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We all missed being able to travel during the dark and uncertain days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when Vaccinated Travel Lanes were introduced, few of us were interested. After all, undergoing numerous PCR tests is uncomfortable and being subject to quarantines, especially if you catch COVID, is hardly how anyone wants to spend their holiday. So, a lot of folks became 'tourists in their own country'. And staycations, or staycays for short, became popular. Being cooped up in one's home for too long does that to people. But now that we can freely travel without needing PCR tests and quarantines (and face masks for that matter), some have opined that staycays are no longer relevant. I, however, think otherwise. Here are five reasons why. Photo: Paolo Nicolello, Unsplash 1. It's less of a hassle compared to going overseas. Planning an overseas holiday is complicated. You need to book flights, consider where you'll be staying and figure out an itinerary. That means you'll have to do research (Google and YouTube) to come up with a list of places and activities to do at your destination. This also results in having to figure out the logistics and transportation that go along with said activities. How difficult this will be is subjective. But some form of planning is required. In comparison, a staycay only requires me to plan when to take leave and check out the room rates for the hotel my wife and I wish to stay in. Then, we just pack light. There is no need to wake up early or stay up late to catch a flight. Flying off to another country is fun, but it requires planning, time and effort 2. Forgot something? No worries. One of the advantages of staycationing is convenience - you don't have to go or look far to find say, toiletries or swimwear. There's also no need to exchange currency (or worry about exchange rates and which money changer to go to). I don't have to subscribe to a roaming service either. One thing that worries me before my wife and I fly overseas is whether we've left anything charging. If we're on a staycation, we wouldn't be concerned because hey, if needed, we can return home to check. Not having to worry about such things is why staycations can be more stress-free compared to a holiday overseas. You can still eat well in Singapore - just go to your usual haunts while on a staycation 3. There might be food issues. Trying new food is one of the biggest reasons for exploring other countries. You can really get to know another country's culture by keeping an open mind and sampling their local fare. However, not all of us are fortunate enough to have travel companions with the same mindset. If your family members are the type who 'can only eat local food' or worse, only want to patronise restaurants from global F&B chains, holidaying overseas is probably inconvenient for you. But if you're on a staycation, then your less adventurous family members should have less to complain about, which might result in less stress for you as well. Hotels like Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore can make you feel like you're in an overseas resort, even if you haven't left the country 4. Consider medical concerns. Not everyone is blessed with good health, even for those who work out regularly and watch their diet. Sometimes, genetics just gets the better of you. If you have family members that can't travel due to underlying medical concerns, a staycation is a good alternative. Frankly, being able to find a hotel that gives you the feeling that you're not in Singapore is not easy. But perhaps a getaway to Sentosa (which is not on the 'mainland') might suffice. Although you'd still be in Singapore, staying at a hotel means not having to clean your room or worry about running the air-con 24/7. Not having to think about chores is a stress-reliever, which is what holidays are about. 5. Staycations generally cost less. A three-night stay at a local hotel (provided you haven't booked the Presidential Suite and aren't eating all your meals there) can be cheaper than a six-day holiday overseas, so when I feel like I need a quick break from work, a staycation really does the trick. Well-meaning colleagues always mention that part of the hotel budget could have been used for air tickets. Or that we should have redeemed our miles instead. But these suggestions overlook the fact that going overseas entails other costs as well. These include currency exchange, your hotel, food, and pocket money for shopping. When we're overseas, there's a tendency to want to eat more food and buy more stuff because you might not find the same things back home.

I'm thinking of bringing my parents and kids (total 6 of us) for a short vacation in Dec. My parents are in their early/mid 80s, and my mother can only walk very slowly, and not too long distance. They are also scared of cold, so we're thinking of going to one of the Indochina countries, for maybe 3-5 days. (After we come back, we'll likely go for another trip maybe a week or so, to Korea, but without my parents, who cannot tahan the cold...) I'm not familiar with any of these countries, so am hoping that anyone here who is, can provide some advice on which of Bangkok, Cambodia, Vietnam is nice and easy to go around? Kids are in S2 and S4, so have outgrown the theme park stage. I know it's not easy for their interests to match nicely with the grandparents, but they're quite close, so should be able to accommodate/compromise a bit. Any advice or suggestion is welcomed - as i'm just starting to read up and find out on this. Thanks.

