Eulises Quintero, Author at The Lifestyle I Want

Posted on November 11, 2018December 4, 2022 by Eulises Quintero

Cross Bordering South East Asia Trip

Video

In this post I’ll tell you all the basics you need to know to start organizing a crossbordering South-East Asia trip, using one backpack only.

I’ll take you from Singapore to Vietnam by plane, then by bus to Laos, after that we’ll take a Train to Bangkok.

Next we’ll catch another bus to Cambodia and finally a plane to Malaysia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWOspTURuo8

The route I just described above is the one I did in the summer of 2016, it was the most convenient way for my needs and desires.

There are many other different routes you could follow, and you’ll equally catch a very good glimpse of all of southeast Asia.

Start Organizing a Cross Border Trip in South East Asia

The first thing you need to decide, for this cross bordering southeast Asia trip, is how much time you’ll have available to go on this crazy adventure, that for sure will give you some of the best memories of your life.

I am based in Taiwan, I decided I was gonna go to South East Asia for 1 month and 2 weeks during my summer break of 2016.

Taipei, The Healthiest City in Asia

I believe this is enough time for you to get a good look at this part of the world, some might disagree and say you need more.

It all depends on how deep you want to explore each country.

These are the countries I wanted to go to

Vietnam
Singapore
Laos
Thailand
Malaysia
Cambodia

Here is a map of South East Asia

Cross_border_South_East_Asia_Map, crossbordering south east asia

As a first time traveler to all of these countries everything was gonna be new to me, so I decided to visit only the capitals or more touristic cities.

Honestly, if you wanna go deep into the culture of one specific country you could spend months in just one of them, and see and experience a lot.

And of course you could do a cross bordering southeast Asia trip for months or years if you want to.

Find the Best Airfare Deals

First thing I did was to start checking for the cheapest airfare.

To do that I used Skyscanner, here you can see a post I wrote about this flight search engine and how to find the best deals

After checking different budget airlines and comparing prices.

I found some cheap flights that were very convenient and cheap for the trip I wanted to make.

From Home to Singapore and then to Vietnam by Plane

From Singapore to Hanoi by Plane, crossbordering south east asia

Ten Fun Things to Do in Hanoi

I found a Cheap Flight from Taiwan to Singapore and another one from Singapore to Vietnam, both flights one way, I bought them.

If you look at the map of South East Asia you might tell me that logistically it doesn’t make sense to do that, but hey the tickets were really cheap.

Then I thought, Okay, How will I get back Home?

I searched for cheap flights from South East Asia to Taiwan and found something that worked for me.

A flight from Cambodia to Malaysia and another one from Malaysia to Taiwan – they were cheap- I bought them.

So I was all set with my flights, I had a way out of Taiwan and one in.

Just like that I already had on the schedule 4 countries, I still needed to figure out how to include the other 2 and how to get to 3 of them.

If you’re in the USA or in Europe, I recommend you to make Singapore your gateway in and out of Asia.

Singapore has one of the biggest international hubs in the world, there are tons of flights in and out of Changi Airport every day.

At this point, this is what my trip was looking like

Organizing crossborder trip around South Eas Asia

So I was all set to depart from Taiwan on June 1st and start my cross bordering southeast Asia Trip.

First I’d spend 5 days in Singapore and then fly to Hanoi-Vietnam.

From that moment on all I knew was that I had to be in Siem reap Cambodia on July 7th to catch my flight to Malaysia.

So now it was time to figure out how I was gonna go from Hanoi-Vietnam to the next country on my list, Laos.

If you take a look at the map, that’s the one that made more sense to go to geographically speaking.

After doing a lot of research I found that the only way to go from Hanoi in Vietnam to Vientiane in Laos –traveling cheap– was by taking the DEATH bus.

It wasn’t really that bad believe me.

From Vietnam to Laos by Bus

Crossing the border from Hanoi to Vientiane by bus

The name of this article is cross bordering southeast Asia and this is where the fun begins.

So why is it called the DEATH or nightmare bus? Let me tell you about it.

It’s because is a freaking long bus ride, it took us around 24 hours to be done with the whole thing.

Definitely horrible, and even though you’ll have a lot of space to sleep

Sleeping-Bus-from-Hanoi-to-Vientiane, crossbordering south east asia

Being on a bus for that long is just exhausting.

If you do a bit of research on this you’ll find some bloggers sharing really horrible stories about these buses.

I know I read them before taking this bus and I was a bit scared, but honestly, it is doable and you shouldn’t worry about this too much.

The bus I took had a bathroom, although I recommend not eating after breakfast time on the day you take the bus, those bus bathrooms might get nasty.

The bus also had wifi from the city center in Hanoi to the border with Laos.

This is also the first leg of the trip, I remember it took us around 9 hours to get to the border with Laos.

Interesting post: The cost of backpacking Europe

Going Through the Border of Vietnam and Laos

We departed at around 8:00 pm, the border opens at 7:00 AM so when we got there we still had to wait a couple of hours for them to open.

Bus to Laos, sleeper bus, crossbordering south east asia

Once it was open we had to get out of the bus, go to the Vietnamese checking point for departure, pay US$1 for stamping fee or its equivalent in Vietnamese Dong.

