Singapore Travel Blog, Hotel Reviews, Travel Itineraries and Guides
by Bino 167 Comments
Many of my long trips over the past five years have been in Europe and since I require a Schengen visa to enter most countries in the continent, I have applied in various embassies here in Singapore. Generally, my experiences applying for a Schengen tourist visa have been very procedural. Several documents are required for presentation but as long as one manages to fulfill them, there are barely any questions asked — unlike the application process for other countries for example.
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by Bino 3 Comments
Credit cards have come a long way from their original purpose – which is essentially to enable people to purchase goods sans the cash. Over the years, credit cards have become associated with rewards and particularly miles redemptions – which in turn has led to a breed of miles enthusiasts.
Like most financial products, credit cards come in tiers and there are a number in Singapore reserved for the very few. The most exclusive ones boast of features such as an endless credit limit, elite status in loyalty programmes and even the usage of a personal assistant. Many of the benefits are admittedly travel-oriented. Since there aren’t a whole lot of details about these ultra elite and exclusive credit cards, I decided to compile a list here for reference. An overwhelming majority of us probably won’t qualify but it is free to dream after all.
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As I depend heavily on getting internet access during my travels for social media posts and blogging, I have explored a number of travel data solutions for my trips overseas. These include getting a local sim at my destination, activating special roaming services from my current telco and most recently – trying AIRSIM. AIRSIM is a reusable travel sim card that people can activate as and when they go for trips. It works in a slightly different way as compared to other travel data solutions out there. Once you get the sim card, you keep it permanently and you purchase plans from AIRSIM’s website or mobile app as and when you expect you’d need data overseas. The initial advantage of this is quite apparent. There’s no need to queue up at some airport’s telco stand (where the queue can be quite long) to get a sim from your destination’s telco.
But how does AIRSIM stack up when it comes to access, pricing and data speed?
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Starting 1st of June 2018, Ethopia has been allowing visitors to enter through an E-visa applicable to all nationalities. Prior to this initiative, nationalities of only 2 countries (Djibouti and Kenya) could enter Ethiopia visa-free while another 40 nationalities could enter by getting a visa-on-arrival.
Ethiopia had initially put the e-visa service on trial for selected categories of visitors in June 2017 but now everyone can avail of it. The e- visa is processed and issued online where applicants apply, pay and secure their entry visa in a few steps. Once the application is approved, applicants will receive an email authorizing them to travel to Ethiopia and they will get their passport stamped with the visa upon arrival. Do note that the E-visa service is available only when entering through Addis Ababa Airport. It is not available for entry in other airports in Ethiopia nor at land borders.
Ethiopian Airlines has expanded to Asia for around a year or so now with direct flights from the likes of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and soon, Jakarta to Addis Ababa. With the newly relaxed entry requirements, visitors from Asia can now actually stop in Addis Ababa and explore one of the more interesting countries in the continent rather than just use Ethiopian Airlines as a transit carrier to elsewhere in Africa or Europe.
Application for the Ethiopian E-visa can be made HERE.
Price for the Ethiopian E-visa is USD 52 with a validity of 30 days and USD 72 with a validity of 90 days. Only single entry visas are issued at a time.
As of this writing, I observed that the website crashes often so you may need to check from time to time.
People visiting Japan tend to have a check list of things to buy. Local apparel brands such as Uniqlo are extremely popular as well as toiletries, cosmetics and even food items. The country is practically an oasis for consumers with just about everything available that money can buy. With the weaker Yen, visitors have been visiting Japan with an added reason – to purchase a luxury watch. The country is well known for its watchmaking industry with iconic brands such as Seiko, Casio, Orient and Citizen. In the upper end, it has Grand Seiko which compares favorably with Rolex in terms of finish and quality.
Purchasing a watch in Japan may seem overwhelming at first given the language barrier and the frenetic pace its major cities run. If you are looking to make that investment and acquire the timepiece of your dreams, here are things you should consider.
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It’s that time of the year again when the travel season is coming into full swing – with school holidays starting and many people taking their first major holiday of the year during the long Easter weekend. I am writing this as I touch down in Mauritius and embarking on my first trip to Africa. Prior to departing for my trip, I came across iShopChangi, a platform that allows passengers to pick up products being sold at the airport online. I buy a lot of duty-free items at Changi Airport both for myself and for friends overseas and the platform saves a lot of time.
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The jetsetting lifestyle isn’t always as glamorous as it’s always portrayed to be. Unless you’re fully prepped in celebrity ways, armed with oversized sunglasses and a mini toiletry kit for landing, you’re likely to end a long-haul flight looking and smelling like you’ve been dragged through a bush.
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I first wrote about Mileslife when it made its debut here in Singapore. In the few months since then, their list of dining and lifestyle merchants has expanded and now include some of the most well-known restaurants in Singapore. One of the earliest merchants to accept Mileslife was Crystal Jade – probably the most recognizable Chinese restaurant chain in Singapore with dozens of branches and sub-brands within the country. I recently paid them a visit with the intention of using Mileslife as it adds Emirates Skywards as its newest frequent flyer programme in its list of partners.
For every $1 spent, members will earn up to 5 Skywards Miles and an additional bonus based on their Emirates Skywards tier. Emirates Skywards Silver members earn 25% bonus Miles on every purchase, Gold members earn 50% bonus Miles while Platinum members earn 75% bonus Miles. The tiered bonus is unique to the Emirates Skywards programme.
There is also an ongoing promotion which allows Mileslife users to earn triple Skywards Miles on all spends until 30 November 2017 when selecting Emirates Skywards as their frequent flyer programme (FFP) of choice.
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