Travel lockdown, time to dig up old travel photos... I curated like 200 photos... going to post like 3-4 a day. hopefully when I reach the end, the lockdown is over... Starting from many many years ago, without the kids.... Some of these are posted previously last year but many are probably unposted. Added a drop shadow frame. China, Beijing. Newly weds Korea, Yongpyong. Portrait with tele lens Japan, Kyoto. Overblown skies... Australia, Great Ocean Road. No kids only Wife

As per topic title, how many of u are rescheduling or canceling holiday plans due to the virus or still proceeding? Just receive email from Scoot about rescheduling air tix. What are the airlines that are offering rebooking at no charges?

Took the new direct flight to Seattle. Picked up the car and drove to Whistler. Stayed there for 3 nights but I did not see ANY mountains at all because it was cloudy and snowing. The tours were also not open on mid Dec. Basically just play snow and idle in hotel Whistler Canada

Brought my youngest on a business trip. First time we traveled not as a family as his sister has school.

A budget vacation for the family These rooms in the Theme Park Hotel suits most family very well. Especially those productive parents with 3-4 kids. https://youtu.be/TdEUKxEZDwA Classic high tea and walkabout on the first day of arrival. You need to walk a lot after numbing your butt in the long bus trip. https://youtu.be/l4gazQySWbI

My 2nd trip to Tokyo! Via Delta Airline this time. Plane tix at $500+/pax. First meal after touching down at Harajuku vicinity: Ore-Ryu Shio Ramen. Nothing beats having a bowl of hot soup in cold weather as the saying goes: Life is hard, and winter is cold, but there's always ramen! Temperature: 10 Degrees Celsius, with slight drizzle. Lawson to start the day: Rainbow Pancake at Harajuku. We queued up for this under the rain simply because of the rainbow color decor. The Macadamia Nut Pancake is a must try. Better than the pancakes at Flippers! Sauce is deliciously good. My first trip to Tokyo I visited the Owl Cafe. This time round it was to Hedgehog Cafe & Pet Store HARRY. Per pax we paid about 1600Yen+ for 30 mins of playtime with the hedgehogs and some meal worms as their snacks. Hedgehogs sleep most of the day and these ones are so accustomed to sleeping in people's hands you don't really get to interact much with them other than them curling up in a ball to sleep on your hands. There's also a minder assigned to each table/group of customer to ensure customers don't mishandle them, for those concerned about the welfare of the animals in such cafes.

Travelling in Australia has been named one of the most expensive place to go for vacation. It is well known among travelers. How can one travel on a budget in Western Australia? From the link are some of my advice and tips to travel and save while not missing out the fundamental fun and places. Hope it benefits all members heading to Australia soon. https://watravelblog.com/fremantle/perth-budget-travel-blog/

Anybody been to places like Europe , Greece or Spain / Barcelona? Can share hows the weather in Nov/Dec season? Would I get to see castle?

Bros, any good recommendations and reviews? http://www.tripzilla.com/singapore-sexy-staycation-ideas/31628

Time to plan those annual leave wisely, starting from Chinese New Year. *Posted the Malaysia one. Please refer to below calendar for SG Calendar. Whoops.