While you are doing this the bus will move forward as it has to be checked before entering Laos.

All your luggage will remain on the bus, so remember to keep essential things in a hand-carry bag with you.

After you’re done with the process on the Vietnamese side, you have to walk for about 1 km to reach the Laos checking point, where you’ll pay for your visa.

Don’t forget to take passport-size pictures with you.

Don’t worry if all you see around you while walking is mountains and bushes, that’s what crossing the border between these two countries looks like.

Just follow the paved road and you’ll reach the Laos immigration point, follow the crowd you won’t be the only one there.

Border in Laos vietnam, crossbordering south east asia — Crossing the border between Laos and Vietnam

What Does Laos Immigration look like?

Going through the Laos immigration point might take a while.

Once you are done with this, the bus will already be on the other side waiting for all its passengers.

In the Laos checking point, you’ll find little bazaars selling snacks and you’ll get a chance to go to the bathroom if you need it.

Old Gods in Vientiane

But beware, if you need to go to the toilet to do number 2, you will likely run into one of this.

And voila! You are standing now in Laos territory. After that is gonna be another 6 or 7 hours to reach Vientiane, the bus I took made a stop at a big sideroad eatery station, it was a good chance to have a proper local meal.

Once we reached Vientiane, I took a TUK TUK to my hotel

Arriving at Laos immigration — Arriving at Laos Immigration

How to book the Bus? Where is the bus station in Hanoi? How much?

I paid US$25 for the bus from Hanoi to Vientiane.

I was staying in a nice little hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi, one day before I had scheduled myself to depart I asked the receptionist to help me book the bus.

She made one phone call and got me on a sleeper bus, I paid her the US$25 and she told me to be ready the next day at 5:00 pm, they’ll come here and pick you up she said.

Check out was at 2:00 pm, so I left my bag in the lobby, they took care of it, I went for a walk and got back to the hotel lobby to wait for the “Pick Up”

A crazy tourist in Hanoi Story

A guy shows up and the receptionist tells me: That’s him, go with him, and I’m like ok, I stepped out and I see the guy is riding a motorcycle, the receptionist tells me, you have to follow him.

The bus can not come in here because the lanes are too narrow, and indeed they were.

My reaction was: WTF!!!!!

There were 2 Korean girls next to me who were taking the same bus as me, the guy asked them to hand him their luggage to carry it for them and they agreed, I held onto mine.

The guy starts riding away and there we go doing some fast walking trying to stay behind the guy.

We followed him for around 7 blocks until we reached a minivan, he told us to get in, my reaction was: WTF!!!

This guy is telling me to get in a random van, this doesn’t look good, but then I saw that there were other tourists sitting in the van so I said ok this looks legit.

Then the guy went to find and guide other tourists to the van, after it was full they took us to the bus station.

I must say things got a bit chaotic here, they just dropped us there and we didn’t know exactly on which bus we had to get in.

After asking around we got to the right bus and started our trip.

There are two major cities in Laos, Vientiane and Luang Pra bang, so make sure you get on the right bus. I was heading towards Vientiane

From Vientiane, Laos to Bangkok, Thailand, by Train

Let’s keep cross-bordering Southeast Asia

After enjoying some days in Laos I was ready to move toward my next destination, Thailand, more specifically Bangkok.

It’s very simple to go from Vientiane to Bangkok, all you gotta do is take 2 trains, and the first one is a very short ride. Here’s how it works.

Crossing border from Vientiane to Bangkok by train

From Vientiane, you can take a taxi or tuk-tuk to Thanaleng Railway Station, also known as Dongphosy station.

This station is already super close to the border with the north part of Thailand.

There, you’ll go through a little immigration process, you’ll fill out your departure card and pay a small amount –500 kip– to stamp out of Laos.

You’ll also have to buy a ticket towards Nongkhai in Thailand which is around 500 kip too.

Thanaleng station, crossbordering south east asia — Train from Thanaleng station to Nongkhai

The ride from Thanaleng/Dongphosy station to Nongkhai in Thailand only takes around 15 minutes, very quick and comfortable.

Once you arrive at NongKhai station you have to go through a little immigration process and just like that you’re now in Thailand.

I had already processed my Thailand Visa so all I did was show it, you can read more about visas further down in this post.

Buying a Train Ticket from Nongkhai to Bangkok on the Same Day

You’ll be exactly on the same platform where the train from Nongkhai to Bangkok departs, you’ll see a ticket office where you can buy your train ticket.

I didn’t book my ticket in advance.

So when I got to the ticket office they told me that all they had available on that day was 3rd class seats, in a train departing at 7:10 pm, it was just 11:00 AM when I arrived there-.

What could I do right?? I bought the ticket and decided to wait for the train.

What to do in Nongkhai?

I did a little tour of Nongkhai and also spent a lot of time just chilling in a hotel right in front of the train station, the name of the hotel is Nongkhai Resort.

They allowed me to stay by the pool as long as I was buying from the restaurant.

This is me doing what they told me

Waiting for my train at Nong Khai resort

Now, it was 7:00 pm and it was almost time to get on that 10 hours overnight train to Bangkok- in 3rd class.

