Bali, an island in Indonesia, is known as a world-famous "tourist paradise" with beautiful beaches, surrounding tropical forests, and vibrant nightlife.
Overall, Indonesia is not an expensive country to visit. However, along with its popularity at home and abroad, prices and all living expenses in Bali have increased at a dizzying rate while the economic situation is extremely difficult.
To still make your dream of independent travel to Bali come true under these conditions, please carefully refer to the travel information below.
Cheap air tickets
There are many airlines flying to Bali, Indonesia, but according to experienced backpackers, tickets to Bali from Lion Air, Airasia and Tiger Airways are still the cheapest.
Accommodation in Bali
In Bali, there are luxury hotels and resorts for those who like to spend money and prices have been increasing over the years.
However, if you are on a budget, you can still find cheap accommodation in Kuta Road and the nearby alleys, which lead to super cheap guesthouses.
Usually, to reduce living expenses, some young people choose rooms with only fans instead of air conditioning for only 10-12 USD (200,000-240,000 VND). Although the living conditions are not high, such cheap rooms are often fully booked on weekends.
If you want a room with slightly better conditions, you can visit tourist areas like Seminyak, hotels like Grandma's Hotel with prices around 30 USD/night (600,000 VND).
There are also cheap guesthouses around popular beaches like Balangan and Bingin for around $10 USD (VND 200,000) and if you stay long you can even bargain.
However, with these types of cheap motels, you should avoid booking online and call the owner directly. When calling, ask the owner about the room price, when you can arrive and ask to see pictures of the room so you can bargain.
Getting around the island
One of the big problems for tourists when traveling alone in Bali is how to explore the island in a cheap and safe way. In Bali, there is a lack of public transportation, while there are many motorbike taxis and taxis.
The best way to explore the island is to rent a motorbike. Popular tourist areas such as Kuta and Seminyak have motorbike rental locations.
You can find some of the most secluded, uncrowded beaches on the Bukit Peninsula or drive to Munduk for some scenic mountain climbing.
Normally, the price to rent a motorbike is about 3 USD/day (60,000 VND) if you bargain hard. You have to fill up the gas yourself, which costs about 1.50 USD (30,000 VND) for a day of travel.
You can also rent a car to explore the island but it will cost a huge amount of money and is also quite dangerous because the people here often operate vehicles quite…arbitrarily.
Cheap Activities in Bali
There are many activities you can do in Bali. Some of them are swimming, sunbathing and diving in the clear blue beaches here. This is an interesting activity that will not cost you a penny.
Bali also has many beautiful temples and pagodas for you to explore, both to admire the surrounding natural scenery and to discover national identity.
However, remember that there are quite a lot of middlemen in Bali. As soon as you step off the plane or taxi, these “brokers” will come to offer all kinds of services. Go to the hotel before signing up for any service.
Visiting Gillis Island is also an interesting activity in Bali. Normally, tour guides will charge you about 150 - 200 USD (3 million - 4 million VND/trip), but you can absolutely bargain to lower the price even lower.
(According to Modern Knowledge)
