한국어
Planning a Family Trip to Bali
Flights, Hotels, Entry Documents & Taxi Apps
JUNE 2025
This year, we were planning a few trips around Southeast Asia and also a family visit to Korea at the end of the year. Since Liam started school, we were hoping to travel during the school holidays, but while preparing for our Bali trip, I quickly realized how expensive flights are during that period! Not only were the airfares pricey, but hotels in Bali also get super expensive during Australian school holidays, since Bali is such a popular destination for Aussies.
So, we decided to travel during term time instead. Luckily, we had some Qantas points saved up, so we looked for dates where we could actually use them and booked the flights accordingly.
The last time I went to Bali was about eight years ago, and to be honest, it wasn’t the best trip for us. We stayed for two weeks, but found the lack of variety in local food a bit disappointing. Since then, Bali hadn’t really been on my radar. But now that we travel with a kid, our travel style has changed—it’s more hotel-focused, and that got me thinking Bali might actually be worth revisiting.
This time, we were so happy we gave it another chance! The trip turned out to be amazing.
Since we travel to Thailand quite a bit, I was used to not having to prepare much in terms of documents. So, I just assumed Bali would be the same… but nope! Thankfully, some friends gave us a heads-up, turns out we needed a visa and had to fill out an online customs declaration. Not the most exciting part of the trip, but once that was out of the way, everything else went smoothly.
Booking Our Flights to Bali with Qantas Points
The very first thing I looked into while preparing for our Bali trip was, of course, the flights! Our travel dates were set for May 31, so we booked the tickets about three months in advance.
We had built up a decent amount of Qantas points, mostly through our credit card and shopping at Woolworths. We were able to use those points to book return flights for all three of us!
Interestingly, even though we were using Qantas points, we ended up flying with Jetstar because it was cheaper in terms of points. So yes, we booked Jetstar return tickets using Qantas points—such a win!
Booking Our Hotels in Bali
After booking the flights, there really wasn’t much to think about when it came to accommodation, we already had our hotels planned out! Since we’re Accor Plus members, we naturally gravitated toward Accor hotels. Sofitel and Mövenpick are both well-known as family-friendly resorts, so they were an easy choice.
The only hotel we spent a bit of time deciding on was the one in Sanur. After some back and forth, we finally settled on Holiday Inn, which ended up being a great pick!
Here’s how our stay was planned out:
1 night at Novotel Bali Ngurah Rai Airport (right after arrival)
3 nights at Sofitel
2 nights at Holiday Inn in Sanur
3 nights at Mövenpick
4 Required Documents for Entering Bali
Bali Visa
Electronic Customs Declaration
Tourism Tax (optional)
Health Pass
Bali Visa
When preparing for our Bali trip, one of the first things we had to sort out was the visa. If you’re visiting Bali for less than 30 days, you can apply for a 30-day visa on arrival. This visa allows you to stay for 30 days initially, and you can extend it once for another 30 days.
There are two ways to get a Bali visa—you just need to choose one:
Visa on Arrival (buy the visa right at Bali airport)
Online Bali Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VOA)
Since we were traveling with a kid, I thought it would be easier to get the visa online beforehand. But it turns out kids under 14 can’t use the auto-gate at the airport anyway, so getting the visa early online didn’t really save us time.
Visa on Arrival (How We Did It)
After arriving at Bali airport, before immigration, go to the visa application booth and show your passport to pay.
You get a paper visa ticket (they also email it to you).
Show this visa ticket at immigration.
The cost is about 500,000 IDR (~35 USD), payable in Rupiah or USD (credit cards accepted but with 1.95% fee).
Even though the line looked long, there were multiple booths, so we only waited about 10 minutes. But watch out for slow lines—if someone ahead has an issue, it can take longer. We actually switched to a different line that moved faster.
Online Bali Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) — Things to Know
Cost is the same: 500,000 IDR.
The e-VOA is non-refundable and non-cancellable, so apply carefully.
