A Basic Traveling Guide to Indonesia for Beginner
What to do when you are traveling to Indonesia
Indonesia is the largest archipelago country in the world located in South East Asia. Specifically, it is in the middle of the Asia and Australia continents, and in between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Indonesia is strategically situated in the ring of fire which can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we have fertile soil and a wide sea territory that reserve a lot of resources. A curse because we have to face many natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, and even tornados.
People who lived in Indonesia are called Indonesian. Their national language is Bahasa Indonesia. Many Indonesians are trilingual because they usually speak 3 languages which are Indonesian, English, and other local languages. As a place for traveling, Indonesia can be a good place for you to visit once in your lifetime. It has many things to offer like cheap and delicious food, easy access to water, beautiful sceneries, and even cultural experience.
Basically, we have anything. Yes, anything you want.
Do you want to go to a modern city? Go to Jakarta.
Want to have cultural experiences and cheap food? Go to Yogyakarta.
Can’t stand the heat because it’s a tropical country? Go to Bandung.
Wanna have some fun at the beach with your friends? Go to Bali.
See? I told you we have it all. There is still a long list of it. But I just named the big cities that you probably heard of before. To make it faster for you, let’s just discuss how you can survive traveling to my country by yourself.
Download Gojek or Grab, both is even better
This is not advertising. Gojek and Grab have become something that Indonesian can’t live without. Gojek and Grab are applications that allow users to book a car/motorbike and the drivers to transport them to the place they want. Even better, you can order food, groceries, and even shop using these apps. They just make life easier for you. These applications usually give you several discounts too.
And believe me, except you are not in Jakarta. Public transportation in Indonesia is not that easy to understand. I use Gojek and Grab to go to places because it’s faster and easier. Well, you could use public transportation if you have a local friend who knows the route. But, I’m not sure about that too since many youngsters are using Gojek & Grab just like me too.
Bring some tissues wherever you go
Indonesian toilets usually don’t have tissues, unless you are in big malls, restaurants, or other fancy places. Most of them just provide you with a big cubic tub, a water closet, and a dipper to scoop your water. I am aware that many westerners could find this bizarre. But I assure you these toilets are clean. However, if you feel like you are not used to it you should bring your own tissues to wipe yourself.
Don’t drink tap water
I watched several foreigners drink water directly from the tap. Oh My God. Please don’t do this. Indonesian water tap is not directly drinkable. You can just buy mineral water from traditional markets, vendors, and supermarkets. 1.5 liter of water in Indonesia only costs Rp.5000, or around $0,34, it’s super cheap and available everywhere.
Download Traveloka
If you want to book a hotel, train, plane, and bus ticket, simply install Traveloka on your phone. These days, people book tickets online. Therefore, you don’t need to come to the station, and worse run out of a ticket. Traveloka has numerous discounts you can use. If you’re frugal, you can decrease your spending by making the most of Traveloka’s discount.
When in doubt, Nasi Goreng is the safe option
There are many delicious & cheap street vendors that you can find in Indonesia. However, there would be a time when you don’t want to explore food because you’re afraid that it doesn’t match your taste. So, when in doubt about what to choose, nasi goreng is the safe option. You can also ask the vendor to not add chilies and sambal if you can’t stand spicy food.
Learning Indonesia makes a big difference
Last but not least, you should learn the basic Indonesian language. Therefore, you won’t have any trouble asking people where to go to the toilet, how to buy a souvenir, and not to add chilies to your food. I believe that Indonesian is not a hard language to learn if you have determination. In addition, there are Indonesian who can’t speak English too if you go to rural areas. Why not learn a new language? it won’t hurt you.
And that is all my traveling guide for people who come to Indonesia. I hope this article can help you out. Can’t wait to see you here!
Avrantsa is a 20s lady who recently started writing on Medium. Currently, she still exploring different niche on her writings. Her hobbies include reading books (fiction and non-fiction), watching Korean drama and movies, playing guitar, editing videos, and cooking.
You can support her by following her and giving honest and genuine feedback on her stories, or by subscribing to her Medium account to get an email notification of her latest article.