My advice DON’T GET THIRD CLASS.

It was the most uncomfortable ride ever, the bus from Hanoi to Vientiane was a luxury compared to the 3rd class seat on that train.

The train was very dirty, the seats were very uncomfortable to sit on.

Weather was hot, so I pulled down the rusty windows to get some air, next thing I know there are bugs hitting my face as they get suctioned into the train as it moves.

I don’t think I was able to sleep on that night.

A Beautiful Trip Through Thailand.

If you are lucky, when you arrive at Nongkhai station you’ll still be able to buy second or first class tickets, which I heard have sleeper berths and AC, if you wanna play it safe you should book your ticket online

Timetable for Trains from Nongkhai to Bangkok

In the infographic below you can find the timetable and ticket prices for different train class.

Train timetable and prices Nong Khai to Bangkok — Timetable and prices

I took train 26, 3rd class. I paid around 300 THB

So, after a long overnight train ride, I finally arrived at Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok, and then I took the metro to my hotel.

Click here for the official train ticket website of Thailand

After an amazing time in Bangkok, I was ready to move to my next destination.

The Thai New Year Celebration

From Bangkok to Siem Reap Cambodia by Bus

Crossing border from Bangkok To Siem Reap, poi pet by bus

The last part that actually counts as cross bordering southeast Asia

This bus ride is not as intense as the one from Hanoi to Vientiane, and it will only take around 8 hours and is a direct bus ride.

There are many bus services that will take you to Siem Reap

But some of them make you switch buses once you go through immigration at the border.

The one I took was the one managed by Natakkan Transport

Nattakan bus-Bangkok-to-Siem-Reap — Inside of The Bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap

When you take a direct bus, yes you’ll still have to get out of the bus and go through immigration and then the bus will be waiting for you on the other side, but you can leave your luggage inside the bus.

The process is very similar to the one crossing from Vietnam to Laos.

Border Thailand and Cambodia, poipet, crossbordering south east asia — Border Thailand and Cambodia, Poipet

You will first go through a departure process from Thailand, right after that, you’ll have to walk for a bit and enter a little building where you apply for your Cambodia visa.

After that, you walk some more and go through an immigration process in another building where they check your passport and visa.

And just like that now you are in Cambodia.

The 3 Must See Temples of Cambodia

The bus takes around 3 hours from Bangkok to the border and then another 3 from the border to the center of Siem Reap.

Once I got there I took a tuk-tuk and was on my way to my hotel.

Where do you buy the bus ticket? How much?

The ticket price for this bus is around US$35

To go from Bangkok to Siem reap you have to go to Mochit Bus Terminal.

Also referred to as Chatuchak bus station

Mo-Chit-2-Bus-Terminal-Chatuchak terminal, crossbordering south east asia

One day before I wanted to leave Bangkok I went there morning time and purchased my ticket to depart the next morning. They asked me to show them my passport to buy the ticket so remember to take it with you.

After visiting the amazing ruins of Siem Reap I was all set to go to my last destination on the list.

From Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur by Plane

This was very straightforward.

I just took a tuk-tuk from my hotel in Siem Reap to the Siem Reap International Airport and took my flight to Kuala Lumpur.

The process at the airport was just as common as in any other one.

Siem Reap International Airport is pretty decent, you can find places to eat and different retail stores where you can get some last minute souvenirs.

After being done with my visit to Kuala Lumpur I just took my flight back home and that was the end of my South-East Asia trip adventure and god I wanna do it again.

In the end, this is how the whole trip turned out to be

Cross border Trip around south east Asia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia

VISAS

Okay so in this cross bordering southeast Asia trip you’ll visit quite a few countries, so will you need a visa? It depends.

Singapore

All I have to say about his is that most nationalities do NOT require a visa to enter Singapore, so you shouldn’t worry too much about this.

For more specific information you can visit here

If your country is not on that list (The link) then you do NOT need a visa to enter Singapore.

Vietnam

There are only 24 nationalities in the world who can enter Vietnam Visa-free, the rest of us have to apply for one

For the full list of countries that can visit Vietnam visa-free click here

Applying for a Vietnam visa is really simple, first, you have to make an online application prior to arriving at Vietnam, once the Vietnamese Government approves it you’ll receive a PDF file that will look like this

They call it the approval letter, you have to make an online payment to process and receive this.

You have to print that out and take it with you.

Once you arrive at Vietnam you show that printout and fill out a form, provide passport size pictures and US$25 for visa fee and that’s it.

You can go here to apply for your approval letter

The fee is US$17

I must tell you I did not use the link above to get my approval letter, I used this one , it’s NOT a government website, and for whatever reason it is, they only charge US$8 and it worked for me, I got my approval letter and I had no problem at the airport in Hanoi.

Laos

Most nationalities can obtain Visa on arrival at Laos, so there is no need to worry about any online procedure.

To check the list of travelers from Nationalities that can NOT apply for a visa on arrival please check here

All you need to get a visa on arrival is, your passport, fill out a form, passport size photos and pay the fee, is around US$30.

Thailand

There are only some nationalities that can enter Thailand Visa-free or that can apply for a visa on arrival, for a full detailed list please go here

If your country is not on that list and you need to apply for a tourist visa. You have to head to the nearest Thai embassy and apply for one.

