Over the course of any holiday, we often find specific places and services that become a recurring feature, part of our supplementary routine. These finds often help give us some structure to our days in foreign lands and even offer a sense of normality. Additionally, they may also make the stress of navigating our trip more affordable and hassle free so we can concentrate on enjoying ourselves. So here are my top 5 finds that have helped us thrive in Ubud.

1. A reliable driver

This is necessary if you are travelling for any length of time and want to get out of Ubud, especially if travelling with kids. A driver can cost between $60 to $80 a day, and everything else in Bali don’t be afraid to bargain. Best be prepared and organise a driver before you fly based on some recommendations and get in contact via messenger or WhatsApp. Doing this ahead of time means you can organise your itinerary, budget, and relieve stress before you land.

The benefit of having a driver is that you can rely on some local knowledge about where to eat along the way and places to add. In our case, this included some spectacular waterfalls. One word of caution is that they can suggest some more expensive stops like the Glass bridge. In these situations, it pays to just say no, there is no obligation, you’re paying for a service.

A young couple or a group of friends might be inclined to soak up more of the experience using GoJek to jump on a scooter or a tour. However, when traveling with a 5-year-old, having complete control makes it so much easier. Once our boy reached his limit, we could pull the pin and head back to the hotel. It also means the driver becomes a familiar face throughout the trip, which helps settle kids already thrown around a bit by the loss of routine. Our driver Gede was also great at engaging with our son and was often a third adult looking out for him at each of our stops. The whole arrangement made it a lot less stressful and for a fraction of the cost of booking tours.

2. Take advantage of local apps and trial services

It might be a bit dull that my first two picks are about services, but they make or break a holiday. A pleasant surprise when we arrived at our hotel was the free electric shuttle service a Toyota Smart Initive running a trial in Ubud between Sep 23 and Feb 24. The shuttle service all runs through an app that allows you to book a ride up to 30 minutes in advance at a host of various locations around Ubud, including the market, monkey forest, and several hotels. Lucky for us, we had door service, so getting down to the market was a trivial matter of forward planning, a quick wait and free ride. Once again, with a 5-year-old, this was perfect as it cut down on walking without any added expense. During peak, there might be a little extra wait for a ride, but with us using it 4 times a day for 9 days, it only let us down once. Hopefully, the trial is deemed a success, and it becomes an ongoing service.

The Gogek app is another great local tourist tool and is a bit of a one-stop shop. It has a transport service with both scooters and cars available as well as shopping. However, for us looking for a couple of good meals back at our hotel that were cheaper than room service, it was the gofood functionality that came in handy. In this way, we were able to search local vendors and order in just like at home with user eats. It was just what we needed after some long days and a cranky 5-year-old on our hands. The only frustration here as a tourist was adding payment details trying to go through the Web portal but this was much easier on the app. Gojek is a must for anyone traveling to Bali, especially if they like the convenience of organising things from their phone without leaving it up to chance with ‘taxi’ drivers or food vendors from the street.

3. Finding your local

Whether it is a place to drink, get a coffee, or have a massage, having a few local haunts is necessary on holiday. These places allow you to build a sense of familiarity in your new surroundings and something dependable amongst the uncertainty of overseas travel. During our recent trip to Bali there were three mainstays that became almost daily haunts.

The first was the coffee shop across from our hotel, Kopitoko. This little gem made a good iced latte and had a good supply of soy, oat, and almond milk for travelling Australians keen on coffee. However, the real steal was a series of rice bowls for 45k complete with a free iced tea. This meant that we managed a solid lunch for about $9 AUD as the bowls were big enough for 2 adults and a child. They are only a small place, so all three of the rice bowls are always available but still a great little find.

Our next favorite spot was the Rembulan spa near Ubud market. Not the most visually stunning spa from the vast array on offer in Ubud but they have decent prices, a range of services and friendly staff. We stumbled on the spa during our first full day in Bali, and all got a wonderful $7 AUD 30 min foot massage in the garden, and we were hooked. We kept coming back whether it was a Mani, Pedi, or another foot massage we were regulars. My son was heartbroken on our last morning when they couldn’t fit us in one last time. I think we may have created an expensive habit with all these massages.

Near the spa was another regular hangout Gelato Jedi. As a set of mad Star Wars fans, the name drew me and my son in to try at first. Not the cheapest option, but as someone with lactose intolerance, the vegan Gelato made from coconut milk was a blessing to cool down in 30-degree heat. The overall quality of the product and modern fit out meant we came back regularly as a great spot to take a break during our shopping trips or further unwind after the spa. After we found Gelato Jedi midway through our trip, our son was chanting the name especially since after an upset stomach meant he should avoid dairy it was the only options for him as well, it was a disaster averted.

4. Bargain, barter and walk away

It’s not a secret that to find a bargain in Bali is all about being able to barter in the markets. Yet, it was clear watching some tourists in the market that they had no idea. Some Westerners might feel dodgy asking for a lower price, but in Bali, like other places, it is expected, and you quickly get the sense that the market keepers enjoying it as they roll out different lines and acknowledge we you have gotten them. Now, bargaining may be a fact in the market, but it isn’t always the case for retail stores. In this space, there is no harm in asking, but just accept it if the person behind the counter says it’s a fixed price.

Now, the secret to our strategy is that as the stall keeper goes high, we start equally low. It sends the message that we know their price was just as ridiculous. Then we can start getting serious. The biggest thing here is to hold your nerve and not jump at the first discount they offer as they will normally come down significantly more. At this point, it helps to have another adult. You can bounce things off like a good cop bad cop. My wife and I do this well. The old, what do you think, and the other just shakes their head. It helps if your offside is looking a bit disinterested and seems ready to walk away with the money. However, if when you’re shopping alone, the threat of walking away is an old favorite, and it works, especially in the markets, because they all know you are going to find a similar product somewhere else. At times, you might walk away, and the shopkeeper still got the better of you, but other times you feel comfortable with the deal. Whether it is bargaining a chess board down from $70 to $30 or a painting from $220 to $150 or even a simple pair of pants for half the original price, there is always room to move.

5. Get your money organised prior to travel

There are, of course, a range of travel cards you can use when going over to Bali, but personally, I went with Wise and don’t regret it. First up, it was easy to set up in about 30 mins and over a card to be delivered in 7 days. Moving cash into the Wise account was just as simple as an ordinary transaction, which took about 30 mins to clear. The app itself is easy to use and allows you to effortlessly convert currency. It also allows you to schedule a transfer based on the exchange rate reaching a certain level. This wasn’t something I used much but I still appreciated the feature.

In practice, early on, I converted a few hundred AUD into IDR, but later in the trip, I let this slide a little. The truth is it didn’t really matter as wise converted the AUD on the spot with the available exchange rate to pay in local currency. With minimal conversion fees, it may have well just been like paying in AUD. Added to this, Wise is easy to use with most ATMs you’ll find in Bali, but the cost will start to add up here with the conversion fee, ATM fee, and potentially the 3rd party fee. However, a little pre planning with your conversion and choosing an ATM that doesn’t have a ridiculous 500 000 IDR maximum withdrawal is a clever idea. Regardless, after using Wise in Indonesia, it will be my go-to travel card going forward as money was just not something we had to worry about.

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So, here we have a few tips based on our experience in Bali. Happy travels. Read more about my experiences and reflections from Bali like the importance of Dance