The challenges of Budget Solo Travel in Bali

This was a diary style post about solo travel in Bali, during a time I struggled with being alone while in Indonesia. I always intended this as a somewhat private post to explore my mixed thoughts about staying here. However, in case you stumble across this post, I have added a section with some advice and reassurance below.

After feeling too anxious to leave my street for a few days in Canggu, I get the irony that once I arrived in Ubud raring to go… my bank cards got blocked. But what makes it harder to get around Bali than a blocked bank card? Being a budget, solo traveller!

It’s the first time I’ve visited a country and felt unable to get around: so many costs are ‘per driver’ (i.e.; you pay the same for a car whether there’s one or four of you), meaning it is too pricey for one budget backpacker. There isn’t public transport. And scooters? I’m not able to drive for health/brain reasons. Honestly, I’ve never been somewhere before and felt so unable to get to where I wanted.

Update: Surprisingly, going back to Indonesia in 2019, I found solo travel in Java much, much easier.

You can stay in hostels – as I did – and hope to meet people with the same plans, but because Bali doesn’t have a ‘set route’, whether your dormies want to see the same sights as you just depends on luck. In my case, in Ubud, all my fellow hostellers were there for yoga and meditation. I am about as meditative as a pixie on acid, however, so a shared experience wasn’t on the cards.

And I tried, guys, I did. But I wanted adventure, and they wanted to meditate.

Getting stuck in Ubud isn’t the worst thing, even if your main activity is trying to reason with your UK bank. It feels safe, the food is good, and there are a few free things to do in the town, such as the temples and palace. The ridge walk is nice – I’d probably appreciate it more if I lived there for a daily morning walk, rather than as a traveller who was itching to explore bigger things but couldn’t move from Ubud. I was lucky enough that someone who follows me on Instagram invited me to go to the Monkey Forest with her and her partner, so I got to have fun running away from monkeys for a while. (If a monkey isn’t a knob’ead, is he even a monkey?)

I branched out with my spare cash only to go to three iconic spots – the waterfall, plantations, and the water temple – but did begrudge the expensive car hire. Honestly – these WEREN’T the spots I wanted to go to, but they were nearest to Ubud and all I was willing to pay. They were very touristy spots and there were not as many solo travellers around as I expected, and I felt kinda invisible amongst the crowds. Which is fine –  a lot of people choose Bali as a holiday destination, so if you are a backpacker people are potentially less likely to be on your wavelength than in other SE Asia destinations. (Not in terms of personality, but in terms of travel style.)

If you have money to spend, I don’t think solo travel in Bali will be an issue, but if you’re a bit introverted or are on a strict budget, it could be tricky. I’ve spoken to solo travellers who loved Bali but they were generally sociable beach types or had a bit more money to spare. If you’re an explorer, keen to get to exciting landmarks outside of the main tourist towns, be prepared to cough up cash or stay in your bunk.

That said if all else fails (including your bank cards)… Bali IS a good place to do nothing. I’ve never been to a country for as long and done so little. It wasn’t my choice, but at least I had time to write. The coffee was good, the vibe was chilled and within each town, it was easy to get around. That’s something. That’s good enough for now.

Obviously if I went back, I would branch out on a travel-friendly bank card. If you’re from the UK, look into cards from Starling or Monzo.

The times of Solo Travel I Bali I enjoyed…

My day to Uluwatu – even if it was way more expensive than many other single days I’ve done in Southeast Asia – My perfect day in Uluwatu, Bali. One day itinerary.

And, well, it ain’t Bali, but I had a fun week travelling through Flores, Indonesia with some people I’d just met on a boat in Bali and they were like ‘hey, come with us!’

Also, this place:

Uh yeah, so Nusa Penida… I enjoyed Nusa Penida. Haha.

ALSO, shout out to getting my advanced PADI in Bali. And doing my first wreck dive! If I went back, I’d head straight to Amed and just dive and chill on the beaches. That would be a great solo travel trip.

Disadvantages of Solo Travel in Bali…

More in-depth advice on this in the advice section below.

It was near impossible to get to the places I wanted to go to.

Very expensive to do any day trips as tours etc are geared towards couples and groups

Constant attention from local men… wow. I felt VERY uncomfortable and this hasn’t happened as much anywhere else.

Advantages of Solo Travel in Bali…

It feels safe for the most part.

Great food, lots of veggie and vegan options – just check this guide to avoiding Bali belly so you only see the good side of Indonesian cuisine and the gorgeous Canggu cafes.

Practical elements like being able to get a visa easily (country dependent)

The tourism infrastructure is well set up.

The locals are in general very kind… though I did have to deal with a lot of hard-selling, which made me feel uncomfortable. Also, I wasn’t expecting to attract so much attention from local men in Ubud…

Big expat community – if you did run into any trouble, I’m sure people would step in and offer advice and support

If you are going for yoga or meditation, this will be a dream.

If you don’t have a low budget, you can stay in some relatively low cost amazing accommodations (compared to Western countries). You could also hire a friendly private driver or your own scooter to take you around.

Ultimately, there are lots of pros and cons to solo travel, and Bali is no exception. We all find places that work for us, and others which just don’t hit the mark.

Some advice for solo travellers to Bali… (and my struggles)

Firstly, if you’re not on a budget, basically… the challenges I faced won’t apply to you. You can stay in tranquil accommodations, higher a private driver to go around with. All good.

I think perhaps it might be easy for more extroverted solo travellers too? I found it really hard to meet people here, either digital nomad types or regular backpackers… I felt like an outsider either way.

You could also head to one of the local homestays in the countryside. This could be especially fun if you’re not too introverted to talk to locals!