Starting a travelogue complete with pictures taken from my GC 2014 trip (raw pics as I haven't got the time to edit). Anyone with pictures to share of your trip in any parts of Aussie, feel free to add on! @blueblueman this is for you. More pictures, less words. Traveled by FlyScoot. Sea World If you're going to Sea World, I suggest you put on lots of sunblock lotion, bring extra clothes as there are water rides there, and be dressed in casual = shorts, slippers. Weather isn't gonna be easy on you, as least for the month of April which I went. Parking @ Sea World. Don't think you have to worry about parking lots as it is highly sufficient from what I saw. Must watch Dolphin Show. Always the highlight. Dinner @ Surfers Paradise. Many many food joints you don't have to worry about starving. Jap food, Korean food, American, Mediterranean, etc etc etc. This is mine @ The Coffee Club, next to Ben & Jerry. Their sandwiches were pretty damn good. Movie World One of the two best rides. Batwing Spaceshot drop and Superman Escape rollercoaster ride (accelerates 0 to 100 in 2 seconds!) Don't forget to take the Green Lantern rollercoaster too, located directly beside the entrance in full view. Crowd on a weekday, I think it was on a Monday. Pavilion. Gather around here for the Batman - Shadows of Gotham live show at 1pm. Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 live show, featuring gun shots, explosions and car chases. Right after the Batman live show ended at 1.15pm, everyone went to queue up for the 2pm Hollywood stunt show. They didn't have proper allocated queues so it's gonna be pretty messed up. Good thing is that the venue is able to accommodate a whole lot of people. Arkham Asylum (Suspended roller coaster) MUST TAKE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFRpJO2xgE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siKw60INs0Y Kebabs widely sold in Surfers Paradise. Had to try one since it was everywhere. Remember to update GPS maps. Roadworks all around (especially at Surfers Paradise since they are doing hte railway line) and GPS navigation isn't accurate, as experienced on my friend's GPS. Surfers Paradise Beach Q1 Observation Deck Quite suaku. First time seeing such pay-to-park machine. From what I observed, it gets extremely hard to find a road side/parallel parking lot at Surfers Paradise in the nighttime. We had to park inside of those buildings quite a distance away from the main beach. 3 minutes of wow and after that I'm thinking okay what's for lunch.. It's one of those gotta do and visit places when you're in GC but it gets boring after 3 minutes, IMO haha. Lunch @ Harbourtown Shopping Center. Everyone says Fish & Chips is a must to try in Aussie and so we did. Cheap and good! Parking @ Harbourtown. To be continued.................................

Hi, Anyone heard of Mariott vacation club membership??? Understand that it is some sort of a timeshare. Is it worth it??? Would like comments or inputs from those who actually bought it.

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Holiday season and looking to clear some leaves. Don't want to waste it staying home to rot so planning to bring my kids to Disneyland. Any bros here know whether the Tokyo or Hong Kong version is better? Really lousy planning but hopefully still can get air tickets at the last minute?

Was planning an exotic family vacation this coming december but was thwarted by mis-timing. So it's back to our good old Northern neighbour. The unavoidable monsoon means beaches are off-limit. That leaves mountains, fabulous eating haunts and maybe some in-land sightseeing. This has been asked before, but I thought no harm asking again. Any interesting suggestions? PS: At least I get to drive, which I much prefer to flying.

For those looking to a laid-back travel spot, do check out the following listing that I came across in the papers:- http://www.baankrachang.com/en/main.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: I am not associated with this place nor get paid for recommending it to like-mind pple who enjoy such travel spots.

