How to Explore Singapore in Cheap – The full proof Planning and Analysis

Hi Folks,

  I thought of adding another post to my Singapore series blogs where I would like to share the planning sheet that helped me plan the entire trip and the analysis on the expenses incurred in Singapore,

This is a series of blogs where I am trying to let people know about some tips and tricks to visit Singapore that are not available on internet,

Prior to this one,

1. Flight Booking

2. Before Travel

3. Day 1

4. Attraction Cheat Codes

I would like to share the a google sheet that I created that helped me throughout the trip and if you are a planning freak like me then you would really appreciate this.

Here is the link to the sheet, https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rJ2YZJhNQvPB6AONj5cbroBjNocBlyhlu0pWf0btHkE/edit?usp=sharing

Create a copy of it and save it in your own google drive, modify it and use it as per your own suitability.

This sheet has following features,

1. It has list of all the possible things you need to do (Expense wise), right from Visa photo till return taxi to home.

2. I have divided the sheet into 3 sections, Before Travel, in Singapore, Extras and Optional (In my case it’s now couldn’t do it).

3. I have left most of the activities as it is with the cost, this can work for you as a checklist in terms of travel and attraction planning.

4. This is a smart sheet and gives you automated updated results based on your expense inputs.

5. You can enter expenses in Indian rupees and Singapore dollar. The sheet automatically color codes the expense separately.

6. The sheet has a section where Singapore Dollar FX rate is updated automatically in realtime, this is fed into all the SGD expenses. This gives you the total trip cost in INR in realtime with current FX rates.

7. The sheet also has a section where you can mark an activity done, that will make the activity paint color black with white font, this really helps in seeing what else is pending.

Please use it and modify it use it even if you are travelling different country with different set of currency, that would require some change but if you know little bit of excel then you can figure that out pretty easily.

Now let me show you some Analysis on expenses occurred with me in Singapore,

Travel – 35% of my total expense on travel, of course the flight ticket was the major contributor to that,

Food – Food was just 10% of the total trip expenditure and it was interesting to see that we spent almost equal amount of money on meals and juices and drinks !!

Overall – Overall I feel it was a good trip with balanced funds spent on each activity. As I said earlier, I could have saved little bit on Hotel but I didn’t want to compromise because we had a small kid with us.

Write to me at ankkkit@hotmail.com if you need some more info that you would like to know.

How to Explore Singapore in Cheap–Day 1

This is a series of blogs where I am trying to let people know about some tips and tricks to visit Singapore that are not available on internet,

Prior to this one,

1. Flight Booking

2. Before Travel

  Next is Day 1,

  So the day 1 is all about travelling and getting settled for fun to begin,

1. Changi Airport – So you have arrived to “The Best Airport in the world” and it’s not simply called the best in the world. It’s called because it has everything to keep you engaged in your transit. You would want to be in transit here. There are loads of things that you can do at Changi Airport and its very useful because if you are arriving early in a day then you need something to kill time with because every hotel in Singapore weirdly has 3 pm check in time. Spend your time napping, seeing butterfly park, relaxing with free massagers or watch a movie inside the airport for free. There are kids small play areas and wooden block drawing sections to keep little ones engaged.

2. Local Sim Card – Don’t buy sim card at Airport because the minimum value SingTel sim card they have is of $30+, you don’t need that, you just need $15 one that offers 4 GB data with 5 day validity which is available in any 7-Eleven with additional offers and there are plenty of 7-Eleven. As I mentioned before, hotels usually provide a phone for your disposal, so decide on buying a local sim based on that. If you go to any shopping street you might find even cheaper and better Sim Card options.

3. Local Travel – Just outside Changi you will find the MRT (Tube/Metro) station where you can buy EZ Link card, card’s cost is $5 and you can top it up with any amount you need. Each person would need 1 card, it cost us $55 for 2 of us including cost of the card for 8 days with daily travel in MRT and Buses. I found Tourist EZ Link card to be little expensive in compared to this. One thing to remember, if you have any balance left in the card, you can get it refunded at Changi Airport MRT station on your return but kiosk closes post 7:30 pm, either get it refunded before and use single card to travel to the airport.

4. Taxis – You would find that taxis are costly, if you compare to local transport ? yes but otherwise I don’t think they are that expensive. Some taxis even accept EZ Link cards. But beware of cancelling an Uber, it might cost you the total trip cost. Try local Uber, Grab, if you are new user they usually have offers such as first 2 rides free. There is Taxi stand where you can hail a taxi otherwise there is free Wi-Fi on Airport and you can use that to book Uber or Grab.

5. Child Concession Card – Usually kids below 7 are free but it’s better to get a concession card done for them, its free and it’s fun for kids to swipe at each terminal.

