Singapore is a great place to stay. Like I heard someone say recently, “Singapore is no longer just a pass-through place“.

But I’m sure if you’re a foreigner staying in Singapore for a while, you must have heard people around you say that, “Hey, Singapore is great! But what’s really great too is how connected Singapore is and how easy it is to go on a getaway somewhere in Asia just for a couple of days!”

I must say I agree with this 🙂

Singapore is one of the world’s most connected city, and is geographically very well situated in Southeast Asia. Think about it… 3 hours from Hong Kong, 2h30mn from Bangkok, 1hour from Bali… Isn’t that the dream? For us westerners in Singapore this truly adds value to our stay, as an open door to discover Asia…

From my experience, when planning for a trip, airfare can be quite expensive. People will argue that low cost airlines are really cheap… Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Jet Star, and most recently Scoot.

But I would like to add that “low costs airlines are really cheap” IF you book early!! It happened to me so many times to plan a trip just a few weeks in advance, and tickets we’re really not cheap.

At one point, non-low cost airlines like Cathay Pacific and Silkair can be cheaper!! Here’s a great website that I use to compare flights and make sure I get the best bargain: http://www.skyscanner.com.sg/.

Regarding destinations, there are so many that it’s hard to choose… Here’s a great website to help you decide: www.tripinasia.com. It was recently created by some friends of mine, and it’s really comprehensive and useful! If you like it you can join their growing community of fans on Facebook.

A few of my personal favourites would be:

– Malacca for Peranakan delights and jewelry shopping
– Bintan for an easy beach vacation
– Bali if you have more time, to unravel temples’ secrets, rice fields and volcanoes
– Kota Kinabalu for a visit of Orang Utans
– Hong Kong for a shopping and Dim Sum treat
– Bangkok for nightlife and fun…!!

Also you might want to keep an eye open for local festivals in each destinations, to make sure your trip has the right timing to make it a truly unforgettable experience 🙂

Hope you like my tips!! So now let’s get started on planning your next getaway from Singapore!!