Pretty much all you need to apply is

Fill out a form
Show flight tickets to prove you’ll get out of Thailand
One passport size picture
Pay for the visa fee which is around US$40

Since I was entering Thailand through Laos by Train and leaving by bus to Cambodia.

I had no flights arriving to and departing from Thailand to show.

So, I explained my situation to the embassy personnel, they told me it was okay.

They asked me to show that I had a flight from Cambodia to Malaysia and another one to Taiwan.

It usually only takes 1 business day to get the visa. More info here

Cambodia

Pretty much everyone can apply for a Visa on arrival, so there is no need to worry about any online process, the fee is U$30 and all you have to provide are passport size photos and fill out a form.

For more details you can check here.

Malaysia

Most nationalities can enter Malaysia Visa Free or can apply for an e visa

Please remember it doesn’t matter where you travel, your passport must have at least 6 months of validity left.

CURRENCIES

In this crossbordering south east Asia trip you’ll also need to think about different currencies.

Singapore

Official currency: The Singapore Dollar
US$1 is S$1.38
You can exchange money at the airport

Vietnam

Official currency: Vietnamese Dong
US$1 is 23,411 VND
You’ll be a millionaire in Vietnam, don’t be surprised if after taking a taxi from the airport to the city center the charge is 500,000 VND !!!! that’s only U$20
You can exchange at the airport

Laos

Official currency: Lao Kip
US$1 is 8,572 LAK
This is another currency with big numbers
There are banks and other spots in the city center where you can exchange your money.

Thailand

Official currency: Thai Baht
US$1 is 33.05 THB
You can exchange your money in banks or other exchange spots in the city

Cambodia

Official currency: Cambodian Riel
US$1 is 4,071 KHR
You can exchange your money in banks in the city center, but if you’re carrying USD you don’t have to, all retail stores and restaurants take USD.

Malaysia

Official currency: Malaysian Ringgit
US$1 is 4.18 MYR
You can exchange money at the airport or banks.

YOUR BACKPACK

This is a very long trip you wanna make, and you might be thinking about what to pack? you might be even making a list of all the different things you want to put in your backpack, but hey remember something, keep it simple.

I took one and only one backpack only. It’s great to travel like this as you only have to care about one piece of luggage, easier to move around on the streets, and easier to get out of an airport.

My backpack was small enough to fit in the cabin of the planes, I took it as a carry on in every flight I took, what did I pack?

10 T-shirts
5 shorts
1 jeans
10 pairs of socks and underwear
Deodorant
Toothpaste and toothbrush
Cellphone Charger
Small camera
An envelope with some documents and passport size photos
A little flashlight
Flip flops
Sunglasses
Tanktops
Basic toiletries like shampoo, in small bottles of course.
Hat

You’ll have the chance to do some laundry from time to time. If you’re staying at a small hotel they might have a laundry service, or there might be one nearby, and they’re not that expensive so don’t worry too much about clothes.

Here is a picture of the backpack I used

Swiss_backpack_for_traveling, crossbordering south east asia

If you are into activities like camping or diving then definitely you’ll need a bigger backpack and you’ll have to check it in at the airport.

I would recommend you to look for posts about this topic.

So there you have it, a basic guide about how to do a crossbordering south east Asia trip.

To finish this post I just wanna say, THANK YOU for reading and whatever route you decide to take through South East Asia always do it with a good attitude and you’ll have an amazing time.

Once again Thank You

Posted on October 28, 2018March 19, 2023 by Eulises Quintero

What To Do On a Long Overnight Layover in Singapore|With Photos

Long Overnight Singapore Layover on Your Own

If you have a 10-hour layover in Singapore’s Changi Airport, there are plenty of ways to make the most of your time. First, head to the Butterfly Garden, which is located in Terminal 3 of the airport. This beautiful garden is home to over 1,000 butterflies and offers a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the airport. After spending some time in the Butterfly Garden, head to the Airport Wellness Oasis, which is a tranquil space where you can relax and rejuvenate before your next flight.

If you’re looking to explore Singapore during your layover, there are several options available. Singapore Airlines offers a free heritage tour for passengers with layovers of at least 5.5 hours, which takes you on a tour of the city’s cultural and historical landmarks.

Alternatively, you can take a trip to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the city’s top attractions. With over 160 years of history, the gardens offer a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the city and are home to over 10,000 species of plants. So whether you want to explore the city or simply relax during your layover, there are plenty of options available in Singapore.

Alright so you have a long overnight layover of more than 6 hours in Singapore, and you landed in Changi Airport after 6:30 pm and you can no longer join the free tours offered by Changi airport.

No worries, I’ll tell you exactly how to go out and tour the city for a little bit on your own.

Singapore is a small island nation, it is only 721.5 km².

This means that most of the landmarks are close to each other and you don’t have to pay money for cabs to take you around, or spend a lot of time using buses or metro.

All you have to do is get to the city center and then start walking.

It was during 2016 when I was on my way to Indonesia and I had a 12 hour layover in Singapore at Singapore Changi Airport.

I landed in Singapore around 7:00 pm and my next flight was at 6:00 am the next morning.