I'm back from a road trip vacation. Lots of lessons learnt and lots of action as well. I will call this Aveo visits the Peninsular Malaysia's East Coast on Highway 3 . The very first day, we left on Wed 4 Aug 2004. Packed everything and cleared the Woodlands Checkpoint around 1030. Nothing much except that the resort's check-in time is 1500. I know this is the low period until the ND weekend where massive swells of SG tourists will start to arrive. The chances that the room will be available before 1500 is high. However, I didn't want to pass the chance to visit the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls. Last time been there was my prehistoric days in poly. Want to see what has changed. Anyway, the road in is nice and curvvy . OK for newbies to Malaysia because you have been scared away by our local media overhyping all the murder and rape cases (their local media is also guilty of that), the touristy areas in Malaysia are marked with white direction signs. Black or green words in a white background surrounded by a border that is the same color as the words. For the KT Waterfalls, just look for the sign AIR TERJUN. The Waterfalls We arrived at 1130. Dang! They made the place into some theme park of some kind! Should have left it the way it was when I visited way back in 1988. They should learn a bit for the Aussies. Preserve things the way they are. Ecotourism means preservation and conservation. Nobody learns when they see man-made structures. We just touched the water, see the big falls, snapped some pictures and ate some nasi ayam before proceeding to Desaru. Desaru Desaru is a designated tourist location so getting there means looking out for the white direction sign with DESARU emblazoned on it. We left AIR TERJUN around 1300 and reached the resort around 1400. We put up at the Pulai Desaru Beach Resort, formerly the Desaru Perdana Beach Resort. I made the mistake of booking 2 nights there at the cost of SGD 261 by making a phone call locally to the agent in Singaproe. My rating for the resort? I must say they are clean and the rooms are well furnished. Huge and airey. However like any hotel or resort, it pays if the management paid careful attention to maintenance. I think they are at the midst of it renovating the rooms when we arrived. We have a twin bed which is something not we wanted. We can't change because the rooms with the double are being renovated. But they got someone to join the beds together. We got a garden view room but it is the nearest to the beach and pool. Breakfast is your typical holiday fare. The beach is very well maintained though. Fine powdery white sand. With that I would say the Pulai is the very best that Desaru has to offer. I will give my reasons why when compared to the Desaru Golden Beach Resort. That very night, we went out to see the fireflies. Now this is what I call ecotourism. Nothing but the mangrove swamp in the dead of night with tons of mosquitos and of course the fireflies. RM 40 per person. My little sweet girl went free. The mozzies descended upon me and my girl like fresh meat. Strangely as always, the mozzies didn't want my wife. I have always long suspected that she is a witch and she might be one! Tanjong Punggai The second day, we got a bit more adventurous and took the Aveo out for a spin to Tanjong Punngai. FYI, the beach where the resorts are located is called Tanjong Penawar. Of course we spent time at the resort pool first before heading out at 1200. But we need to eat and we headed to the Desaru Golden Beach Resort. The food is OK and we took this opportunity to tour the resort grounds. The beach is just as nice but they got two nice pedigree horses there. Impressive looking fellas and I was told they have been there for ten years. Met a Singaporean who has just arrived there and he was complaining that the room is pretty shoddy. Paint peeling and furniture looks very tired. He was denied the villa which was promised by an employee when he called earlier. That is why I concluded that the Pulai is best in Desaru. We left at 1400 and just followed the sign that points towards Sungei Rengit along Highway 90.One thing I must say, it road is pretty deserted and gives you the impression you are driving in some European country road. We had to stop along the way to take pictures of the deserted highway flanked by tall flowering lalang on both sides. Conjours images of wheat fields. Finally we reached Tanjong Punggai. The beach is not a designated tourist sport. There is no white sign. A usual blue sign points us to turn left in. The only accomodation available there is the Batu Layar Beach Resort. Kampung looking accomodation. The beach shows that it is popular with locals. It is littered with holiday debris. Couple this with its isolation, nobody came to clean up but there are stretches that look untouched. There is a couple there with a tent pitched up. Romantic I must say. The setting sun was really scorching by 1700 so we headed back and ate at this resort nestled between the Pulai and Golden Beach called the Desu. Food is OK. Much more value for money than the other two. To Kuantan and beyond OK the next day, Fri 6 Aug 2004, we set off for Kuantan after breakfast. Didn't move off till 1030. Reached Mersing by 1300. We had lunch there before carrying on. Sad to say I missed some turns thanks to signs being covered by trees. I had to make U-turns after 2-3km after setting on the wrong way. Not bad but I wasted much time doing these. Passed Rompin, wife is interested in the Endau-Rompin National Park but I told her special permits are required. Finally hit Pekan and finally reached Kuantan around 1700. We should have made the left turn towards Kuala Trengannu as this will take us to Cherating but we would like to see how Telok Chempadek is like. All I can say it is a really hip place. The jungle next to a very clean beach (most city beaches IMHO are very well maintained). There are excellent accomodation not within our budget. We left the place of course and went north on Highway 2 into