Sharing a short essay that arrived in my inbox today, courtesy of Dense Discovery — a newsletter about design, tech, sustainability and urbanism curated by Kai Brach, based in Melbourne, Australia.
Do we travel for transformation or validation?
It's always interesting to hear what thought leaders "outside" the travel industry have to say about the state of tourism, so I'm sharing Kai's article with his permission.
There's a few good points in this piece, including how touristic travel (e.g. mass tourism) can import more culture to a destination than it exports. I also agree that seeking validation on social media is drowning out good quality travel content.
There's some truth to Kai's point about escapism. Consider this: the biggest competitor to a travel agent is the electronics shop, where consumers can instead buy a new 50" flatscreen TV. In this scenario, which "escapism" is worse? Buying a new TV or booking a trip on a cruise ship? 😅
However, I don't believe that all trave...
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Hello, everyone! Does anyone have experience living in Singapore? Where can you find short-term rentals, and what is the average cost of living? What are the most interesting places to visit?
Hi Andrei, can you share a little more about yourself and your plans?
e.g. Where are you currently based? How long do you want to live in Singapore for?
You'll find many members (some locals, some expats) based in our Singapore Travel Massive chapter. Link below.
Great thanks! I'm in Prague right now. I'm going to live in Singapoure about 3 months from October.
Hey Andy, I'm living in Singapore! Been here approximately 10 years.
3 months in Singapore is just right with the rules that short-term rentals must be at least 3 months, so you should be able to find plenty of accommodations on AirBnB and co-living apartments (Lyf, Cove, Figment etc). With the rising rent nowadays, expect to budget SGD 2000 a month to have a room at somewhere convenient.
For cost of living, it depends on your food habits and what you do. If you're okay with cheap local food, expect SGD5 a meal. But realistically I would budget up to SGD10 to enjoy more variety of food, and up to SGD20 or sometimes more for something fancier. If you cook like I do, I budget about SGD50 a week for groceries. For everything else - gym could cost around SGD100 a month, and miscellaneous activities like movies and entrances can cost around SGD20-50 each time.
For interesting places, I work in the most touristy but cultural area of Bugis. It's nestled between Kampong Glam and Little India, both great places to visit for a taste of the local culture! I enjoy some parks, like Fort Canning, Singapore Botanical Garden, and Labrador Nature Reserve. For a wilder side, I love MacRitchie Reservoir and Ubin Island. If you want to explore beyond this small island, you can take a ferry to the Indonesian islands of Bintan and Batam, or take a bus into Johor Malaysia. I can go on and on!
Thanks a lot, Angie!