Singapore is one of the popular countries because of its distance which is about 2 hours flight plus many attractive spots to check in, shop, and eat. Also, it is mixed with various cultural backgrounds and uses English to communicate.
For Singapore travelers who are looking for attractions and food spots, visit the links below for more information
Part I : Prepare before traveling to Singapore
– Review 2 Singapore sim cards in detail and how to purchase from Klook
– 5 ways for SG Bike registration, riding a bike in Singapore
Part II : Eat/Travel many lifestyles spending in Singapore
– Bike routes in Singapore around Marina Bay for only 100 Baht!
– 25 Attractions in Singapore for every lifestyle that you don’t want to overlook!
– 16 Wonderful Parks in Singapore that you can come to by yourself
– Reveal 25 Michelin star restaurants in Singapore you should come for a bite
– 17 Attractions at Universal Studio Singapore in 6 hours!
– Review the Singapore trip for 3 days and 2 nights on your own
– 15 Souvenir Shops proving you’ve arrived in Singapore!
1
Passport
We have heard the word “Passport” so many times when we travel overseas. A passport is a document to prove your identity and nationality validated by the government of each country for traveling across countries.
Going to Singapore requires one with more than 6 months of expiry, visa request is exempted. For those who changed names will be required the official document to prove this.
2
Vaccine passport
Even though the covid situation is getting better, a vaccine passport is still required for traveling. We can request the passport through the application Mor Prom (หมอพร้อม) and receive it at Bangrak building near St. Louise BTS by yourself.
If you don’t have enough time to visit, you can request the digital one online; however, you might have to explain the immigration in English, so we recommend you have a paper document.
3
SG arrival card (ICA)
This is an important document, the SG arrival card (ICA), missing it and you won’t be able to enter the country. It can be filled only 72 hours or 3 days before departure, the system will indicate your departed date; otherwise, the date won’t be available.
For the additional information and document, visit the website : https://www.ica.gov.sg/
- Select Visitor
- Select Submit SG Arrive Card, read through the information, and go to Submit Online
- Select Foreign Visitors before clicking Individual Submission and complete the document
The document will be out as a PDF file, so you should print it out to declare to immigration preventing you from any other interrogations.
P.S. Changing language to Thai is at the top right corner.
4
Round-trip Flight
Booking
As we know that immigration in Singapore is quite strict, because of the number of overstaying people. That’s the reason we should print Round trip Flight Booking to prove that we will go back to our country and not try to settle permanently in Singapore.
5
Hotel Booking
After we’ve got the Round trip Flight Booking, the Hotel booking should be carried just in case to prove the immigration of us living legally in the country.
All the websites such as Agoda, Booking, Airbnb, Traveloka, Expedia, Trip, Hostelworld, etc. are sources for you to book the hotel matching your lifestyle.
Importantly, the local taxes fee might be included or excluded depending on the hotel, so read it thoroughly and you will notice ahead whether you pay it upfront or at the hotel.
6
Pocket Money
Singapore Dollar (SGD) is the currency they are using, 1 SGD = 25.67 Thai Baht (Information on 3 December 2022). It can be exchanged at any financial institution or money exchange store such as Superrich, X One Currency Exchange Center, Twelve Victory Exchange, Vasu Exchange, K79 Exchange, etc.
For pocket money preparation, it depends on your itinerary, how many days and where you’re planning to go. If you didn’t know yet how much you should prepare, we have a list from when we have been that you can roughly calculate the cost.
– Hawker’s food in any area is $3-6
– Food Court in department stores $5-12
– Famous restaurants $6++
– A bottle of water is $2.7
– Bus ticket* $30~
Here is the tip to calculate how much you should prepare and exchange the money.
Note, do not carry cash of more than 20,000 SGD or 500,000 Thai Baht; otherwise, you will be suspicious at the immigration.
*Annotation The price of the bus refers to The Singapore Tourist Pass, you can also continue reading in the Commute section
7
Sim card
Some may doubt that should we purchase a new sim card for traveling. Actually, you can turn on Roaming mode and keep the same number but it costs a bit more than a new sim.
Purchasing a new sim card is one of the popular methods. The option is from Thai carriers such as AIS, Truemove H, and Dtac, and Singapore carriers such as Singtel, Starhub, and M1 that can be purchased at Cheers in Singapore (People say it’s worth). Details mostly are the same, so you can compare the price which one is reasonable for you.
8
Commute
The commute in Singapore is super convenient. Because purchasing only one card is sufficient for a bus, subway, taxi, or even bike (Foreigners can register to borrow a bike as well). For those who plan to go to every city and corner of it, the bus and subway would cover all the places. Let’s take a look at each card and how to use it!
EZ-Link card and Net FlashPay
– This card is very in demand because it can be used for not only cars but also supermarkets and some food courts.
– Purchasing a new card is $12.0 and there will be $7.0 credits available for you to spend ($5.0 deposit fee.) If you want to top up, the minimum is $10.0
– Top-up cards for all transportation such as MRT, LRT, buses, and taxis.
– Swipe for some participating stores such as 7-11, Cheers, KOI Cafe, McDonald’s
Singapore Tourist Pass
– Suit for tourists
– No limit on MRT, LRT, and buses depending on the option you purchase. 1 day for $20, 2 days for $26, and 3 days for $30 plus a $10.0 deposit fee
– Available at only main stations such as Changi Airport, Orchard station, HarbourFront, Raffles Place, Bugis, and Chinatown.
Standard Ticket
– One-way ticket suits people who don’t commute frequently
– Purchasing at any ticket machine with a 10-cent deposit.
If you want to use Thai banks, Kasikorn bank application can register a Youtrip card to use as well as other banks.
9
Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance will help you cover an extensive cost from the accident such as flight cancellation, lost or delayed baggage, or accidents from the trip. These circumstances will waste our time or make us spend a massive amount of money. Hence, it’s better to be prepared than nothing.
10
Law
Singapore is a country that is restricted in their law and regulation with high penalties. It’s the reason why the city is tidy and barely sees trash on the street. A little disobedience will cost a lot!
Lifesara has selected some regulations you should know before traveling such as
– Littering, fines of up to 1,000 SGD
– Urinate in public, fines up to 1,000 SGD
– Jaywalking, imprisons up to 3 months or fines of up to 1,000 SGD
– Drink alcohol in public, imprisons for up to 1 month or fines of up to 1,000 SGD
– Fighting in public, imprison up to 1 year or fines of up to 1,000 SGD or both
– Burglary, imprisonment for 3-7 years or fine or both
– Trading tax avoidance cigarettes, fines up to 5,000 SGD, repeated might imprisons up to 2 years
– Illegal gambling, imprisons up to 6 months or fines of up to 5,000 SGD
From these, we can see the reason why their country is neat and clean. So for those who are planning to go, be aware and obey the law.
11
What’s in my bag
Up to this point, let’s see what we need to bring to Singapore.
Document
– Passport
– Vaccine passport
– SG arrival card (ICA)
– Round trip Flight Booking
– Hotel Booking
Financial
– Credit/Debit cards
– Cash
Clothes and Toiletries
– Clothes
– Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and towel
– Skincare
– Cosmetic
– Sanitizers
– Masks
Food
– Mama (Instant noodle)
Appliances
– Phone charger
– Phone
– Camera, battery, and memory card
– Travel Universal Adapter (A must!)
Anyone who got everything on the list, let’s move and have fun!
