Travel Tips for a short Getaway from Singapore

I love travelling. Travelling is life. 

I believe a lot of Singaporeans love travelling and especially love short getaways from Singapore to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and also to take short breaks away from work!

However, are you getting the most out of your trips?

Here are my top travel tips with regards to my recent trip to Penang, Malaysia.

1. Pack light and save space by bringing sample/travel size skin care or makeup products. 

Better still, you can get free samples from Sample Store! Because we travelled via budget airline, we brought travel sized products so that we do not need to purchase a luggage space just for our toiletries, and can travel light this way!

psst: I got these freebies from the kind folks at The Skin Firm (thanks to Sample Store!)

2. Buy air tickets on Tuesdays or during specific airline sales day. 

eg. Scoot Tuesday, Jetstar Friday Frenzy, be a BIG member on Air Asia to get some discounts off your tickets, Singapore Airlines has two to go fares from time to time; Cathay might have some card promotion for trips to Hong Kong. The list goes on!

I made sure I bought my Penang air tickets during a sale. Furthermore, I am a BIG member, thus I got some dollars off my air tickets from Air Asia. Guess how much my return air ticket to Penang was? S$79.16. Thank you very much.

3. Book hotels through authorised partners and search for discount codes. 

I'm an "AgodaVIP" and "Genius" member on Agoda and Booking.com respectively, thus I often get lower prices than usual. Sometimes, booking via their app will give you even lower prices!

I booked mine via Agoda and stayed in Chulia Mansion for 3 nights in Penang. The room rate was S$61.10/night, which makes out to be S$30.55 per pax per night. It was a good deal considering that the location of the hotel was super near the happening places, room was huge (I got a free upgrade, maybe due to me being a "AgodaVIP" member), toilet was clean.

4. Plan a list of restaurants or sight-seeing places beforehand. 

I don't know about you, but I get pretty flustered if we just wander and get lost in a new place, hoping to discover some hidden gems or what not. So I plan, research, and note down the address, cost (of food or entrance fees etc.). If you don't have all that, at least have a friend who will show you around and bring you to where the locals go. For our Penang trip, we were lucky to have our friend bring us to hidden gems and cafes which I loved!

One of them is Backdoor Bodega, a hidden bar that foreigners probably would never find if no one shows them the way! I will share more on this in a later more detailed post on my food haunts in Penang.

5. Roll your clothes to prevent crease and save space. 

Can't stress enough the importance of rolling your clothes. Have been doing this since forever and my clothes have less creases this way. Take note that this doesn't apply for big bulky items like jeans, or leather jackets...etc.

Are there any travelling tips or travel essentials that you swear by? 

Share them with me!

ps: You can also visit Sample Store to read more about travel tips and tricks here:
https://connect.samplestore.com/stories/printable-travel-packing-list-all-singaporeans