6. Attraction tickets – Collect all the tickets if you have a full proof plan or can collect as and when needed. I suggest “Slashed Price Singapore” to buy all the attraction tickets, I couldn’t find cheaper tickets and all worked like charm. Their Facebook page lists the WhatsApp number to chat and finalize on tickets. Most of the tickets are e-tickets that they will send on WhatsApp or email and all can be redeemed at attraction kiosks or ticket centers.

Write to me at ankkkit@hotmail.com if you need some more info that you would like to know.

How to explore Singapore in cheap – Flight Booking

So this post is not about what are the attractions in Singapore or review about any glorious shopping mall or a street, that information is more than available online, you can in fact virtually live in Singapore online !! This is about some hacks, cheat codes or tips that no one spoke about on internet when I was planning for my trip and these small pieces of information can really make a difference for good. 

This post is also about how you can plan and travel on your own and avoid overpriced conducted tours. Conducted tours are boring, they just allow you to take a glimpse of the place so that you can take pictures and later can say, "I was there", sure you were there but did you enjoy the place ? Most of the cases, NO. Conducted tours are always cramped and you end up getting tired after holidays rather then being relaxing.

I travelled from Bangalore, India with a very smart & dominant 3 year old daughter and a hard-core vegetarian wife. I will start with checklist of things so that you can plan this trip on your own,

Flight Booking - I booked Tigerair, it was the cheapest and was making use of the entire arrival and the departure day. It arrived Singapore 8 in the morning and departed at 10:30 pm. Few things about Tigerair,

• Check-in weight is not included in the flight price but you can always buy while booking the tickets. I added 20 kg prepaid for 26 USD x 2 (Return and onward flight) in addition to free 7 Kgs cabin luggage per person. 20 Kg Check in with 7+7+7 kg was just enough for 8 day tour for 3 people with good amount of shopping. 
• If you choose prepaid luggage, the website would add it to all the passengers by default, look for edit button to remove it from other passengers.
• Pram or Stroller is free of any baggage, this was my first time so I wasn't sure.
• While booking you will be asked to choose seats, there will be 3 options and all would be chargeable, look for small "skip for now" button on the page and skip it to get free seats allotted while collecting the boarding passes.
• No food or drinks served inside aircraft is free, you can choose to buy food while booking the tickets but in my experience the hot meal I chose was disgusting.
• It cost me little extra because I chose for flexible dates, it cost me another 84 USD for 3 seats on the round trip.

I paid a total of 690 USD for round trip for 3 of us with 20 kg prepaid check in luggage and flexibility to change the dates. Its still cheap after all these add ons and can still be made cheaper with better and planning ahead.

Write to me at ankkkit@hotmail.com if you need some more info that you would like to know.

We the people

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Yesterday I saw in the news that the accused arrested in Malegaon case are all granted bail. I started thinking that if it goes like this then the day is not far when all of us will die like any other beggar or pig. Forgive my language, my words are harsh and impolite but that’s reality.

Let me tell you what does US stands for?? It represents,

# Who does not have any Political background
# Who does not have any police correlation
# Who does not have nerve to fight against immoral
# Who does not have Strength to fight against immoral

“US” are the people who just want to be in this world peacefully.

Today no one wants to accept the reality, everyone is living in their own wonderland, people have time to gossip and condemn but they do not have time to make things any healthier. I know that many of you wont agree with me and many of you will say “There he goes again, doesn’t he have ANY work in the office”, I do have work in office but my obsession of writing and a blaze inside to do something does let me stop.

INDIA is filled with mainly 4 categories of people,

1. People who are not concerned about ANY thing in this planet, they don’t read newspaper, they don’t track any kind of information database, they are not worried who is Kasab, they don’t have any idea who is Pratibha Patil and these are the people for whom Indian president is either Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi.

These people don’t have any Idea where world is going, they are not worried who is dead who is alive they just know that they have all the money in the world to buy anything. These are the people who don’t know what happened in Mumbai 26/11 (Believe me I know such people, I m not at all exaggerating), these are the people who say “This politician is good because he is from my constituency”!!! These People sleep all their life and cry on INDIA’S fate when they find roads are filthy, there is a traffic jam or when there is no electricity. They abuse to everyone but will never make a tiny effort to take accountability and attempt to make it alright.

2. This category of people are my favourite, they know each and everything what’s happening in this country BUT they don’t have endurance or guts to do anything, the best part is they don’t want to do anything. They just gossip about everything and each such topic ends with the note “India has no future”.

