I travelled to Bali Indonesia last April 16, 2023 along with my cousins for a 6-day vacation trip. It was actually my first international travel after the pandemic and to be very honest I am not prepared for this trip. Like I have not made enough research about Bali and what we needed for the trip aside from the essentials. All I know was that Bali was known to have many temples and beaches, and that we need a vaccination card. That’s it.
What to Prepare for a Trip to Bali Indonesia?
I’m not fully hands-on for this trip unlike all of my other trips since I am traveling with my family. Usually, I let them decide where to go when it’s a family trip because it’s their line of expertise. With that, I have encountered some mishaps along the way because I’m all over the place and I have not planned everything in advance. I forgot a lot of things that cost me some money but I learned my lessons.
Here are some of the things that you need to take into account when traveling to Bali Indonesia:
Prepare Travel Documents
If you have been following travel groups in Facebook, you will see a lot of Immigration Officers (IO) and Offload Stories. That made me afraid of going through Immigration, so I had to prepare all the documents that I thought might be asked by the IO. The documents I have written below were what we have compiled but it may vary per person, you may add / remove documents based on what fits your job.
| Public (Government) Employee | Private Employee | |
| 1. Approved Vacation Leave
2. Copy of your Flight Booking (Cebu Pacific, Airasia, Philippine Airlines, etc.) 3. Copy of your Itinerary (Daily Tour) 4. Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate 5. Actual Vaccination Card 6. Photocopy of 2 valid IDs 7. Copy of your Confirmed Hotel / Airbnb Booking 8. Copy of your Travel Insurance (this can be any but we got ours here) 9. Copy of Pay slip / BIR 2316 10. Travel Authority |
1. Approved Vacation Leave
2. Copy of your Flight Booking (Cebu Pacific, Airasia, Philippine Airlines, etc.) 3. Copy of your Itinerary (Daily Tour) 4. Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate 5. Actual Vaccination Card 6. Photocopy of 2 valid IDs 7. Copy of your Confirmed Hotel / Airbnb Booking 8. Copy of your Travel Insurance (this can be any but we got ours here) 9. Copy of Pay slip / BIR 2316 10. Certificate of Employment |
Apart from the above mentioned documents, we have also compiled on our phone’s gallery our graduation photos, diplomas, office pictures, etc. for just in case situations. It might sound funny to have these saved but it’s better to be ready than be offloaded.
To date, I thank God that I have made it through the immigration and have not experienced being offloaded. I hope I would never experience it. My tip when you travel was that you have to be honest and confident. Also, you have to have with you all the documents that proves that you were returning to your country as specified on your travel booking/itinerary.
If you were really conscious, you may also do a simulation of what might be asked and compile the documents from there. It was our two (2) cousins first time to travel abroad so we practiced them on the usual questions of IO during the screening based on our previous travel so they will not get nervous on the actual screening process. Luckily we all made it!
Download an Application and Fill Out Forms
Based on Cebu Pacific Guidelines, the following were needed when traveling to Bali. We have filled out the required forms before our flight to Bali for the smooth flow of the Immigration process both in the Philippines and Indonesia.
PeduliLindungi App. An app where you need to upload your vaccine certificates for Indonesian Government’s record. When you download this app, it will direct you to an app called “Satusehat“. Download it. Upon downloading the app, please be informed that by default the app language was officially set to Bahasa, Indonesian language.
I actually had a hard time registering to the app due to language constraint so I had to asked the help of my Indonesian Co-Kpop fan to help me with the Registration. Let me guide you below on how we did it:
- Click on the App and click Masuk ke Aplikasi.
- On the upper right, you will see Bahasa, click it and change to English to be able to translate the language to English then click Simpan.
- Click Register and check the Terms and Conditions Agreement.
- Register via Email (for foreigners). Do not Register via mobile number as it was set for the locals (Indonesian).
