6 days of M A D N E S S!

Alright, I'm finally back from Melbourne, Australia!
One thing about Australia is that you need to fill up the Immigration form as you enter the country, and also when you leave the country. Both forms are quite similar. And don't forget, check if you require a visa!
After you've cleared the customs, you can get into the city by taxi, bus or skybus. It's quite convenient. The terminals are just beside each other. So, from T2 (International flights), walk for 2-3 minutes and you'll be able to spot the Skybus ticket counter. One way: AUD$17, Return: AUD$28.
There are 2 stops. The stop where you are suppose to board the Skybus to the city will be the one behind the ticket counter. The stop in front of the ticket counter is for people to alight.
20-30 mins ride to the city. And you will stop at Southern Cross Station. Once you've reached Southern Cross Station, and you can't find your way, it's fine! Just a 3-5 minutes walk towards the station, you will find a place called Traveller's something something. Can't remember the name. From there, you can ask for help! (:
Anyway, I was quite surprised when I went to Australia. People there were friendly, and I didn't expect to see a lot of Asians there!
Back to the topic.
I went there to visit my friend whom I got to know 5 years ago in Poly.
When I first stepped onto Southern Cross Station, ohhh man! It was cold! I was not used to the weather! From 30d.c to 13d.c. Wrapped in a trench coat, fleece jacket, jumper, shirt, and a scarf, I still feel colddddd~
Some training before I head to London. Haha.
It was 6 days of MADNESS. 6 days of lame jokes, 6 days of stuffing ourselves with food, 6 days of running after trains, 6 days of cold wind, 6 days of laughter, 6 days of each other's company! Well, you got the idea here right?
My friend told me Australia is an expensive place in terms of food, shopping, sightseeing, which is true.
Here are some tips. If you wanna shop, you can get super cheap clothes as well. But you gotta know exactly where to go!
For me, I got some pretty stretchable quality comfortable jeans at Dotti for AUD$15! That is if you go to "Spencer Outlet" at Southern Cross Station, or "DFO" at South Wharf. If you visit Dotti at other outlet, the price would be AUD$59.95 I think. My friend also recommended me to go to Outer Harbour. But I didn't get a chance to go there. If you have, you can check it out!
Some places I would recommend for girls to shop at:
Dotti
Valleygirl
Factorie

For food: Queen Victoria. Go during weekends, and you will score yourself some fresh and cheap (A$10) seafood near the closing times.

I think that's about it.
Hope you find this post useful!
Next up: London!

The countdown never ends!

27 days to seeing my friend in Melbourne!
It's going to be my 2nd time on SQ flight. Hope they don't disappoint me the way they did for my HK trip.
Really looking forward to all these traveling. I still remember clearly when I first took a plane ride, the plane had a turbulence. I was like enjoying the turbulence because it gave me a feeling of being on a roller coaster. Lols. But at that time I didn't know it was a turbulence lahhhh. Tsk. Don't judge me okays!
Haha.
Anyways, after I'm back from Melbourne (I'll be there for 6 days), I'll be flying off in 3 days' time to LONDON!!!
I know I can be quite irritating at times by constantly putting London trip London trip on my mouth. But I'm really really really excited to go to London ALONE! I can barely contain my excitement!!! =D
The good thing about Free & Easy trips is that you can squeeze whatever you like into your itinerary without having the need to discuss with anyone.
The highlights of my London trip:
Sherlock Holmes Museum (I've always liked Sherlock Holmes since young)
Bicester Village -- Luxury Shopping Outlet (I've always wanted a Prada, at least a wallet will do?)
Portobello Market (The famous market situated at Notting Hill)
Hyde Park (Super BIG park with a lake where you could row a boat in it~)
Ripley's Believe It or Not! (I've only seen them on TV, now is the time to visit them!)
Museums, museums, and MORE FREE MUSEUMS!!!
Hillsong London (Church during vacation is something which I have never done before...)
BBC Tour (Touring the company during office hours with all the action going on behind the scene! Isn't it like cool?!)
FOOD! (Hummingbird Bakery, Laduree, Pierre Hermes, Amorino - Ice Cream shaped in a petal form!)

Creating the Perfect Itinerary!

Planning for a Free & Easy holiday? Then you definitely can't miss this post!
Today's topic is all about creating the perrrrrrr-fect itinerary!
It's just a guide though. Based on my few Free & Easy trips over the past few years! (:
My humble opinions...
All right, let's begin right now!

