Singapore Trip - How to plan smart and make your trip cost-effective
Just this week, I came back from singapore. I am writing this post to help people who stumble upon this blog post as part of their Singapore trip research.
So, let me just cut the foreplay and directly come to the point. Here are the questions that I want to answer for you:
How do I save on flight tickets and Accommodation? You take a low cost airline from your country to Singapore and yeah, make sure you clearly know as to how much check-in luggage is allowed on your ticket. You don't want to end up spending a few hundred dollars on extra baggage. As for accommodation, go to tripadvisor.com and get to hostels/lodges type places that give a decent accomodation for really cheap currency.
What attractions do I see, can you list the must-visit attractions? There are plenty of things to see in Singapore. I think, to see every attraction you would take around 10-15 full days, and I don't have any list. But wait! all the so called attractions in Singapore aren't really that fascinating. So, every man for himself, go to tripadvisor.com and have a peek at the list of attractions and traveler's reviews. For example, Gardens by the Bay is a highly rated attraction in tripadvisor and I did not find it worth of the ticket cost and the experience. So, don't go to all the attractions, skip what doesn't interest you. You'll know what interests you if you read about the attraction online.
Where do I get tickets for the attractions? All the attractions have their own entry tickets. I was looking for an outlet that sells all the tickets online in some portal, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any such website. So, if you have to buy tickets while at Singapore, I suggest, you buy your tickets from Chinatown vendors. Have Chinatown as your first go-to place in Singapore and get all your tickets from a travel agent there. They give you prices that will save you a lot of money. For instance, Universal Studios ticket is around 75 dollars from the counter, but in Chinatown they sell it for 62 dollars. That's a great deal for a foreigner. The thing is, these travel agents get tickets at the cost of what locals have to pay to enter the attraction (which is always lesser than what the tourist have to pay). Therefore, know the over the counter ticket prices (both for foreigners and for locals) before going to these transport agents. Whatever the locals pay for the entry ticket, you can negotiate with the travel agent to give you that rate.
How to save on food and water? I don't suggest you think about saving in this department. As a tourist, we ate all the local food and explored the different cuisines that we don't get to eat in our country. So, no savings in the food department. Nevertheless, the best savings for you is not purchasing water bottles. Get yourself a nice 750 ml bottle in your carry bag and remember that most attractions (places) have free drinking water coming out of the taps. Yes, tap water is edible and you can drink it.
How do I travel in the city? Some websites suggest that we purchase EZLink pass to travel in MRT. My tip is that avoid taxis as much as possible for long distances and download (android or apple) MRT maps to know how to go from one place to another. If you want to save on the transport, use busses and rail. Take taxis only when it is too late or in some urgent situation. Is it necessary to have a phone with an internet? Yes Yes YES! Most of the attractions you go to will be super crowded and it will take you over an hour of waiting in the queue to get your taxi, but if you have a few singapore taxi service (android or iOS) app, then you can easily book taxis thru that. Don't forget to carry at least one phone per group that has full phone network and mobile internet.
What souvenier should I bring to my country? Nothing actually, there is a bugies market and mustafa center where you can get nice $10 souvenir items but the quality is so bad that I would suggest you not give anyone any souvenir. Except for electronics, I did not find anything cheap there. That's because, everything in Singapore is imported.
From where do I get the best tips about what all I can do in and around my location? Sometimes you are in an attraction and the next show is only after 4 hours. Now, you can sit or relax within the attraction premise for 4 hours or you can get to know from locals about what other nearby places you can visit if you have some time in hand. Don't over plan, plan only the main attractions and for the rest, ask the taxis drivers or the locals to help you plan your day. They are great planners as they are living in that place.
Have a great singapore trip!
So, let me just cut the foreplay and directly come to the point. Here are the questions that I want to answer for you:
How do I save on flight tickets and Accommodation? You take a low cost airline from your country to Singapore and yeah, make sure you clearly know as to how much check-in luggage is allowed on your ticket. You don't want to end up spending a few hundred dollars on extra baggage. As for accommodation, go to tripadvisor.com and get to hostels/lodges type places that give a decent accomodation for really cheap currency.
What attractions do I see, can you list the must-visit attractions? There are plenty of things to see in Singapore. I think, to see every attraction you would take around 10-15 full days, and I don't have any list. But wait! all the so called attractions in Singapore aren't really that fascinating. So, every man for himself, go to tripadvisor.com and have a peek at the list of attractions and traveler's reviews. For example, Gardens by the Bay is a highly rated attraction in tripadvisor and I did not find it worth of the ticket cost and the experience. So, don't go to all the attractions, skip what doesn't interest you. You'll know what interests you if you read about the attraction online.
Where do I get tickets for the attractions? All the attractions have their own entry tickets. I was looking for an outlet that sells all the tickets online in some portal, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any such website. So, if you have to buy tickets while at Singapore, I suggest, you buy your tickets from Chinatown vendors. Have Chinatown as your first go-to place in Singapore and get all your tickets from a travel agent there. They give you prices that will save you a lot of money. For instance, Universal Studios ticket is around 75 dollars from the counter, but in Chinatown they sell it for 62 dollars. That's a great deal for a foreigner. The thing is, these travel agents get tickets at the cost of what locals have to pay to enter the attraction (which is always lesser than what the tourist have to pay). Therefore, know the over the counter ticket prices (both for foreigners and for locals) before going to these transport agents. Whatever the locals pay for the entry ticket, you can negotiate with the travel agent to give you that rate.
How to save on food and water? I don't suggest you think about saving in this department. As a tourist, we ate all the local food and explored the different cuisines that we don't get to eat in our country. So, no savings in the food department. Nevertheless, the best savings for you is not purchasing water bottles. Get yourself a nice 750 ml bottle in your carry bag and remember that most attractions (places) have free drinking water coming out of the taps. Yes, tap water is edible and you can drink it.
How do I travel in the city? Some websites suggest that we purchase EZLink pass to travel in MRT. My tip is that avoid taxis as much as possible for long distances and download (android or apple) MRT maps to know how to go from one place to another. If you want to save on the transport, use busses and rail. Take taxis only when it is too late or in some urgent situation. Is it necessary to have a phone with an internet? Yes Yes YES! Most of the attractions you go to will be super crowded and it will take you over an hour of waiting in the queue to get your taxi, but if you have a few singapore taxi service (android or iOS) app, then you can easily book taxis thru that. Don't forget to carry at least one phone per group that has full phone network and mobile internet.
What souvenier should I bring to my country? Nothing actually, there is a bugies market and mustafa center where you can get nice $10 souvenir items but the quality is so bad that I would suggest you not give anyone any souvenir. Except for electronics, I did not find anything cheap there. That's because, everything in Singapore is imported.
From where do I get the best tips about what all I can do in and around my location? Sometimes you are in an attraction and the next show is only after 4 hours. Now, you can sit or relax within the attraction premise for 4 hours or you can get to know from locals about what other nearby places you can visit if you have some time in hand. Don't over plan, plan only the main attractions and for the rest, ask the taxis drivers or the locals to help you plan your day. They are great planners as they are living in that place.
Have a great singapore trip!
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