Preparation For Singapore Trip

Well to start off with this is the first blog ... as the first step lets start with the plan or preparation cos ... "Plan Pannaama Yethayumey Pannakoodaathu"

Trip to Singapore ... its a flight's journey of approx. 4 hours ... whatever be the time unless it is bad weather or faulty engine otherwise its a peaceful trip ... Pray that you get a good pilot and not a good air hostess

There are various carriers that provide services from Singpaore to India ... The most frequent number of fliers is for Chennai ... They say its actually quicker for one to travel from Singapore to Chennai than for one to travel from Bangalore to Chennai (VOLVO)

The best low cost flyer is Tiger Airways which offer cheap travel between these two destinations. Remember there is food served on these flights, but on chargeable basis. Since its a 4 hrs 20 min journey people prefer not to have unless they are extremely hungry and want to try something.

http://www.tigerairways.com

The luxury fliers are pretty cool with good ambiance, seating, free food and the same old Pilots, Air-hostess as the low cost flyer. Almost all the fliers have the similar travel time except few which go all around the world to reach their destinies. Some of the famous one's are Sing-Airlines, Air-India, Jet Airways and so on ... Now something important, each passenger is allowed to carry a maximum of 30 Kgs as check-in baggage and 10 Kgs as cabin baggage.

http://www.singaporeair.com
http://www.airindiaexpress.in/airindiaexpress/home.asp

There are lots of agents for booking these flights, but its always safe and better to book it yourself to choose your preferences unless you are traveling through other agencies. Its always better to plan your travel well in advance to avail any special discounts and also avoid unnecessary tensions at the last moment.

The climate of Singapore is more or less similar to that of Chennai and Bangalore ... Hot & Rainy ... No one really know when it would be hot in Bangalore and rainy in Chennai, similarly Singapore ... With climate being very moderate the clothing that can be packed accordingly ... Excalibur's summer collections would be the best choice ... You can feel the heat in the daytime but wouldn't feel the cold even at nights ... The only place you might feel cold would be during the travel in the Flights, Bus and Trains. Light Formals ... Casuals ... Pull-over can be packed.

Food is a very important thing that needs to be considered at the time of travel ... Singapore being a cosmopolitan city has varied cultures, but the one's that dominate are the Chinese, Malay and the Indians. So at any corner of the city you will have at least one Indian restaurant. But in case you want to pack some stuffs for cooking here you could pack for about a weeks time, more than that would make no sense at all. Place of recommendation for people from Chennai - The Grand Sweets & Snacks. Medicines are something that needs to be given additional importance. Here one would not get the desired medicine without the prescription of the Doctor's. So our avatar of being our own Doctor fails here. Also get the medicines which you are sure that you wouldn't get in India ... Keep the medical bills and prescription handy.

Mobile communication is similar to India with Airtel - Singtel, Hutch - Starhub
NOTE: DONOT ever try for International roaming, the moment I landed in Singapore I had called my people, the call got disconnected within 2 min ... The last i remembered was I had recharged for Rs. 400 and had a balance of Rs. 350 ... only then I realised that the call I had made was of Rs. 150/min ... so be cautious.

Accommodation is a crucial thing in Singapore ... People who have dreamed of "Live-In"relations can fulfill their wishes as 30% of the population practices that to cut down costs. But the thing to be considered is whom you live with. Its better you find accommodation through some useful online portals like yahoogroups - ezlink, ezlink-singapore, ezlink-house-room are some groups when registered you get almost 100+ mails each day ... well as in any other place in the world, there are brokers here as well and their commission is 50% of the monthly rent.

In case of a tourism/travel agents take care of the Accommodation ... But if you are planning for a travel all by yourself, then please ensure the following:

Passport
VISA
PAN Card or any other photo identity
Tourism Permit
Hotel/Guest House Information
Place of Visit
Duration of Stay
Time Difference (2 hrs 30 min ahead of IST)
Airport Terminal
Medicines & Vaccination

Its a safe place and the charges of the travel are more or less the same ... No bargains with Taxi
You would be connected all through-out Singapore, well if you have the basic CASH

All The Best ... Welcome to Singapore (The Lion City)