Bali for First-Timers: What We'd Do Differently

There are hundreds of Bali guides online telling you where to eat, where to stay and which temples you need to visit.

This isn't another one of those.

These are the things we would genuinely change if we were planning our first Bali trip again.

Some would save money.

Some would save time.

Most would simply make the trip more enjoyable.

We'd move around less

The biggest change.

Bali doesn't look enormous on a map.

That can make you think changing areas constantly is easy.

It isn't always.

Traffic can turn relatively small distances into surprisingly long journeys.

Next time, we'd choose our bases more deliberately and explore around them rather than constantly crossing the island.

We'd plan fewer things each day

We'd rather have:

one brilliant experience,

a good lunch,

some downtime,

and a great sunset

than squeeze seven stops into a day.

Some of the best memories from the trip weren't complicated.

Surfing.

Sitting on a beach.

Getting a massage.

Finding somewhere good to eat.

Watching sunset.

A trip doesn't need to be exhausting to feel worthwhile.

We'd do another surf lesson

Surfing was exactly the kind of Bali experience we wanted.

It's active.

It's fun.

You don't have to be good at it.

And it gives you something to actually do rather than simply visiting another place for a photograph.

If you've never surfed, Bali is a great place to try.

We'd book more spa time

Before going, spa treatments felt like something we'd fit in if we had time.

After going, we'd actually schedule them.

Bali is extremely good at this.

And after travelling around in the heat for days, a massage becomes one of the easiest ways to reset.

We'd be pickier about beach clubs

We'd still go to beach clubs.

Just fewer of them.

The best ones can make for a brilliant afternoon.

But we'd ask ourselves whether we're genuinely interested in the venue or just going because we've seen it online.

We also wouldn't assume an expensive beach club automatically provides better service or a better experience.

Sometimes the smaller sunset bar or restaurant is the place you end up talking about afterwards.

We'd eat more Indonesian food earlier

Bali makes it extremely easy to eat exactly as you would at home.

Pizza.

Burgers.

Brunch.

Smoothie bowls.

Pasta.

Sushi.

Everything is available.

That's convenient, but you're in Indonesia.

Some of our most interesting food experiences came when we stopped automatically choosing the familiar option.

Next time we'd do that sooner.

We'd add somewhere beyond Bali

If you have enough time, don't assume the whole Indonesia trip has to happen on Bali.

Travelling onwards made us realise how different the country becomes from island to island.

Lombok gave us a completely different pace.

The Gilis gave us island life and snorkelling.

Jakarta felt like another country compared with Bali.

Bali is fantastic.

But Indonesia is much bigger than Bali.

We'd stop chasing every saved place

You know that folder on Instagram?

The one with 130 Bali reels in it?

Most of them do not need to become part of your trip.

Save everything you like.

Then cut aggressively.

Somewhere can be beautiful and still not deserve three hours of your day once travel time is included.

This was probably our biggest planning lesson.

We'd research experiences, not just places

Searching “best places in Bali” gives you landmarks.

Searching for experiences gives you memories.

Surf lesson.

Cooking class.

Snorkelling.

Traditional crafts.

Local guide.

Spa.

Sunset dinner.

Boat trip.

Those were the types of things we remembered most.

We'd leave empty time

One of the easiest mistakes when planning an expensive long-distance trip is feeling like every minute needs to be used.

It doesn't.

Some afternoons should have nothing planned.

You might find somewhere you love.

You might be exhausted.

It might rain.

You might decide to stay by the pool.

That's still travelling.

We'd worry less about doing Bali “properly”

There isn't one correct Bali trip.

Someone else's perfect itinerary might be completely wrong for you.

Some people want temples and hiking.

Others want surfing and beaches.

Some want yoga.

Some want restaurants and nightlife.

Some want luxury villas and absolutely nothing planned until dinner.

The best Bali itinerary isn't the one containing the most famous places.

It's the one that matches how you actually like travelling.

That's probably our biggest takeaway from the entire trip.

And it's exactly how we'd plan Bali next time.