As I’ve spammed and raved about my current trip to Singapore for like the entire past month of May, I thought I’ll make a post to help you and tell you about my experience!
So if you’re considering going to Singapore, here’s some of my travel tips!
Singapore is a young city, only having turned 50 years old in 2015. Singaporeans have an unofficial language called Singlish, and their English is based off British English.
In my opinion, if you know either English, Chinese or Malay, you should be okay in Singapore as they accommodate to those languages so there isn’t much of a language barrier/challenge compared to other Asian countries.
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Weather / What to pack:
Singapore weather is hot hot hot, with nights are slightly cooler. However, inside busses, trains, restaurants and definitely shopping malls are on full blast with air conditioning. It’s a good balance.
With that said, I would suggest packing at least a cardigan or light sweater for yourself incase you feel cold. But lots of shorts, t-shirts, flip flops or sneakers since there will be lots of walking done in Singapore.
You also might want to pack Afterbite or something to help with mosquito bites, sunscreen, lotion, water bottles (or could be bought here)…
However, I don’t think it’s a big deal if you forget ointments or general body stuff, you can still grab everything from supermarkets or 7-11(s). 7-11 convenience stores are really really common in Singapore.
Transportation:
Singapore’s transport system is based on a tap and go card system.
Similar systems are like the Presto in Toronto, and Octopus in Hong Kong.
You would reload the funding of your card whenever you’re low – when accessing transportation, it’ll notify you of your balance each time to keep you updated. Some food places like McDonald’s even take EzLink as payment.
I usually reload my card at the train station. They have multiple machines that are easy to use, and is also available in (I think) 3 different languages – English, Chinese and Malay.
There is also a Singapore Tourist Pass where you would have unlimited travel for 1-3 days, depending on preference, of course.
Cabs or Taxis are quite common here but their prices are pretty steep if you want to take that mode of transportation. So I recommend taking public transportation instead.
More information on:
► EzLink: here
► Singapore Tourist Pass: here
Cultural eating habits:
- Eat from Hawker centres as they’re usually cheaper than restaurants and they encompass a great amount of Singapore local delicacies. Hawker centres are usually pretty huge as well and you can walk around and take your pick!
- If you find a packet of tissue on an empty table, it usually means it’s occupied by someone. Leaving a packet of tissue tells others that the spot is taken, so best you move on to find another table/seat!
- Also, bring tissue packets of your own when you’re up and about in Singapore. Hawker centres do not provide tissue for you, so you’re on your own there. Plus it’s good to bring some with you on the daily to wipe your sweat off in this heat.
- Do not tip! Singaporeans do not believe in tipping when it comes to meals.
Roaming about:
Save on your country’s oversea’s plan, simply buy a Prepaid Simcard from a 7-11 convenience store! The cost varies as it depends how much money you’d like to put in it.
Texts and calls are charged accordingly but not ridiculously.
The prepaid sim card gives you access to a huge amount of data, which is helpful to navigate around Singapore. I believe the sim card came with about a good number of GB worth of free data when I first got it. It helped, tremendously. Especially since I was only there for a short period of time, that sufficed enough to help me get around. When you need to top up, just head back to a 7-11 to do so!
Pretty easy, huh?
GoogleMaps is also your best friend when it comes to navigating.
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Lastly, get ready to grab some grub because local food in Singapore is so delicious and one-of-a-kind!
PS: Bring stretchy shorts/pants!
Till next time, ♥
