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.

What to pack for your trip?

Hi there!

Back for more travel tips again? (:

I realised a lot of packing videos I've watched tells me how to pack efficiently. In other words, how to squeeze your whole house into a luggage!!!

However, that's not what I believe most people are looking for right?

Imagine opening your luggage to a whole lot of mess.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Image from Superstock

So, here are some tips to help those out there!

First, what are the things you will be bringing?

For me, the items essential for my Check-In luggage will be...

1. Toiletries
2. Day Outfits
3. Sleeping Clothes
4. Chargers
5. Devotion Book
6. Slippers (Optional)
7. Make Up bag (Optional)
8. Extra pair of shoes (Optional)
9. Swimsuits (Optional)
10. Accessories (Optional)

Now that you know what you wanna bring, have a system!

The thing I hate the most about travelling is having your clothes mixed with your gifts, food, etc.

So, for those out there who feels the same as I do, I will advise you guys to purchase one of these.

Classification Case For Travel Double Type

It's kinda convenient. You can put both your clean clothes & dirty clothes because there's a divider to separate them.

Also, pack for clothes in outfits, from the ones you are going to wear first on the top, followed by those you are going to wear at a later date below. So it will be easier for you to take your clothes. Save time!

Other than that, you can group them together...

Clothes one bag.

Toiletries + Chargers + Slippers/Shoes = One bag.

It's also advisable for you to bring extra bags for the other things you might purchase during your trip.

In case if any custom officers want to open your luggage to check them, it will be easier for you to pack them.

That's all for today!

Ciao! (:

P.S. Checklist! (:

Update!

Hi peeps, I'm finally back from HONG KONG!!!
It's time for some updates & travel tips!
Alright, just a day before I flew to Hong Kong, I fell sick.
You must be thinking..."That's bad!" Right?
IKR.
So...I popped some panadol for the next 2 days. And my fever didn't get any better, still coughing & having sore throat. Drank like lots of water, but...still sick!
So, on the second day or third day, I've decided to see a Dr. I was directed to a nearby hospital. And guess what?
I paid HKD990 (SGD165) just to get some pills & to see a Dr who don't really understand my english. Fail.
It's such an irony. I popped 2 panadol extra tablets & was still having fever. I took one panadol tablet which the Dr prescribed and my fever was gone. Hmmm.
So, the lesson I learnt was...always buy a travel insurance. If I had bought one, I would have been able to claim my medical fees!
And some travel tips...
1. Bring a large recycling bag or backpack which you can dump all your shopping bags in. So, you will end up carrying one bag instead of multiple bags which could make your life so miserable.
2. Bring a water bottle or purchase water at a local supermarket so that you won't die of dehydration.
Just kidding. But really, your body will thank you for the water that you have given it. At least 1.5L/day.
Click it --> Reasons to drink water!

Till then, ciao!

Dromomania?

Secured another week of annual leave!
The 4th week of July.

Me & my crazy thoughts...
Having those thoughts of traveling abroad.
I think I'm becoming a travel addict.
But who cares? Traveling is such an awesome thing!
To see what God have created, constantly saying the word "WOW" every time I see something cool~

"When you travel often, you will be addicted to it forever. Our destination is not the place, but new way to see things." - Henry Miller
Well said. *clapping hands*
Totally agree.
Till then, see ya! (:

So the wait begins...

21 more days and I'm going for my annual leave! Really can't wait. Can you feel my excitement?? (:
This time round...can you guess where I'm going?

Hong Kong, Macau & Shen Zhen! (:

It'll be my second time visiting HK, but my first time to visit Macau & SZ.

To be honest, if I have a lot of money, I wouldn't give a second thought. I will just jump down from the Macau Tower!

I've always loved those out-of-your-mind activities.

On my bucket list:

Bungee jumping

Sit on a helicopter

Get on a hot air balloon

Sky diving

Wake boarding

I've got a chance to do all of them this year. But, all of the above mentioned activities costs at least SGD$100 & above. OMG.

Anyway, back to the main topic.

It's pretty much of an impromptu thing~

My mum have always wanted to go to HK.

So, I have annual leave from 15th-21st July.

And the G12 conference is from the 18th-21st July. (Theme: Breath of Life)

I was thinking...hmmm, why not go somewhere out of this country?
I was searching for cheap tickets but I wanna travel in comfort. And I was looking for flights in my handy dandy S3. Cathay Pacific has offers, but it ended on the day I searched for the tickets. So, the prices are from SGD$500 & above.
Next, Jetstar. SGD$400 and above. Crossed out the above 2.
Last hope, SIA! It's kinda unlikely that SIA will have cheaper tickets than Jetstar right?
But NO!~
I bought my SQ tickets for SGD$389.10 per pax. Can you believe it?!
So happy!
That's all~!
Ciaos!

P.S. Be a smart consumer!

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!!!!!!