I had 2 choices, spend the night at the airport scrolling through Facebook, or venture myself into the city and make memories, the latter is what I did.

Is Singapore a Safe City to Explore at Night on your Own?

Singapore is one of the safest cities in Asia so don’t worry about being robbed or somehow attacked for walking into the wrong neighborhood, that won’t happen.

Taipei, is it the healthiest city in Asia?

In a study made by Numbeo.com, called “Asia crime index 2018”,

They made extensive research to rate the crime level of cities in Asia within a scale from 1 to 100 – 1 being the lowest crime rate and 100 being highest.

Singapore was ranked the third lowest crime rate city in the region

Top Five cities in Asia with the lowest crime rate

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 13.63
Doha, Qatar 14.48
Singapore, Singapore 16.23
Osaka, Japan 16.77
Tokyo, Japan 16.86

So now that you know Singapore is super safe, let’s continue with your long overnight layover in Singapore

I was traveling with one backpack so I didn’t have to worry about carrying many suitcases or bags.

Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia-1 Backpack only.

If you are traveling with a big suitcase you can store it at the airport for a while, click here for more info.

Your Long Overnight Singapore Layover Itinerary

Think of this as your Singapore Layover Guide

So, the first thing is, getting out of the airport, this is very simple as the subway line connects the airport directly to the city center.

You’ll only have to transfer once at Expo station, the ride altogether takes around 45 minutes by metro.

Route from Singapore Airport to City enter, tour on your own — Route from Singapore Airport to City Center

That’s gonna cost you around 4 SG dollars.

When at the airport, once you’re out of immigration just follow the signs and you’ll get to the subway station inside the airport.

You’ll see some vending machines where you can get your ticket.

There will be some personnel around to assist you in case you have doubts about what kind of subway pass you wanna buy.

You have to get off at Bayfront Subway station.

Getting from the airport to the city center is way faster by car -around 20 minutes- but it’s gonna cost you way more too -around 20SG dollars-

If you have a layover of more than 6 hours and feel adventurous better take the metro.

Route by Car from Changi Airport to City Center — From Changi Airport to City centre

After getting out of the MRT station all you gotta do is walk a bit and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the beautiful buildings of

Marina Bay and Gardens by The Bay

You’ll be close enough to go and stroll around the Gardens by The Bay and get a really good look of Marina Bay Sands.

Once you arrive at Bayfront station take exit B and follow the underground pass and cross the bridge to arrive at the Gardens by The Bay in all of its splendor.

Gardens by The Bay at night time, long overnight layover in singapore — Gardens by The Bay

Take your time to walk around, take some pictures, rest and grab a bite if you’re hungry, there will be some restaurants around.

Sculptures in Gardens By The Bay

A very important aspect of Gardens by the Bay is the number of beautiful art sculptures you will run into as you walk around, my favorite one is “Planet”

Planet sculture in Gardens by The Bay, long overnight layover in singapore — “Planet” Gardens by The Bay

It looks as if it’s floating right? And the background of the city makes the whole view in front of you more interesting.

If you look carefully, you’ll see that the whole weight of the baby is incredibly balanced on his right hand.

Another favorite of mine is

The dragonfly fliers sculpture in Gardens by The Bay, long overnight layover in singapore

“The DragonFly Riders”, definitely a stunning piece of art, and an even more incredible background from that angle.

They are located in the dragonfly lake, the sculptures are supposed to remind us all of the joy of childhood.

If you take a closer look at the picture you’ll see that there is a child riding the dragonfly.

For an entire list of the sculptures, you can click here

At the Gardens by The Bay, you’ll also have the chance to see the amazing

Marina Bay Sands

It’ll be just right behind you.

After you’re done strolling around The Gardens by The Bay, I would suggest you head over to

Marina Bay Financial Centre,

It’s gonna take from 15 to 20 minutes to get there on foot.

If you’re carrying a backpack it might be a bit exhausting depending on your physical condition.

Remember that Singapore’s weather is hot most of the time so don’t forget to bring your water bottle as it’s important to stay hydrated.

If you are interested in my tips on how to live a healthy life please click here, traveling is more fun when we are feeling and looking our best.

Walking from Gardens by The Bay to Marina Bay Financial Center

Once you get to MBFC (Marina Bay Financial Center) you’ll see views like these

You could just sit somewhere there, maybe get a beer from a 7-11 and enjoy the view.

Right after this head to

Lau Pa Sat

This is one of the most popular night markets in town, its location – right in the center of the city- makes it super convenient to get to.

The Most Famous Night Market in Taipei

From Marina Bay Financial Center it’ll only take you 9 minutes to get to Lau Pa Sat

walking_from_Marina_bay_financial_center_to_Lau_Pa_sat

You’ll find a lot of tasty food and drinks here

Food at Lau Pa Sat, long overnight layover in Singapore on Your Own

Once you are done chilling and enjoying the view you can head on to your next stop, this will be

Merlion Park

It’ll take you around 16 minutes to get there.

Here is a picture of what you’ll see

Merlion Park at Night, long overnight layover in Singapore — Merlion Park

I think this covers some of the most touristic spots of the city you can visit during a long overnight layover in Singapore just using your feet.

