What should you pack for Bali?

Bali is hot, humid, wet half the year, conservative at temples and casual everywhere else. Pack for that and you can buy the rest in a day.

Clothes

• Light, loose, natural fabrics. Linen and cotton. Synthetics in 85 per cent humidity are a mistake you make once.
• Something with sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt for temples, ceremonies and evenings when mosquitoes arrive.
• A sarong. Buy one here for a few dollars; it works as temple dress, a beach towel, a blanket on a cold bus and a curtain.
• Two swimsuits. Nothing dries properly in wet season.
• A light rain layer, not a heavy one. It is warm rain.
• Something smart-casual if you plan on the better restaurants or beach clubs, some of which have a dress code and none of which want flip-flops at dinner.
• A jumper or fleece if you are going to Munduk, Bedugul or up a volcano before dawn. Batur at 4am is genuinely cold.

Shoes

• Flip-flops for everything.
• Trainers or closed shoes for scooter riding, waterfall trails and volcano treks. Riding in flip-flops is how holidays end.
• Sandals with grip for wet temple steps and boat landings.

The health and sun kit

• Reef-safe sunscreen, high factor. Sunscreen is expensive here and the choice is limited. Bring it.
• After-sun and aloe.
• Insect repellent with DEET or picaridin. Dengue is endemic. The bracelets and citronella candles are decorative.
• Oral rehydration salts and a basic stomach remedy.
• Any prescription medicine in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription. Indonesia's rules on some medications, including common codeine-based painkillers and certain sleeping tablets and ADHD medication, are strict. Check before you fly; this is one of the few areas where getting it wrong is genuinely serious.
• Plasters and antiseptic. Small scooter grazes in this climate infect quickly.

Tech

• A universal adapter. Indonesia uses the European two-pin plug, type C and F, at 230V.
• A power bank, for long days out and occasional power cuts.
• A waterproof phone pouch or dry bag, for boats to Nusa Penida and the Gilis, where the landing is often wet.
• An eSIM arranged before you fly, or plan to buy a SIM on arrival.
• A torch or headtorch if you are trekking before dawn.

What not to bother with

• A hairdryer, in every hotel and pointless in this humidity.
• A big towel. Accommodation provides them and sarongs do the job.
• Lots of cash in your own currency. ATMs are everywhere.
• Water purification tablets. Bottled and filtered water is universal.
• A drone, unless you know the rules. There are restrictions near the airport, over ceremonies and at many temples and heritage sites, and flying one over a ceremony will make you very unpopular.

What to buy here instead of bringing

Sarongs, beachwear, sandals, yoga mats, toiletries, straw bags and anything rattan, all cheap and good. Canggu and Seminyak are full of decent local brands, and the markets are fine if you enjoy bargaining.

For families

Nappies, formula and baby food are available in the supermarkets in the south, at prices similar to home for the international brands. Bring your own sunscreen and any specific medication. A carrier is more useful than a pushchair: footpaths here are not built for wheels.

For surfers

Boards travel fine on most carriers and rentals are everywhere and good. Bring your own leash and wax if you are particular, plus reef boots if you are going anywhere near Uluwatu or Padang Padang at low tide. The reef here takes skin.

The document layer

Keep photographs of your passport, insurance policy and vaccination records on your phone and in your email. Carry a photocopy of the passport for day-to-day identification and leave the original in the villa safe, except when you genuinely need it.