Socialites Abroad: Bali

One upon a time I went to Bali, Indonesia. It was without a doubt, one of the best trips of my life. There’s something amazing about traveling when everyone else is grinding at their 9 to 5 and getting to experience other cultures.

While in Bali, I drank poolside, ate fresh lobster, saw amazing temples, got my yoga on, and played with monkeys (those suckers will steal your sun glasses, if you aren’t careful). I even witnessed a beach wedding! It was a perfect combination of culture/sightseeing coupled with lounging and sun worshiping.

Yeah, it’s far

Although Bali is about a 30 hour plane ride from New York City, it’s totally worth it. Getting there ain’t cheap, but once you arrive, you can live like a queen with hour long massages for under $20 and delicious food for about $10-20 per meal. Another thing I quickly learned was that renting a cab for the day (about $30) was a better way to go than group guided tours. This way you can make your own itinerary and travel at your own pace.

Some things that you don’t want to miss in Bali are:

• Shopping and partying in Kuta
• Beach-side seafood in Jimbaran
• A trip to the monkey sanctuary
• Swimming in the waterfall at Git Git

Finding Accommodations

2 major things to look for when finding accommodations in Bali are: free wi-fi in common areas (a lot of hotels in Bali don’t have wi-fi and if you’re addicted to the net like I am, this is important) and free shuttles going to Kuta or other places that you may frequent. Tripadvisor.com is indispensable when planning a vacation. You can easily learn about other travelers’ experiences via the comments and what the beach lounge chair situation is at a resort. Believe me; sometimes the beach chair situation is serious, just read the comments. I used www.sayangholidays.com as my travel agency and stayed at the Sanur Beach Hotel. I was really happy with both.

5 More Ways to Save

1. Use Skype (you got free-wifi, right?) to keep in touch with friends and family
2. Eat seafood by the ocean. The closer to source you are the fresher and cheaper it is.
3. Exchange your money at hotels. Some offer lower exchange fees since that’s not how primarily they make their profit.
4. Use a credit card that doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee.

Rent a condo or villa on sites such as VRBO or AirBnb

Happy Traveling!
– Trinidad