The biggest mistakes we made planning our trip to Bali

No trip goes perfectly the first time, and ours around Bali was no exception at all. With the route now fully organized into the itinerary we sell today, here are the mistakes we made that we'd never repeat.

Trying to see too much in too little time. Bali looks small on the map, but the traffic and mountain roads make getting around much slower than it seems at first glance. We packed in one excursion too many in the first days and arrived exhausted before we were even halfway through the trip.

Underestimating traffic in the south of the island. Canggu and the area around the airport turned what looked like a 20-minute drive into a good hour, especially at sunset, with no obvious explanation.

Not carrying enough cash in rupiah. Cards work at hotels and tourist restaurants, but at warungs, markets and with many drivers only cash is accepted, and it caught us short more than once.

None of these mistakes ruined the trip, not by a long shot. But they're exactly the kind of thing that, if you know about them ahead of time, save you time and the occasional silly headache.

Not booking the fast boats far enough in advance. Connections to Nusa Penida and Gili Trawangan can fill up, and schedules change depending on operator and sea conditions — we learned that with more nerves than necessary at the time.

Going into the water to snorkel without checking sea conditions first. In Nusa Penida especially, the tide and currents change fast, and we very nearly got in the water just because we saw another group do it first.