldn't have any issues either.

5. Mosquitos

There is no risk of malaria but there are a lot of mosquitos so don't forget to pack the bug spray. I don't like using a lot of chemicals on my body so opt for citronella oil, which does the job and it smells great.

6. Language

English is widely spoken and we had no communication problems but it's still useful to know hello, which is 'om suastiastu' and thank you is 'Terimah kasi' in Balinese. The locals will be very appreciative. Balinese is different from Indonesian, so they may not understand Indonesian words.

7. Getting around

When arriving at Denpasar airport avoid getting a taxi from the airport as they are notorious for hiking up the price. Try to arrange a transfer through your accommodation, this way you don't have to worry about getting ripped off and you can avoid the babble of taxi drivers competing to drive you. They don't have Uber but Bluebird, Go - Jek and Grab are widely available. I'd recommend using these taxi services as unmetered cabs can always spike up the price, leaving you in an uncomfortable situation. Blue Bird has a few copy cats with almost identical branded cars around the place but the bird will be different and they won't have ID inside the car. Ensure you are getting into registered and official Blue Bird cabs.

For trips under 30 minutes, you should expect to pay between 30-50K. Be aware these taxi services are 'banned' in Ubud and you don't want to be seen getting into one either as it will upset the local taxi drivers. There is strong rivalry and aggression from local taxi drivers against app drivers.

For this reason, don't be surprised if your app ride is reluctant to pick you up from a taxi rank. If you get in a cab from Bluebird, Go - Jek and Grab and they try and charge more when you get in them then to cancel the trip and find another. Whilst in Ubud use a personally recommended taxi service from your hostel or villa. If you find a good taxi driver get their number and they'll happily be around for you and hopefully offer a good price for your loyalty.

8. Currency

The currency is Indonesian Rupiah, which took me a while to get my head around because they are in the thousands. You'll have a lot of notes in your pocket but the notes are so small at times you won't get your full change back. They rarely use coins, if our change is very small you may be given sweets instead. At times the price is given with the 1000 implied so 50 would be 50,000. Divide everything by the value of 1 of your currency in rupiah to figure out the cost of things. For example, £1 is 18,165.45K so I'd divide by 18,000 to convert into pound sterling. The largest denomination is 100,000, which can be hard to break outside of large hotels so opt for smaller denominations.

9. Local food

Whilst in the country you have to try the local food of Mie Goreng, a noodle dish and Babi Guling, which is roasted pork often served at ceremonies. Pisang Goreng is a fried banana dessert. Nasi Goreng is the staple food of fried rice instead of noodles. Locals will have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is so simple and delicious. Sate is mashed chicken or fish with spices barbecued on a stick. Nasi Campur is also worth trying, steamed rice with vegetables, chicken or fish. The food in Bali was incredible and inexpensive.

If you are vegetarian like me you'll have no issue finding options. Bali is full of healthy, fresh, veggie and even vegan restaurants.

10. Alcohol

The local beer is Bintang and Arak. You can probably spot the tourists wearing Bingtang Singlets from the moon. Make sure you get all your alcohol from reputable places as there have been reports of alcohol being laced with methanol, which can result in blindness or death. Either don't sound great so don't buy your booze from weird places. Stay away from overly cheap alcohol even by Bali standards.

11. Say no thank you to Thai Tea

If a random person comes up to you and offers you tea please say no, I know it's hard especially for us tea-loving Brits but it won't be the type of tea you want and you'll probably end up as the victim of a drug sting. We pulled up to a convenience store and this very situation happened. Just politely say no thanks. Obviously, if you are in a cafe, give the Thai tea a go it's really nice. Also, not a great idea to smuggle drugs if you were thinking about it. You'll get a death sentence for it. Best avoided.

12. Beaches

There are so many incredible beaches and great surf spots. My favourite beach was Nusa Penida. As with anywhere you go be careful to listen to lifeguard advice. A lot of the coastline has dangerous rip tides and undertows. Don't swim if you see red flags.

13. Scooters

Scooters seem like a fun idea but driving in Bali will be an experience like no other. The traffic is crazy, there seem to be no rules, there are cars, bikes, people weaving in and out with live animals and it's loud. Somehow the craziness works but it's a stressful situation to drive in. Scooters are cheap to rent, they often take your passport as a deposit. Ensure you check for damage before and the level of petrol in the tank when it was given to you. You don't have to wear a helmet but you'd be an idiot not to. Oh, remember to get off on the left side so you don't get the scooter burn most tourists sport on their legs.

14. Haggling

It is expected to haggle so don't be afraid to ask for cheaper, don't settle for the first price offered as it will have been inflated to begin with.

15. Tipping

Tipping is not expected but a little goes a long way. Balinese people are some of the kindest and most hospitable people I have ever met. They don't earn a high amount but are still so generous. Especially with the high exchange rate what means a little for you will be more significant to them. If you experience great service then leave something small, they will be very grateful.

16. Dogs

There's a fair few number of stray dogs around the area. Avoid getting too close to them, just in case you get bitten. It is very unlikely but it's not worth the hassle. Also, they eat dog, oftentimes served in markets on skewers to unsuspecting tourists disguised as chicken. The best way to avoid it if it grosses you out is to look out for signs saying RW, which means that they are serving to dog meat. It is best to avoid it if as the meat may be contaminated with no tracking of vaccinations or history of diseases.

17. Move around!

Even though Bali is a small island there is so much to see. Don't spend all your time in Kuta as you'll probably end up with a bad perception of the place. Visit Seminyak, Canggu, Ubud and definitely the smaller islands like Nusa Penida for the full experience. We stayed in the most gorgeous villas that we found on Airbnb. There are so many incredible options on there. To get up to £40 off your first Airbnb booking click here.

18. Curious facts

You may notice recurring names of Wayan, Made, Nyoman or Ketut. This is because all Balinese whether they are male or female people take these names and are named on the order of birth. So, After the fifth child, the family will go back to Wayan. Babies are not allowed to touch the floor until three months old and there's a practice of teeth filing to mark adolescence into adulthood and remove evil spirits.

Bali is an incredible place, my friends and I had a great time learning about the island and experiencing its beauty. You'll have nothing to worry about, and will be able to enjoy a scenic, relaxing holiday. Hopefully, these tips will just make you more aware and make your trip easier so you can fully let go and enjoy yourselves. I hope you find this island as magical as I did.

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