Last Thoughts for Your Long Overnight Layover in Singapore

After walking around all night long for sure you’ll be tired, I know I was when I did it, but hey a little bit of cardio never hurt anybody.

What better way to work out than doing it while you explore a beautiful city like Singapore.

Now, I know that the screenshots I provided do not say where to turn and where to go exactly to reach all the city spots I just mentioned, but do not worry.

Booking.com

All you need to get to those spots are your eyes and your mouth, once you are in the city center (Bayfront Sation) everything will be nearby and reachable to the eye.

And if you feel a little bit lost just ask for directions, Singaporeans speak English.

There is no need to worry about getting a sim card or portable wifi to have internet on the go.

If you’ll only be in Singapore for some hours it doesn’t make sense to pay for it.

If you feel like keep on walking some more then go ahead and do it, for sure there are many more spots in the city that are worth seeing.

It all depends on how much time and energy you have left.

How did I get back to the Airport?

Well since I walked around and did sightseeing for around 4 hours, it was already past midnight when I decided to go back to the Airport.

I just took the first cab I saw, I paid around SG$24; if you are accompanied by one or more friends you can share the cost.

Going from Merlion Park to Changi Airport by Taxi

Long Layover on Your Own During the Day

If your layover is during day time and for some reason, you don’t want to join the free tours provided by the airport.

Maybe because being on a tour means you have to follow the itinerary and you are not the kind of person who likes to be rushed.

Just go out on your own and follow the route I provided you above, you can also add other spots like

The Esplanades theater, only 2 minutes away from merlion park.
Singapore Flyer, 15 minutes away from The Esplanades, by foot.
China Town, 26 minutes away from Singapore Flyer, by metro. Go to Promenade station and get off at Chinatown Station
Little India, 22 minutes away from Chinatown, by metro. Go to china town station and get off at Little India Station.
From Little India station you can go back to Changi Airport, just transfer at Expo station, get on the green line and go to Changi Airport station.

Hope you find this post useful, ultimately, if you have a layover of at least 5.5 hours, just go out and explore the city for a bit in any way you want, I promise is worth it.

Posted on October 27, 2018January 10, 2023 by Eulises Quintero

What to Do on a Long Layover in Singapore? For FREE| With Video

Free Tour During a Long Layover in Singapore

So, you are on your way to your next big holiday destination or on your way back home from that already amazing trip.

But you have to wait 6 hours or even more at Changi airport, and you’re just wondering what the hell you’ll do during all that time.

In this post I’ll tell you what you can do on a long layover in Singapore for free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HbgEY8jp-c&t=15s

No need to worry, there is only a very small amount of countries whose citizens require a visa to enter Singapore, you can check the full list here.

So chances are you will have no problem walking out of the airport and go explore the city for a bit, grab a bite, visit the touristic landmarks and add more memories to your trip.

And if you get lucky you’ll do all of that without having to worry about transportation.

That’s right someone else will arrange all of that for you, who? The answer is Changi Airport.

Changi Airport is always ranking as one of the best or the best airport in the whole world.

One of the reasons must be because they offer free tours for passengers with layovers of at least 5.5 hours.

Changi airport has held the number 1 title for the sixth year in a row.

The airport offers two tours

The Heritage Tour

Which runs between 9:00 am to 6:30 pm, this tour takes you around

The Colonial District

Singapore used to be a British colony, it was from 1946 to 1963 that Singapore was under the rule of the British Crown.

Singapore was a strategic port to make trading along the spice route easier for the British Crown.

Singapore’s location was privileged, located halfway between the ports of China and India.

And also positioned on the Malaca strait.

It was certain that all ships going between China and India and going from Europe to the East would pass near Singapore, making it an important commercial hub.

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As a result of its past colonial history now remains a beautiful colonial district that attracts many tourists.

The Central Business District

This is an area where you’ll find beautiful skyscrapers, together they make one of the most beautiful skylines you’ll see in Asia.

It’s so beautiful some movie directors decide to shoot one or two scenes for their movies with this skyline as a background.

What do travelers regret?

Other movie directors might decide to use the city skyline and destroy it (with computer effects) as it happened in “Independence Day: Resurgence” where the city’s skyline gets completely shattered by some mean aliens.

Regardless of the final purpose, directors like to include it in movies because is just a stunning skyline and it’s worth checking it out.

Singapore central business district — Central Business District

Merlion Park

This is one of the most iconic spots of the city, so expect it to be a little crowded, but the views are fantastic.

The merlion is a Singaporean mythical beast, which has the body of a fish and head of a lion.

The story of how this statue or symbol of Singapore came to be is very simple.

The fish body represents the origins of Singapore as a fishing village and the lion head represents the original name of the city -Singapura- which means lion city.

Mer means sea in Javanese language, and lion, well, it means lion, this equals to Merlion= Sealion.

The design was made by Alec-Fraser Bruner in 1964.

China Town

Just like many other China Towns around the world, you’ll find many stalls selling all kinds of products and also restaurants serving Chinese food.

The story of Chinese people in Singapore goes way back in time.

It was around 1330 when Wang Dayuan – a Chinese traveler- visited Singapore, back then called Temasek, and recorded the presence of a small Chinese community.