These are my few sample itineraries from my previous trips...

Basically, before you begin your itinerary, these are the few things you need to do!

1. Pick your destination (The most egg-citing part!)
2. List down the things which you plan to do (eg: Beaches, sightseeing, shopping?)

Now that you've got these things all sorted out, open up your Microsoft Word to draw up a rough guide on what you plan to do and also to select your layout (With/without outlines)

A few websites which I like to go & would recommend is the country's official Tourism website, and TripAdvisor for where to go for sightseeing.

Virtual Tourist for Tourist traps, warnings and advice.

Google Maps for how to proceed to my destination. Google Maps is pretty interesting I feel. Because I can see where I am going to stay and how to navigate around the place I'm going without actually being there! Fantastic!

Forums to see where to shop! Muahahahaha...

Government websites to get the necessary information on my country's embassy, the local police contact number/police station, and hospital/clinics/ pharmacy, not forgetting transport & local SIM costs.

Free & Easy? You want it, you have it!

ATTENTION!!!
Today I'm gonna talk about ..."How to travel Free & Easy!"
First, you need some courage, some money, some crazyyyy thoughts, and some supportive people!
And you are all set to go!
Nah, just kidding. It's easy, but not that easy~

Alright, here's the elaborated part...
Step 1:
Apply for leave.
For my job, it's quite tough to get annual leave because we do get a few pregnant staff and there goes your annual leave slots. Did I even mention we start to "chop" our annual leave slots in October for next year's slots? Yea, so I think you roughly get the idea about how difficult it is to get annual leave right?
So...after you have gotten your leave, think about where you wanna go. Finland? Iceland? Greenland? Sweden? That's Step 2. Ohhh, and don't forget to inform your family!
Then, for Step 3! For me, I think I actually planned to go to London like alone, in December 2012. So...I had about 8 months to save my money. And way plenty of time to plan! (:
...Which brings me to Step 4: Plan your Itinerary.
Actually I was contemplating whether to put "Book your tickets" as Step 4 instead of Step 5. But, I made a small mistake for my recent trip. So yea, hence "Book your tickets" will be Step 5.
How do you plan your itinerary?
Go do research on the internet (duhh~). Tourism websites. I believe most countries have their own Tourism websites. Or TripAdvisor? Lonely Planet? Guidebooks. Blogs. YouTube. Don't be surprised! You can roughly get the idea of where to go by looking at videos. Google Maps. It's good if you know how to use Microsoft Word, Paint.
Learn some of their language, or gestures.
Step 5:
Book your tickets.
As you guys know, I'm the kiasu type. Going to different websites almost everyday to check out the air tickets prices is my thing. Unfortunately, my job doesn't allow me to book air tickets way in advance! Only like 2-3 months before I fly. But thank God! Airlines do offer last minute deals...(:
Some websites I recommend, Zuji, Chan Brothers.
Once you know where you wanna go, and the duration of your trip, quickly book your tickets!
For my London trip, I booked 10 days. But alamak, too short. I've included too many things and now it's kind of squeezy.

Another Tip: Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort? If you are willing, go ahead to book budget flights.
But if you aren't willing, you can consider joining "frequent flyer" programs. The groups which I know of is Star Alliance. If I'm not wrong, I think they are the largest group in the world. Another one will be One World. Next, Sky Team. Choose one you think you will benefit the most from, or based on the airlines which is in the programs, as well as where the airlines fly.
Qatar & Emirates are pretty good airlines, but they have their own frequent flyer programs.
Don't forget to buy insurance!

Step 6:
Edit & Print your Itinerary, your relevant documents (don't forget to make photocopies of your passport, ID, Credit Cards, Hotel Vouchers, Entrance tickets) keep one with you in separate places, and keep one at home!
I can't stress this enough. That is, safety!!!
- Bring a money belt with you. Those you hide secretly under your shirt. Travel stores sell it at S$10.
- Keep your valuables out of sight.
- Bring a muggers wallet. Wallet that is with some cash to "satisfy" the mugger.
- Register with eMFA (for Singaporeans)
- Buy travel insurance. Some banks offer discounts.
- Know where your country's embassy is, in the country you are travelling to.
- Bring those door stopper if you are staying in the room alone.
- Bring TSA approved locks.
- Report your location at a particular time and everyday to your family.
Step 7: the last but not least
COUNTDOWN!!!!!!