From Budget to Bliss: Crafting Your Ideal East Java Travel Itinerary

In my previous stories, I have shared my experiences of visiting the mighty volcanoes and majestic waterfall of East Java island. In this story, I will share my financial plans and some pro tips that will be useful if you are planning to visit East Java Island.

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The choice of the travel agency

Once I decided to travel to the volcanoes of East Java Island I went through a number of travel agencies providing these services. Out of all the other travel agencies I choose tourmountbromo due to the following reasons:

• Referred by my friends who have already used their services
• Offers a choice of stays varying from homestay to 4-star hotels
• Purchase entry tickets to various attractions in one go
• Offers service for a drop to Bali if you would like to extend the trip to Bali
• Offers good discount on the total cost
• Offers public and private tours
• Very responsive customer service.

Since we chose home stay, took a private tour, chose to buy all the entrance tickets, and then travel to Bali our total cost was about 350–400 SGD per pax.

Surabaya | Mount Bromo & Ijen Private Tour - Fr. $149/pax

Explore Mount Bromo, Mount Ijen and Surabaya. Enjoy Up to 10% Off. Price from SGD149 per pax. STB Li...

The Choice of Money

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Since our travel agency cost included the cost of stay and travel and complimentary breakfast and we paid them in advance most of our cost was already covered. But then there was a dilemma of how much cash to carry. I then found out about wise from my friend. Wise provides multicurrency accounts that can be used to spend in local currency. It also has a better currency conversion rate. So immediately I ordered my wise card. To my surprise, I received it in 2–3 days. I used this card to pay for my on-arrival visa at Surabaya international airport which cost around 500K Indonesian rupiah. I also spend it at a few other restaurants. So is cash required? Yes, Do carry some cash as per your needs since few places charge for card transactions and few places accept only cash. So make wise use of your card and cash transactions

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The choice of flight

The nearest airport to Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen is the Juanma international airport (Surbaya). Being the third busiest airport in Indonesia it is well connected. I chose Scoot Airlines to fly from Changi International Airport (Singapore) since the flight cost was within my budget and the timing of arrival at Surabaya was appropriate for me which was about 9 AM. The cost of round-trip airlines will be around 150–200 SGD per person if you book well in advance.

Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash

:If you are a foodie and would like to try out new dishes then Indonesia is a perfect place. If you have some restrictions with food or are allergic to certain food items then you can still manage with Western dishes. French fries, toast, omelets, and fresh juices are available everywhere. Buns, biscuits, and bakes are also available at mart shops and their flavors are almost the same. In fact, the chocolate flavors tasted so good than in other countries. The portion of the food was filling so you don't have to buy another dish to fill your stomach. As per the choice of restaurants do visit restaurants which are crowded and avoid less crowded places. Please do prefer to buy your eatables at mart shops like Indomaret because the prices are fixed and you can use your wise cards. You might pay double or triple the cost if you buy at local shops.

Photo by R Eris Prayatama on Unsplash

The choice of language

Though a lot of tourists visit the east java island the knowledge of English is limited. We were lucky our guide could speak better English than his colleagues. Please have your Google translate handy and buy a SIM card or recharge your SIM card as soon as possible. Google Translate helped me a lot.

Conclusions

Apart from paying for flights, travel agency, on-arrival visa, and food I didn't spend any other money. I hope I have provided enough information for you to make a memorable trip to the beautiful waterfalls and volcanoes of East Java island. If you would like to know any other information please do comment below. Happy Journey !!!