- Fill out the information. Once you fill out the information, you will encounter a dropdown that says “Other Identity Type” This option was the only option in Bahasa when you change the app language to English. On that option, you will see the following:
- Choose this option: Tidak Ada – None / Not Existing
- NIK – ID number for Indonesian citizen
- PNA (Perwakilan Negara Asing)/OI (Organisasi Internasional) – Foreign country representative / International Organization
- KITAP – Permanent residence permit
- KITAS – Temporary residence permit
- After completing the form, you will be redirected to the main app. The language was in Bahasa. What you need to do was go to Profile > Language > English.
- After translating. Go back to Home. Choose Vaccine Immunization.
- On Vaccine Immunization, click Vaccine Non-Indonesia and fill out your vaccine information. By filling this out, you will need to upload the following:
- Image of Vaccine Card Doses.
- Passport Details
- Once done, go back to Profile and click Vaccine Status.
- By default, the status was in red color.
- After you fill out the vaccine form (as stated on the previous step), the color will change to yellow/orange indicating that the vaccine status was “Waiting for Approval”.
- Wait for a few hours and it will changed to Green color which indicates “Approved”.
- And that’s it. You have now registered your vaccine status to their site.
- Do not panic if you get logged out of the app. It’s normal. You just need to login again when needed.
Note: The app is required by Cebu Pacific by the time I have written this post. This rule can change without prior notice so better keep yourselves posted on their website.
Bali Customs Declaration Form. Customs form in Bali where you will input your flight, hotel/airbnb details, and purpose of travel. After you fill out, you will be provided with a QR code. Save the QR code as you will present it at Denpasar, Bali Airport for scanning before they allow you entry to Bali Indonesia.
Philippines eTravel Form. Customs form in the Philippines which also have a QR code. You will need to fill out this form before going to the immigration both upon departure and arrival from and to the Philippines. PS. You don’t need to write at the hard copy form at the airport when you have already filled out the eTravel form.
Others: Cebu Pacific will require you to wear face mask while in flight so bring a face mask when you travel.
Ready an Open Line Phone for Indonesian Sim Card
I always opt for a pocket wifi whenever I travel from one country to another especially when it’s a group tour because I want to save money. Sharing the cost and use of one pocket wifi helps me budget my pocket money for the trip. However, for this trip, I did not see anyone with pocket wifi. All suggestions led me to use a sim card. In fact, you will see a lot of sim card offers outside the Denpasar airport for the internet connection.
All of my cousins got a sim card at XL Axiata for their wifi and I am the only one who didn’t get one. Upon our arrival, my phone signal name was transitioned from Globe to TelKomSel so I went to TelKomSel booth to buy a sim card knowing that it was an Indonesian Telecom counterpart of Globe. I already paid for it and the staff got my phone and set up the sim card. Then upon opening my phone, it says sim card not compatible and even locked me out of my phone. So the lady apologizes and return my money. Gladly, I know how to fix the lock on my phone since I was logged in on my Apple account.
Upon checking on my end, I realized that I was using a postpaid device and my phone was locked to Globe. So only globe sim was allowed on my phone. It was hard for me because while my cousins allow me to share their internet, I had to ask them from time-to-time to open their hotspot for me to connect which was quite inconvenient. Although I survived it, I recommend for you the following so you would avoid experiencing not getting a sim card:
- If you are using a Telecom (globe/smart/sun) plan, you may proceed at their respective stores to have your phone open for a new line; or
- Bring an open line spare phone to use for the sim card.
Download WhatsApp Application
Based on my observation, the main communication app used by the locals was WhatsApp, so after my cousins got their sim cards at the airport, they immediately downloaded WhatsApp to be able to contact our transportation guide and inquire to restaurants for reservations.
Buy a Power Adapter
The socket in our Airbnb / Villa was different from the socket that we were used to when we travel. You know, I was expecting that since the place that we were staying was an Airbnb where foreigners booked when they travel to Bali, the facilities will be foreigner friendly. Like there will be USB ports and all. However, the sockets on the villa were circular (see photo below) so I had to buy a power adapter there. If you have a similar power adapter then it’s okay bring it. But I recommend for you to buy it at the Phone Shop in Bali instead since the wattage of the power adapter that they sell matches more on their socket. It’s faster also than our normal charger.