Also… if you’re going to Bali for yoga or meditation, disregard this advice. You’re in the right place – have fun!

The biggest challenge for me was the lack of public transport, which essentially rendered it out of my budget to get anywhere. Once again, I can’t drive cars/scooters for health reasons. Don’t @ me.

Places where it’s easy to get around/get to: Canggu/Seminyak you’ll be fine. You can get to Ubud and Uluwatu fairly easily with grab or go-jek or scooter rental.

It’s not as easy as just renting a scooter when your on your own, unless you only want to go between those places OR are an experienced scooter driver.

If you want to go further afield, scooter rental is a possibility but you’re looking at many hours driving with no company and no one to share the drive with if you got tired, it rains or had even a minor accident. Not a great plan for a non-experienced scooter driver going North on their own. Not possible for me. I’d say I couldn’t get to around 90% of what I wanted to see and had many days in limbo very close to booking an early flight back to Oz so I could get back to earning.

Plan accordingly. Choose a base with stuff you want to do close by – you can’t wing it in the same way as other backpacker countries.

Prioritise places you really want to go to. Meet ups will help but don’t rely on them. BUDGET for activities you really want to do before you go. Like I said, this may be more expensive than other countries in Southeast Asia if you’re on your own. Not a problem if you’re not a backpacker, perhaps.

Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan are great trips for solos and can be arranged for a reasonable cost. Just make sure you have a way to get around the island. (I hired a motorbike driver.) The Gili Islands are are another great option for solo travellers, especially if you’re after easygoing beach vibes and serene sunsets.

Specific activities such as diving are a good option for solos since you pay per individual person. To avoid expensive transport costs, head to Sanur right by the airport. The dive shops will provide transport up the east coast (and past a great view of Mt Agung) to amazing dive sites such as the USAT Liberty Wreck.

Consider a tour. I’ve never done a tour, but travelling with a group of women around Bali would probably be a lot of fun.

Feeling lonely in Canggu, Bali – private thoughts 2 weeks ago

They say that time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time, but what about the time we don’t enjoy wasting? The time we have for ourselves because we’re feeling low or tired or simply need to take stock? There is often a feeling we must do something productive or worthwhile everyday. We might be allowed a lazy weekend, at best, but what about a lazy week?

And I’m not talking about a beach break or staycation with a buddy, I’m talking about the solitary week I spent in Canggu, meandering only between my hostel and the cafes down the street. Barely saying a word aloud, I was a silent traveller, if such static solitude could be described as travelling.

Let’s be fair, Canggu is cafe paradise. We’re talking good coffee and the best breakfast this side of anywhere. It’s the perfect place to do nothing. Or, at least, what feels like nothing: the first four days I did take my laptop in between two cafes and get some serious writing done. Since this is just a hobby, whether that’s wasting time or not is up to you.

I think if I was here with someone… I’d quite like it, honestly. I think knowing there is a big nomad community and feeling like such an outsider made it worse. I wasn’t quite on the same wavelength as the budget travellers in my hostel, and the digital nomads had their own thing going on. I felt very alone.

And then came the 2 days I spent in my bunk. Having chronic insomnia, sometimes low energy hits me like a fish slap. But it still makes me feel like a right waster when those rare occasions come along when I think, really and truly, stuck to the covers like treacle, finding it hard to muster up the energy to even get me to the nearest convenience store to buy some breakfast. Fatigue comes both fast and slow. On the second day of self-prescribed bed rest, I felt incomprehensibly guilty about not exploring the country I’d arrived in almost a week prior and begged my hostel to get me out of there. Thankfully, they obliged and booked me a day trip to Uluwatu. It was the boost I needed to start setting more Bali plans in stone.

It’s amazing how, after three and a half months travelling, being in one place for a full week started to feel unnerving. I’ve got so used to being on the move and jumping ship before I’ve even had a chance to unpack my rucksack.

This is one of the issues I’ve found with solo travel – I find it hard to relax or ‘waste time’, because it is at tough reminder that what I’m really after is someone to waste time with.

When I’m active, the solitude is also an excuse to get sh*t done and see the world. I’m even less self-conscious about getting my photo taken alone (even if it means finding a bin or rock to precariously rest my camera on). But on a slow day? I begin to crave company and cuddles and conversation: someone to put the world to rights with. I think that’s why, if I am totally honest, I spent a week letting precious travel time slip through my fingers: I wanted someone to say ‘what shall we do next?’ with.’ I wasn’t making a decision about my next destination because I wanted to get excited about the prospect of sunrise hikes or snorkelling or famously green rice fields with someone. Since I didn’t want a one-sided conversation about plans with myself, I stopped making them at all.

Well, f*ck it. I’m a great solo backpacker! I have been rejuvenated after my time in hiding, rather like a caterpillar who has been kept safe in a cocoon and arisen… as a slightly more energetic caterpillar. I even found a weird comfort in imagining I was the only person left on earth. Not because I stopped craving human company, but because this made it easy to remind myself how capable I am, regardless.

I need to relish my autonomy and to find courage in my freedom to look out at the vast open space ahead, knowing that only I can decide which direction I should take the first step in. The most important thing is simply to take a step.

So thank you very much Canggu for the coffee, but it’s time to go. And it’s time for all that sadness to be washed away. So next up? I’m off to the sea.

More Posts on Indonesia:

BALI

One day in Uluwatu

Packing list for Bali

JAVA – my favourite solo adventure

Java Itinerary and Complete Travel Guide

Yogyakarta Guide

Borobudur Guide

How to see Mount Bromo at Sunrise

How to Hike Mount Ijen

How to get to Tumpak Sewu Waterfall

Karimunjawa Islands Guide

How to get to Karimunjawa

FLORES

10 days in Flores itinerary