They recommend using a phone or Chrome browser to apply.
One credit card can be used to apply for up to 5 people at once, so have one person apply for everyone.
What You Need to Apply for e-VOA
Passport with at least 6 months validity left
Passport photo
PDF scan of your passport
PDF of your return flight ticket
Hotel address + postal code
Credit card: MasterCard, Visa, JCB, or Travel Wallet accepted
Official visa website: https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/web/visa-selection
Visa fee per person: IDR 500,000 (~35 USD / ~50 AUD)
If you’re planning a Bali trip, sorting out the visa early helps avoid stress later, but the visa on arrival process is also pretty straightforward and quick.
Electronic Customs Declaration (Available 2 Days Before Arrival)
One of the must-do documents for your Bali trip is the electronic customs declaration! You need to fill out this form starting from 2 days before you arrive in Bali.
The good news is the form is available in Korean, so it’s easy to complete without any hassle. Just one person from your family can fill it out on behalf of everyone.
Please note that the old paper customs declaration is no longer accepted, so make sure to complete this online before you travel. You can even fill it out on your phone!
At the end, you’ll get a QR code—make sure to take a screenshot and keep it handy for when you enter Bali.
Official website: https://ecd.beacukai.go.id/
Health Pass Declaration (Available 3 Days Before Arrival)
You can actually submit your Health Pass declaration while waiting in line for the Bali visa on arrival—there are plenty of instructions posted around.
We completed ours before departure and saved the QR code, but no one checked it until we left the arrival area.
The Bali Health Pass has been required since August 2024 due to monkeypox-related health measures.
A few key points to know:
You can fill out the Health Pass starting 3 days before arrival.
Each person must register individually; one person can’t register the whole family.
You need to enter your airplane seat number. (If you’re transferring flights, you’ll need a transfer ticket to enter.)
If needed, you can also fill out the Health Pass after arriving in Bali.
Official website: https://sshp.kemkes.go.id/
Bali Tourism Tax (Optional)
We didn’t pay the tourism tax ourselves, and honestly, we didn’t see any signs or instructions about it at the airport either.
Officially, starting from February 14, 2024, Bali began charging a tourism tax for visitors. The fee helps support heritage preservation and environmental protection on the island.
The cost is about IDR 150,000 per person (roughly 10 USD or 13,000 KRW).
You can pay the tourism tax online here: https://lovebali.baliprov.go.id/
Here are some quick details:
Fee: IDR 150,000 (~10 USD)
Payment accepted in Indonesian Rupiah, US Dollars, or Korean Won
You’ll need to provide your name, email address, passport number, and Bali arrival date
After payment, a QR code and receipt will be emailed to you—make sure to screenshot and save it!
Preparing Bali Taxi Apps in Advance
If you’re getting ready for a Bali trip, you’ll want to know about the popular app-based taxi services there: Grab and Gojek. They work just like Uber— you can book a ride and pay right from your phone, making getting around super easy.
But there’s a catch: to use these apps, you need to verify your phone number by receiving a text message with a verification code. That means you need a local SIM card or phone number first. Buying a SIM card at the airport, then downloading the app, verifying your number, and adding your payment card can be a hassle—especially if you’re traveling with kids!
We prepared ahead of time by downloading and setting up the taxi apps back home in Australia. That way, once we arrived in Bali, all we had to do was buy a SIM card at the airport and we were ready to call a Grab or Gojek straight to the hotel. So convenient!
✅ How to Prepare Bali Taxi Apps Before Your Trip
Download Grab and Gojek apps
Change the app’s country setting to Indonesia (Bali)
Verify your phone number with the one you’ll use in Bali
Register your credit or debit card for payment
💡 Tip!
If you’re traveling with kids, I highly recommend setting this all up before you arrive so you don’t waste time at the airport and can get moving right away.
At Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, nights tend to be quiet, but mornings get really busy with long lines for SIM cards. Preparing in advance saved us a lot of hassle!