Country is in agony largely because of these people. They don’t want to stop on RED light if Cop is not there and if someone still is following the traffic rules they mistreat them. These people pass judgment on politicians that they don’t do anything, what have they done to pick a good politician?? They find faults on EVERY SINGLE THING about this nation but since they are SO IMPOTENT TO DO ANYTHING, they just adjust themselves and begin criticizing those people who in fact are trying to make differences by their efforts.

This category is SO HOPELESS I can barely give any explanation. They can’t even handle little things what they will make difference to the India.

If something is incorrect then instead of complaining about it they just get adjusted to that or they shout on that gatekeeper, housekeeper, sweeper or that waiter who they know cannot shout back on them. They just know to chatter and disapprove of things but when reality comes they are prepared to lick ANYONE’S ASS.

These people deserve to die in terrorists assaults. You will not do because it did not happen with you !!! Are you waiting for it to happen with you then you will act in agony ??

I bet that 50% people will not even recognize the person in the adjoining picture.

3. Third group is the people who are in reality doing something to make difference and generally get killed by our politicians or by terrorists, they are NGOs, Army, NSG, SALUTE to them but I don’t want to mention police because in my eyes they are still not doing anything apart from to humiliating us.

4. The final kind is what my friend (Arvind Mathur) called the other day is NANOrity, people like me, I want to do something for my country but my difficulty is that I m not permitted to do it because I have many responsibilities to deal with, I m not permissible to do anything which could jeopardize my employment. People have told me not to waste time by writing blogs at the time of recession because if someone finds out then my profession could be at stake. But dilemma is I am not normal, I JUST CANT ABSORB SOMETHING IMMORAL, I want to do all those things which will help me facing myself in mirror every morning.

# I am the person who stops on RED light EVERY SINGLE TIME.

# I am the person who raises his voice against WRONG instead of ignoring it.
# I am the person who is prepared to go to any degree against WRONG instead of changing my opinion.

# I am the person who does not pay bribe.

# I am the person who throws the waste in the DUSTBIN.

# I am the person who says THANK YOU even to a waiter, auto driver and even to the person who comes to collect my tea cup just because I am using his services, he is also a human being and he desrve appreciation too.

# I am the person who says SORRY if it’s my fault instead of fighting in the middle of the road.

# I am the person who follows the queue instead breaking the line and feel smart about it, LOOSERS.

# I am the person who does not allow food to get wasted, I don’t mind taking small quantity twice.

# I am the person who knows the significance of time.

# I am the person who knows the importance of money.

# I am the person who knows the meaning of self Respect.

I have not done anything enormous but I m self pleased.

I wanted to inscribe much more then this but the dilemma is if I write a lengthy blog people wont read it so what’s the use, anyways I don’t think more then 15 people out of 130 to whom I send read it :-)

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My reply to Arindam Chaudhuri

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A friend of mine sent me a mail today with a link to a blog, it was Arindam Chaudhuri’s blog about the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” and the blog label said “Don’t see “Slumdog Millionaire” It sucks!”, when I read the blog I could not believe that a person, an icon like him is so immature and backward.

Here is the link to his blog and after that is the response I posted him as a comment to his blog. Enjoy the masala.

The Blog - “http://arindamchaudhuri.blogspot.com/2009/01/dont-see-slumdog-millionaire-it-sucks.html



My answer:-

Hi Arindam,

For you I have just one suggestion that "Tell people what you feel/think, don’t make a verdict for others based on your beliefs".

You are a celebrity and people look up to you, you have followers and some of them follow you blindly, so be a sensible and responsible celebrity.

According to Me,

# It’s just a movie, so just chill and don’t get overexcited, didn’t you read in the start of the movie that everything is a fiction !!!

# If this movie alone hurts you that much then where were you when Indian directors made such movies which does not portray India at all. I can’t believe that you are ok with the things shown in “Page 3” and “Fashion” but not Slumdog, don’t have such double standards. Where were you when people made "Love Story 2050" and "Chandni Chowk to China" .... "Slumdog millionaire" at least pays back what we spent.

# You said that this movie is hyped pointlessly, aren’t you also doing the same thing, hyping it unnecessarily.

# And mind you that “slums, open-air lavatories, riots, underworld, prostitution, brothels, child labour, begging, blinding and maiming of kids to make them into ‘better beggars’, petty peddlers, traffic jams” are ALL INDIAN REALITY, come out of your Disneyland and open your eyes to see the real India because I don’t think that you have seen it yet.

# Please don’t create it a national issue, you have all time to say things about Slumdog but I never heard a single word from you on 26/11. People like you just criticize anything to keep them in the limelight but will never make any effort to make this country a better place.

I hope Arindam Chaudhuri is sensible enough to learn from here and realize what he must write from next time.

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