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Hello,
Currently living in Chiang Mai and loving it.
Iโm trying to figure out where Iโll go once burning season hits in late Feb, as I donโt want to be here then.
Iโm definitely considering Bali - but I donโt ride motorbikes, and I donโt really want to learn if I can help it.
Is there anybody who has lived in Ubud and gotten around entirely by foot? If so, what was your experience like?
Would exercise caution about driving without a license. Paying police here and there is one thing. But if you end up in hospital, itโd be highly unlikely that your travel insurance would cover you. Iโve had a friend need to pay $50k out of pocket - sure could be worse too.
You can get an Indonesian driving license whilst in Bali but itโll only be valid for a month (unless you have a KITAS; then itโs a year).
Iโd echo @jodie_taylor โ the best of Ubud is outside of the centre. Thereโs so much tourism in the centre that it almost has a theme park quality. To the credit of the Balinese, it retains culture and the people are very warm.
But for authenticity and peace, you need to be outside of the town, ducking in when hungry etc. โ which then requires a scooter. Having a scooter takes some courage and thereโs no shame in opting to skip it if you donโt feel up for it. But it is liberating.
Canggu is quieter, but more spread out โ potentially viable on a push bike. Thereโs also an ebike firm in Ubud, not sure about in South, which could be another option.
I donโt think it takes too much courage to ride a scooter in Bali tbh. It can be a bit scary the first time, but as with most things, youโve just got to be careful and ease your way into it. Youโll be comfortable real quick. And most of these accidents you hear about are just drunken ozzies/tourists. Be vigilant and youโll be fine (disclaimer: no guarantees, your mileage may vary). It indeed is liberating to be able to escape the busy Ubud city centre, itโs a night and day difference in terms of beauty and tranquility.
Apologies for disagreeing with you on most accounts @kmander , but I think a scooter is even more of a necessity in Canggu. Itโs so much more spread out than Ubud, as thereโs no real centre. Also, good luck trying to take the shortcut (you know the one with all the cars toppled over in the sawa) on a push bike, not gonna work IMHO 
Also, some of the dogs in Bali can get quite gnarly at night, so better to be on a scooter than walking on the side of the road. But that kinda depends on your bravery when it comes to street dogs.
When I first came to Bali, I had no drivers license and I was confident that I could just do it by walking, Ubering and a push bike. I tried all three, and IMO a scooter really is the only sensible, and by far the most convenient, way to really experience the island. So thatโs what I resorted to in the end any way.
An alternative would be to hire a local guy, sort of like a personal (scooter) chauffer, which is about $150/mo
I lived in Ubud for 18 years. Currently travelling (and working) again through Sri Lanka and India so far.
The Ubud town centre now is pretty much gridlocked from early afternoon on to early evening. So cars getting around are out of the question. Plus there is no parking available.
To get best use of the place, if you donโt want to ride a bike yourself, hire a local to be on call so you can get bike lifts wherever you want to go. You could be some distance beween where you are living and using internet Hubs, and using the three main supermarkets.
BTW, much of central Ubud now has cable up to 100Mbits, with owners taking it at 10, 20, 50 or 100 Mbits. Nearly all cafes and restaurants have free wifi.
Walking is possible, plenty of tourists do it, but it can be exhausting. There are no real footpaths, but drain covers that rise and fall with access ways. They require your constant attention to avoid tripping and fallling. Much of Bali slopes upwards to the north, and so your walks in Ubud are either challenging going north or easy going south.
If you stay in the town centre its walkable, but I wouldnt advise that as the exterior of Ubud is what makes it special. Stay a 5 mins scooter drive outside of town in the rice fields. The town centre is very busy with traffic and tourists. Personally I prefer Canggu in the South as I think its more liveable, but Ubud is very beautiful.
Iโm also in Chiang Mai trying to figure out where to go in February when the burn season starts. I was here last year, and it was terrible.
It is not easy to find a place that compares to Chiang Maiโs infrastructure and value.
In Ubud now, it is definitely walkable however thereโs a huge caveat to that statement - it all depends where in Ubud you are and what your expectations are.
If youโre accustomed to large grocery stores and whatnot, youโll need a vehicle (cheap and easy to get). If youโre happy with small shops and living near the busy tourist strip, you can walk everywhere.
You probably wonโt though. Unless itโs for short trips.
(this is all based in you being used to Chiang Mai, others who havenโt lived in a SEA City would probably say itโs definitely not walkable)
Yeah, not advisable. (I lived there for a few months)
Itโs not the distance, itโs the elevation changes, they humidity, the sun, the temperature, the exhaust fumes. It doesnโt make for a pleasant walk.
You canโt do bikes either (I tried). And dealing with cabs and motorbike taxis (gojek, grabcar, uber) gets old real quick.
So in that regard its nothing like CM. CM is doable on foot, especially if you stay in the centre. Ubud, not so much.
Hi everyone,
I would love to hear what you'd like me to build next on Nomad List, or any other product/feature feedback ideas you have.
It's been 6+ years now but I'm in this for the long term and with the boost remote work got last year it's even more exciting to work on Nomad List than ever.
Current roadmap is here: twitter.com/levelsio/status/1363204985488572417?s=20 and pbs.twimg.com/media/EusS9PKXEAUR8xp?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
The next products/features I have planned:
- ๐ Rebase: visa, residency and immigration services for remote workers
- ๐Courses: learn the steps how to go remote and travel/relocate
- ๐ Gov liaison: diplomacy services to the governments to help us lobby for nomads and for them to attract remote workers
Thanks a lot!