As Singapore flourished more and more, Chinese settled in the area to take advantage of the job opportunities.

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Little India

It’s located across China Town, here you can find Hindu temples, nice Indian restaurants, and spice shops.

From the very beginnings of Singapore history, there was always a constant contact with India due to the trade route.

But it was until 1819 when Indians started settling in the island.

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At first, it was just a population mainly composed of young men looking for jobs, but as time went by it became a more balanced community of both genders and different age groups.

We have one more activity to do in the first tour, in your long Singapore layover for free

Kampong Glam and Malay Heritage Center

This is the last stop. This neighborhood and museum remain as a memory of the High Malay Aristocracy that was settled here before the colonization.

How crazy is it that in your Singapore layover you’ll be able to experience a bit of China, India, and Malaysia.

The second tour is

The City Sights tours

This tour runs between 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, this tour takes you around

The Singapore Flyer

A big ferry wheel that serves as an observation point to catch a view of all the city.

It first opened in April of 2008 after 2 years and a half of construction.

Opening time is from 8:30 am to 10:30 pm daily. If you wanna ride it, the ticket cost is SG$33 for adults and SG$22 for children.

The Esplanades Theaters on The Bay

This is a home for the performing arts, they constantly have different plays and music shows that cater to all tastes.

The design of the theater is very peculiar and is often compared to the shape of a fruit called durian or the eyes of a fly.

It’s common for locals to refer to the structure as the big durians.

Marina Bay Financial Center

This place consists of 3 office towers, 2 residential towers, and a retail shopping mall.

Visitors to this area can expect to have a pleasant stroll around the 3.5km of a paved public walk near the bay.

Here you can catch a very beautiful view of the city and rest at a nearby park.

Marina_bay_financial_center — Marina Bay Financial Center

Merlion Park

Just like the first tour, this one also makes a stop at this special Singapore landmark.

You’re not allowed to take selfies here.

Marina Bay Sands

One of the most beautiful buildings there is, this is another iconic landmark in Singapore.

Also known as the building with the pool on top.

The design was made by Moshe Safdie who claims took as inspiration the shape of decks of cards.

The building is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation and has a casino as one of the attractions.

It also has 2,500 hotel rooms and the always amazing Skypark.

A park on top of the three towers with restaurants, bars, an infinity pool for hotel guests, gardens and jogging tracks.

Gardens by The Bay

This tour closes your long Singapore layover with, according to me, the best spot of the city.

The magical gardens by the bay, for some reason it reminds me of Avatar (The movie of James Cameron),

You could walk around here for hours and never get bored.

It spans along 101 hectares of land in the central region of Singapore.

The gardens by the bay are divided into 3 sections, the largest one being Bay South Garden with a total of 54 hectares, the flower dome within is the largest glass greenhouse in the world.

If you ask me, the best tour you could join is the second one as you’ll have the chance to visit the Gardens by The Bay and believe me, you WANT to go to the Gardens by the Bay.

Plus you get to see the city shining during night time.

Please have in mind that the latest you can register for any of these tours is 6:30 pm.

Here is the link to the airport website so you can take a look at all the details.

So what happens if you have a long layover during the night and you landed after 6:30 pm?

Don’t worry you can still go out and tour the city on your own,

Singapore is a small island nation, no need to worry too much about how to get around, click here for my post on how to tour Singapore on your own for one night.

Thank you for reading

Posted on October 27, 2018March 19, 2023 by Eulises Quintero

How to Find The Best Deals for International Flights with Layovers.

Don’t waste money on travel agents.

As a young person who is always traveling on a budget, it’s really important for me to save money in all aspects of a trip.

The most important one is the flight.

It’s really important to make sure you find the best deals for international flights with layovers.

By best deals I mean how much you’ll pay for the flight ticket and how long it’ll take you to get to your final destination after 1 or 2 layovers.

Now, this is what I do to find the most convenient flight for the dates I wanna travel on.

It’s a very simple guide to follow.

1- Find some free time for research

Grab a couple of hours of your weekend, maybe on a Saturday afternoon, get a cup of coffee or tea and open your laptop or use your phone.

2- Open any flight search engine of your preference

As a first-time or still novice traveler like me, this is a very important step so you know which airlines operate the route for your flight, average price, and other important travel details.

It will give you a good understanding of all the things you have to consider before and during your flight.

My favorite one is Skyscanner

Proceed to input the date for your trip and destination, plus other information such as one way or return, how many adults, cabin class, etc…

3 Pay attention to the important details

Click Search Flights

Now take a really good look at the information presented to you when the search is done.

For this example, I’m trying to find the best deal in terms of money and time for a flight from Miami to Rovaniemi, Finland.

Budget for vacations in Rovaniemi, Finland

At the top of the results, you’ll see three categories, Best, Cheapest, and Fastest.

Now you wanna go and take a look at the “Best” is always the one that makes more sense regarding money and time.

The fastest is always very expensive and the average time it takes is almost the same as the “Best”.

How To Use Skyscanner, how to find the best deals for international flights

The “Cheapest” option will always take longer to get you to your final destination.

This means long layovers of up to 8 hours or more, but if you don’t mind the waiting then is not a problem.