Bring a Powerbank
This was the mistake I made when I travelled to Bali, I didn’t bring any powerbank. My powerbank got broken a week before my trip and I didn’t even made time to buy a new one because of my busy schedule at work. I am using an iphone7+ so the battery runs out fast. On the day of my flight, my phone’s battery were at low since I just come straight to the airport after the Treasure Concert and most of my battery was used capturing fancams and photos to which I overlooked out of overwhelming feeling from the concert that I forgot that I still need to fill out the Customs Form online. Gladly, there was a socket at the airport so I just charged my phone there, standing away from my cousins. I had no choice. I had to charge or I won’t be able to fill-out the customs form. It was a bit stressful on my part. So if you don’t want that to happen to you. Make sure that:
- Your phone was fully charged.
- If not, bring a powerbank with you.
Plan the Trips’ Budget
Whether you will go all out or limit the budget for a trip, you have to discuss it with the group you’re traveling with before your trip because any changes may disrupt your planned budget for the trip. Depending on your agreement, you will opt to follow any of the following options:
| Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | ||
| Cash Only Basis | Credit Card Basis | Combination of Cash and Credit Card | ||
| 1. Plan how much you will bring.
2. Check which currency was better (Peso to Rupiah / Peso to Dollar) In our case, the Peso to Dollar currency was better. I realized this after checking the rates in Money Changer along the streets in Indonesia. 3. Have the money changed. Although, we had our Peso changed in Rupiah before our flight. |
Credit Card basis was only feasible if the group agreed to it prior to your trip as all expense will be divided between the group.
However, credit card was preferred for personal use only. There’s no need to have the cash changed if you will use credit card. You have to call the bank prior to your trip and inform them of your plan to use your card for your travel so they can activate it and monitor your purchase. |
1. Plan how much you will bring. It should be the same for all.
2. Have the money changed based on preferred currency. 3. Plan when you will use card and when to pay cash. I recommend for the card to be used for personal spending only and not group spending.
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As for me, I prefer Option 1 because I want to limit myself within my budget for the trip. It’s like if I bring Php 20,000.00 worth of cash for my trip, I will keep track of my spending within that range only. Using card for a group spending while having a cash with me will hamper the order of things. Order was really important to me so it confuses me when the order was not being followed.
I’ll give you an example. If I have a Rupiah cash with me, and the group suddenly decided to use a credit card to pay for a meal. The cost equivalent that will be divided between the group will not show up until the Bank Statement of Accounts has been sent to the owner of the card. Then, the cash with me will be left with me and then I will have to think of Peso value upon my return from the trip which should not be the case in the first place. It’s like instead of not having a liability, I would have a liability because the payment has not been made on the spot. My order of things was that, I will use my cash to pay anything that will be spent within the duration of the trip so that I won’t think of it anymore when I come back to my country. If I use card, I will only use it for my personal spending and not for a group spending. Are you like that too? Or Maybe it’s just a ‘Me’ thing.
Option 2 was fine but was hard to follow because I believe it’s also important that you keep cash with you for just in case situations.
Option 3 was feasible. Have a cash with you and then use a credit card for personal spending. I don’t recommend for the credit card to be used for group spending like something that you will divide within the group such as meals, entrance tickets, etc. Instead, use only credit card as an alternative for cash for emergency purposes like when someone runs out of cash but wanted to buy something personal (something that won’t be divided as a group) like souvenirs, bags, shirts, etc. I hope I made sense though.
But of course, I do understand that we have different travel strategy, so follow what fits you while being understanding with the group you are with.
How about you? How did you prepare for your Bali Indonesia Trip?
Share your experience with us on the comment section below. We would love to learn from your tips!
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P.S. I will update this with links to my Indonesia Tour in the coming days!
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