Bali Travel Tips | What Nobody Tells You About Traveling to Bali (But I Will)
- Elle
- 20 hours ago
- 5 min read
So I went on a bucket list trip to Bali and everyone asks me was it as amazing as advertised. Honestly it was, but lets go through the good, the bad, and the amazing as someone who went with no expectations. Now that that's out of the way — consider these honest Bali travel tips from someone who experienced the joys of amazing food and the pain of a crying baby on a 20 hour flight.
Let me start with the thing nobody warned me about properly.
The flight. Yes we all know Bali is not a quick trip from the US. As an experienced traveler who has been on 13+ hour flights before, boarding a flight where the travel time (with layovers) exceeded 24 hours was not something I was adequately prepared.
And for those dismissing this info because you book business class, yes this still applies for you too. The lie flat seat helps. The champagne helps. But 20+ hours is 20+ hours and your body will remind you of that fact regardless of what cabin you're sitting in. Prepare accordingly. Neck pillow, snacks, entertainment, patience. Lots of patience because after taking a nap, watching three movies, eating a meal and you look in horror at the flight tracker and see you still have another five hour to go, patience is the most important thing to have in abundance on the plane.
The people are genuinely warm
I didn't know what to expect but the Balinese people surprised me. Almost every interaction from the airport and hotels to the drivers, guides and restaurants was just genuinely kind. With one exception of a man on the beach, but that was definitely the exception not the rule.
There's a calm, welcoming energy there that you feel almost from the moment you land. People were kind, patient, and genuinely hospitable. It set the tone for everything.
Ubud and Seminyak feel like two different countries
We split our time between both and I'm glad we did.
Ubud is the jungle, the culture, the temples, the quiet. It's the Bali that makes you slow down whether you planned to or not. Doing a yoga class at sunrise on the rooftop deck listening to the waterfalls from a water feature at my resort was an experience that can't be duplicated.
Seminyak is the beach, the sunsets, the beautiful hotels, the shopping. It's the Bali that makes you feel like you're actually on vacation. Where I spent days at the swim up pool bar, getting another body treatment, or lounging at one of the many beach clubs with music, food and dancing.
If you are thinking of only doing one, add a couple of days and do both. The differences between the two locations offer vastly different experiences, both enlightening and both entertaining.
What we did that was actually worth it
The Bali Swing.
Yes it's everywhere on Instagram. Do it anyway. Swinging out over the jungle in Ubud is one of those things that pictures genuinely don't capture. Go early. Beat the crowd. Rent the big oversized dress. Put flowers in your hair. Do the thing and make sure you lean back and kick your leg up for a good shot.
Pura Lempuyang.
That's the temple with the gate and the reflection photos you've seen a thousand times online. It's even more beautiful in person but definitely a trek from Ubud so stack some other attractions in the area to make the drive worth it.
The ride up in small vans and the final stretch on foot was more of a hike than I expected. Ladies, please wear something modest that covers your shoulders or be prepared to rent or buy items at the base of the temple. The line is long but it moves, so just take pictures of other areas in the courtyard while you wait. Although you only get five of those enviable pictures with the large gate after hours or travel and wait time, it's still definitely worth it.
The cultural experiences.
I was afforded the experience of going on two different excursions in Ubud where the guides took us to their family compounds to enlighten us on Balinese culture and Buddhist traditions. Going to the neighborhood water temple and seeing the guide also meditate and offer their own offering along with the group was deeply profounding. And the architecture of the temples themselves? Spiritual and stunning. Even if you're not religious there's something about being in those spaces that sticks with you.
Alongside the visits to local neighborhood temples — not the overly saturated tourist spots that show up in every Bali Instagram search — we were also treated to authentic Balinese food literally cooked by someone's grandma in the back. I had no idea what Balinese food would be like. I assumed something similar to Thai food but it was so much more flavorful and interesting than I expected. My mouth still waters when I think about those corn fritters in my flashbacks of the trip.
These were the moments that felt the most real. Not a tourist show. A genuine look at how people actually live in Bali. I think about these experiences the most when I think about the trip.
A cooking class.
I almost skipped it because it was scheduled on a free day and I debated sitting by the pool versus standing over a stove. I would have regretted that. Cooking Balinese food with local ingredients at our hotel ended up being one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.
We got another glimpse of that great Balinese hospitality when the chefs teaching the class happily boxed up all our food, gave us the detailed recipes of everything we cooked, and waved goodbye when we didn't have time to enjoy the meal we made before checking out of the hotel.
Group trip logistics that actually helped
Book hotels in both areas so you're not commuting back and forth between Ubud and Seminyak every day. We hired a driver for the entire trip but grabbing drivers daily is also a feasible option especially as you explore each city. It's affordable and your driver will likely know spots you haven't even thought to Google.
Plan two or three things the whole group agrees on and leave the rest flexible. A fully scheduled group itinerary sounds organized until day two when everyone is tired and nobody wants to follow the plan anymore. We loaded the first half of the trip in Ubud with back to back activities but really took time to relax in Seminyak. Do what works for your crew.
The part that will genuinely shock you
How affordable it is. Even staying in nice hotels and doing experiences every single day Bali costs significantly less than a comparable trip to Europe or the Caribbean. Now let's not get carried away — nobody is doing 10 days for $100. But you can absolutely experience an incredible level of service and care at both lower and mid range accommodations. It will ruin you for overpriced travel in the best possible way.
Go.
That's really all there is to say.
Prepare for the flight mentally and physically because it will humble you regardless of where you're sitting on the plane. Pack your patience alongside your neck pillow. Then get there, let the people surprise you, slow down in Ubud, unwind in Seminyak, do the swing, stand at that gate, eat whatever someone's grandma made in the back, take the cooking class you almost talked yourself out of, and stay longer than you think you need to.
Bali is not just a trip. It's the kind of place that gets into your head in the best way. You'll be thinking about those corn fritters and that water temple long after you're back at your desk pretending to work.
You will wish you had stayed longer. Book it.
Planning your own Bali trip? I put together a list of everything worth packing — check it out here.
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