You might even have the chance to go out of the airport and explore the city for a little bit.

Or join free airport tours for passengers with long layovers like the one Singapore’s airport offers. Changi Airport Free Tours

Important pieces of information you need to pay attention to

These are 3 very simple things you need to know to find the best deal for international flights.

First, which airlines operate the route? In the results you can see is British Airways and Finnair.

Second, the layovers, how many layovers will there be and where? all of that is shown in Skyscanner.

Third, is the connecting flight in the same airport?

When you have a connecting flight, usually you have it within the same airport where you just landed.

But in case you have to change airports it will be stated clearly in the results page.

When you click Select, you will see all the details for outbound and inbound flights.

Outbound Flight
Inbound Flight

In the outbound itinerary, you can see it takes 16 hours and 55 minutes total to get to Rovaniemi. Things to do during winter in Rovaniemi

You can also see the breakdown of the connections.

In New York, you have to go from La Guardia to JFK for your flight to Helsinki.

From La Guardia to JFK is around a 20 minutes car ride, and the time allotted for the layover is 3 hours and 47 minutes so you’d have no problems making it on time.

The return flight is different

It takes 27 hours and 50 minutes, but hey you have 12 hours and 35 minutes in Helsinki.

This would be a great opportunity to go out and see a bit of the capital of Finland.

You’d be getting the chance to explore more of the world, that doesn’t sound bad to me at all (If you’re not short on vacation time of course).

In summary, this is the Important information you need to know

How much is the average cost?
What is the average flight time?
Which airlines handle the flight?
How many layovers are there?
Do you have to change airports for a connecting flight?
Does one of my layovers give me enough time to tour the city for a bit?

After checking all of that, now you have a pretty good knowledge of what the flight to your desired travel destination requires.

Now, you can start budgeting and decide how much vacation time you need to enjoy where you’re going while considering how much time you’d be spending just flying.

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If you ask me the main deciding factor will always be the price, but the rest of the information is also important.

And depending on how many days you have available for your trip you can play around with that.

If your time is limited, of course, you’d want to find the most direct flight possible.

But if you have plenty of free days you might even opt for a cheap flight with two long layovers and stroll around those cities for a while.

Now comes the final and most exciting step of them all, BUY THAT TICKET

4- Choose where to buy the ticket

To finally make the purchase you have 2 options.

I truly believe one is the best to accomplish the purpose of finding the best deal for international flights.

Just read a little bit.

A) Buy it with a third party vendor.

This is the option most flight search engines provide, for this example, Skyscanner will redirect you to Opodo or eDreams to buy the ticket.

After clicking select, you’ll be redirected to their sites and there you’ll have to input all your personal info and credit card details to purchase the ticket.

After a successful purchase, you should receive, in the inbox of the email address you would provide, a receipt for your purchase and an itinerary of your flight.

Most likely they’ll send them in the form of PDF files.

How to use Skyscanner 3, find the best deals for international flights — Third-party companies

B) Go directly to the website of one of the airlines that operates the flight

In the example above, Miami to Rovaniemi, we can see that the flight is operated by Finnair and British Airways.

So I would go to either one of these airlines’ websites and input the same departing and arriving city, also the same dates.

I’d make sure the rest of the information like layovers, and the price is the same or at least similar, all you have to do is follow the steps of the Airline website’s form.

Just like in a third party vendor, after a successful purchase, you will receive an email with the receipts and itinerary of the flight.

Expect the final prices shown on a third party vendor or an airline website to vary from what you see on a flight search engine.

The flight search engines, sometimes, might not take into account tax fees and luggage fees.

So, you have two choices, but the one I recommend is option B.

The reason why I believe this is the best options is that, in the case of an eventuality like missing your flight or having to cancel it.

You’ll get full support from an airlines’ customer service team or any staff at a boarding gate.

You can also sign up for a member’s club program which is never a bad idea.

Why buy it directly from the Airline?

If you buy your ticket through a third party vendor, in the case of an eventuality, airlines will simply tell you to contact that third party vendor and solve your issue with them.

And third-party vendors customer support, most of the time, is no good believe me.

Even if you call an airline’s customer service phone number.

Before you actually get to talk to anyone, there’ll be a recording asking you if you bought your ticket with the airline (press 1) or a third party vendor (press 2).

If you did the latter, you’ll get a recording telling you to contact that third party vendor and treat your issue with them.

So remember, find time for research, open a flight search engine, find all the important details of the flight.

And -I recommend- buy the ticket directly with an airline

Here is a very helpful info-graphic summary I made for you guys, hope you like it

Info graphic, How to find the best deal for international flights

Other important information to have in mind.

-When you have a flight operated by more than one airline, the baggage policy of the airline that covers the longest part of your trip, in the example above that’s Finnair, will prevail above the one of the other airlines.

If in your flight Finnair states that you are allowed to have 1 carry on suitcase plus 2, 30kg check-in suitcases, then that’s what you’ll be allowed to carry in all the legs of your trip.

-Most people don’t need to apply for visas while transiting a country, this depends on your nationality, but in order to be sure please refer to a government immigration site of the country you are transiting through to confirm this.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post!!!!

Cross Bordering South East Asia