The Biggest Mistake Tourists Make while in Bali

The past two weeks had been the most amazing time in my life as I had what others would call the best job there is the world. For me the recipe for a great job is when you could combine working and traveling at the same time. And that finally that came through this month - being paid to come to the most talked holiday destination - BALI, that's A, and B, you work for one of the most important international events, the IMF-WBG 2018 Annual Meetings. I wasn't the only one and this doesn't apply only to locals. In the hotels I stayed, Tijili Benoa Hotels that is, I met a couple of Dutch students who were doing their internships in Bali. That could be an option for you to visit Bali. Care to try?

I had to work for only 9 days and as others would have done had they been in my shoes, I extended my stay for another days. Would not have been counted visiting Bali without exploring its amazing cultures and natures. That being said, I would like to go over to the biggest mistakes tourists make when there are in Bali.

On my last night in Bali, I decided to stay in a hostel called Kayun Hostel Downtown, located just in a walking distance from the Bali Bombing Ground Zero Memorial. The hostel was very quiet this time around and fairly so as it is the low season in Bali. And that takes us to the first mistake tourists make, coming to Bali during the high season. If you are traveling on a budget like me, you would not want to come to a holiday destination when it is flooded by thousands of other tourists. We all know that the prices will go up during this time around: the airfair, the accommodation and possibly the food in the restaurants. So if you want to afford all that Bali has to offer do not come to Bali in between July and August, during the Easter holiday and during the Christmas and new year. I know it's basically all of the holiday seasons but just let the have-moneys enjoy their time on all those occasions, you, the budget traveler on the other hand, can have Bali on days other than the ones mentioned.

The second biggest mistake tourists make while in Bali is spending too much time in Kuta. Again, refering to my time in Kayun Hostel, I met 4 tourists from Sweden who said that they had been in that hostel for 3 days and planned to do so for another two days. It is a big big no. Do not spend too much time in Kuta! You won't see anything there and what you would end up with is hating all the time you spend in Bali. If that happened, it is not Bali, it's your fault for not exploring enough. Yes there is Kuta Beach, but I would sacrifice skipping Kuta Beach for other beautiful beaches. And yes, there are a lot of them in Bali: Canggu, Jimbaran, to name a few. That's just the beaches, what about other gems of Bali? Yes, that's what you come to Bali for. So do not stay in the red light district part of Bali (Kuta)! Go explore Ubud, Jimbaran, Nusa Penida Island and many more (I will talk about the must visit places in my next post).

And three, do not go to restaurants with western food. Hey, you came all the way to Bali, why don't you take a bite of Balinese / Indonesian cuisine? I have list of local food you have to try: Nasi Padang - that's a must and you can find it everywhere in Bali, Ayam Pedas Buk Oki, Manega Cafe Jimbaran and list goes on. This is also a good way of saving money as the prices in local restaurant can be a lot cheaper compared to the western ones.

Four, minggle with the local. What I observe from tourists coming to Bali, they often spend time with their circle. Well, it's a matter of choice, but personally when I visit a new country I would want to have a conversation with locals. I would like to get an in-depth of the local culture right from its source. I know sometimes we have this prejudice within us that we might be scammed in a foreign place but you might be suprised by how nice the locals could be.

And lastly, don't think Bali as an expensive destination. No, Bali is not expensive at all. Well, Bali is that one place that has a bit of everything for everyone. If you like to stay in an expensive hotel, Bali definitely has that. Just go to the hotels in Nusa Dua region. If you like to stay in a rather modest accommodation, Bali has that too. Just be willing to do a little research before coming to Bali. And if using international website doesn't work, use local website like traveloka.com, airy.com, reddoorz.com and many more.

So, those are the common mistakes tourists make when they are in Bali. Make sure you don't fall under all of that. And.... enjoy your vacation in Bali!