What are the best places right now in the Caribbean/LatAM? (Also cheapest flights/accommodation?) Asking from the US.
As part of signing up for this website I was hoping I would come across a list of Visa and/or Residency requirements by country ideally in a table format to assist with decision making. Does anybody recommend any other websites that might present the information in this format (or Google Spreadsheet)?
I love living in walkable areas of town. I can always find them. But now I'm wondering where in the world are the most walkable places? I'm imagining walk streets (no cars), zoning allowing both business and residential, parks or beaches ,etc.
Hi guys,
After the Netherlands, the Bay Area, Colorado and being on the van life for 8 months, I am now in Sedona, AZ with a few other digital nomads. We are sharing a home here and are wondering if there are more like minded people in the area.
We do a bunch of hikes and campouts in the northern of Arizona. If you would like to connect with us, please do so :)
Val
Has anyone figured out a way to get setup with a virtual number and internet connection anywhere you go?
Hi everybody. I live and work in Germany and want to go to Canary Islands for 6 months to work from there. I'm going to keep my current job, just change the "home" in the home office part of things. Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of? I was reading about becoming a residence after 183 days, thus having to pay taxes there plus my employer having to register there. Does anybody know how it works exactly? Thanks a lot!
Winter is coming and Iโm feeling the ache of travelling after being stuck in the same place since the Pandemic started. Wondering if anyone is travelling right now? If so, where are you currently located and how is the situation where you are?
We're looking for a country in South East Asia that can function as our base, mainly for tax purposes. Meaning it will have to be a place where we can stay for the 183 days required without too much hassle.
We've been looking at Thailand, but have heard that it's very hard to do visa runs etc., so what other can you recommend? Indonesia looked like a good option, but the income rate is a flat 20% and very high for the region.
Hi ,
I will be staying in Canggu for approx. 3 weeks but still I havent found the place to stay yet.
I will be arriving on 5/19 and thinking of doing house search for first few days in Canggu.
If you know any good place around Canggu for short housing I would appreciate your advice!
Its my first time being nomad worker and any suggestion would appreciate.
Thank you!
Tetsushi
What are the vaccinations I should get traveling from US to Indonesia? I read the CDC suggstions, but Iโm curious on more anecdotal knowledge from experienced travelers to Indonesia.
Hello, is there anybody around with experience with โAdobe Connectโ meetings?
We are thinking to move to Bali - Canggu or Ubud, however our business demands working with this Adobe platform. Our concern is if latency is good enough and connection stable to do the teaching job from Bali to European located Adobe Connect servers.
Thanks so much fore any hint on this.
You can test the connection quality with Adobe Connect from your location to different servers worldwide from this page - for Europe there is a UK-based server listed to test:
Thanks again!
Gunter
Hi,
How much should I expect to pay for scooter hire in Ubud?
Thanks,
James
Hi all!
I am considering going for 1+ month in Amed (to get more into freediving).
I need to be able to make Skype calls & other work-related tasks. I need a speed equivalent to one allowing me to watch Youtube videos.
Ubud is way more connected in comparison, so I donโt expect anything wonderful.
Wondering if anyone has done this before & if yes: what 3G
provider they used, or what cafe/restaurant/hotel had a good/reliable
enough wifi connection.
Note that I went to Amed last year & the 3G connection on the 2 providers I used at the time was terrible. Thatโs why Iโm asking for help.
Thanks in advance!
p.s. I also posted this question on travel.stackexchange.com/questions/82403/quality-of-wifis-3g-reception-in-amed-bali
Hi,
weโre having trouble deciding where to go in the fall (September, October, November) or over the winter for that matter. We loved Chiang Mai, Ubud, Vienna, Prague, Lisbon and weโre looking for a similar place to stay for 1-2 months. Weโll be in Germany and have a car. We wanted to go to Italy, but weโre not getting excited about any place in particular - or we just donโt know where to go. Any ideas?
What do we like? Pleasant weather, open minded people (whose eyes donโt fall out when they see a black girl), healthy food (in restaurants and supermarkets) with vegetarian options, a chill vibe. Nice rentals (we use Airbnb a lot). A nice compromise between nature and not feeling like youโre in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and no bugs or mosquitos please (they love us, but our bodies hate them. We get huge welts that stay for weeks).
Thanks!
Rich & Chinny
Hey nomads,
Iโm hoping for some advice from people whoโve lived in Ubud or Canggu. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each place? If youโve lived in both, which did you prefer and why? (e.g. surfing vs yoga, or varying WiFi availability, or better accommodation, or number of nomads)
Thanks!
Ed
Im in Legian atm, arrived today.
Anyone can suggest a decent place to do some work?
And not to be coworking space, something like coffee shopโฆ?
Hi,
any tips, suggestions? Itโs for Jan-2015 through March-2015.
Iโm ideally looking for a nomad house-style type of setup, in which 4 or more digital nomads all live together in a nice, modern villa. But Iโm not sure if there are too many of those around in Canggu.
Otherwise a private room+bathroom or private apt. for around $600-800 will be fine (depending on the speed of the Internet).
Any help or tips are more than welcome : )
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