Beserah. Wife is whining on how long the journey is. I've never been to these parts and was all excited by all this. Daughter was wailing and I actually had the idea to go to the northern most resorts namely the Suria Cherating or the Impiana. Of course I don't know where they are just that they are along Highway 2. So I have to make do. I didn't make any reservations and I had the idea to go where the wheels take us. An enthusiasm not shared by my wife. Let's just leave our daughter out of this equation. Firstly I stopped at the Swiss Garden Resort and Spa. They only have a room for a night. I was hoping for that because I know how exhorbitant it can be with a resort with that kind of name. Next is the Duta Village Beach Resort. From the looks, the resort is gives a kampung rustic look but the room rates don't look very kampung . Again I was given only one room for one night . Overjoyed I left and came upon the De 'Rhu Beach Resort. They have a room at a very affordable RM 135 per night and we can have it for two nights! Whoopee. Wife should be pleased. Includes breakfast! But my joy was shortlived. My concept of accomodations is a room, bed, shower, TV, A/C. Wife is all the above but better stuff. Well, I found out why it costs RM 135. The room is rather tired looking. Towels are there. The bathroom door's veneer is peeling off and the shower is leaky. These made my wife very displeased. I should have brought her out backpacking before the arrival of our girl. The resort became very noisy as well because of three companies having their family day there. I noticed that the resort is pretty popular with the local Malay folk. We explored the beach. My wife was even more disappointed. The sand was the grayish looking type. Muddy looking like the type you find in mangrove swamps. For a moment she was mislead to thinking Cherating is a sham! I explained to her that this is actually Balok Beach or Pantai Balok. In Malay, Pantai is beach. This beach is famous for raging surf but we soon discovered the whole of this area is raging surf. Could be the season. After dinner, a pretty early snooze. Cherating and surrounds After breakfast, got in the Aveo and went up towards Cherating. I made the mistake of going straight and found myself in Kuantan port. Damn! Should have made the turn to go towards Chukai. Wasted some time going back. Finally we came to two famous resorts that you always hear about in NATAS fairs. The Holiday Villas and The Legend. I took a chance that there might be a public access area between the two resorts. So I turned in to The Legend but didn't enter it instead opting to go further inside. Yes! There is a public access area. Resort cleaned beaches without paying for the resort. Hehehe.... Spend the whole morning there. The surf is strong. Waves come crashing in. Fun. Finally wife is pleased. Little girl was having fun. Going to have many strong tanlines. Looking to my right at the Holiday Villas beach, it is mostly filled with Western tourists. Couldn't see what kind of tourists are at the Legend though. We dried up and went for lunch going into the Legend. We went to the cafe and saw a friend with his family who drove up last night reaching at 2100. They spent the morning recuperating in the hotel room. We took the opportunity to wash off the sand off our feet in the toilet. We still have our swimwear in our clothes. Much sand lodged inside but we didn't care. It is finally revealed that the resort is filled with mostly Singaporeans. After lunch, we drove up further north and hit Pantai Cherating. Over here the beach is not as clean as resort beaches but it is definitely more fun. Small motels and huts lined the entrance. The only resort that strikes me with familiarity is the Residence Inn. Looks really peaceful. Over here while walking along the beach, we came to the famous P1 chalet of the Cherating Mini Motel. It is the only one with a full glass window facing the sea. The kind gentleman staying there was filming his family playing at the water. I asked him how much the motel chalet costs. An astounding RM 30 for non-A/C and RM60 for A/C. Should have shut my wife up and drove up here last night! He offered us the next chalet, P2 to use but have to wash up before his friend comes back. We turned down the kind offer as he was mislead to thinking that we didn't have any accomodations. Crashing surf as before but there are more people on this beach. It is hip with many accomodations offered to backpackers. The beach is filled with lots of marine life. Cones and tiny crabs crawl everywhere! The natural "lagoon/wade pool" has fishes swimming in it as well as amateur windsurfers practicing. You can walk really far out on this beach and it will still be at knee to waist level in water. Finally we drove off to Pantai Chendu. We passed the famous Club Med Cherating (first in Asia), followed by the Impiana and the Suria Cherating before we saw the white sign pointing to Pantai Chendu. The beach was more isolated with more locals on it. Lots of dead fallen trees with their buttress roots on the beach giving it the sense of isolation. This beach struck me just like Tanjong Punggai. Its isolation is marvelous. The wind and surf are the only things I hear. The night drive Again, wife began to whine, daughter started wailing and we returned to the De 'Rhu. By evening, I wanted to try driving on a truly dark road with nothing but the reflectors showing the lines. So I suggested to have dinner at the Impiana. The Impiana looks very fine as a resort. The cost per night is RM 175 on weekdays and 195 on weekends. Pretty good I must say. Better than the Pulai at Desaru. Food is OK but I doubt I can really get accomodation the night before. The resort is filled with a Baptist church members on a church retreat. The beach facing rooms are nice and I spied out that they have four post beds and canopy. Ooh la la! Romance for an all night romp for hot blooded honeymooners! I can think of many creative uses for the any of the four bed posts! the rooms don't use curtains but bamboo roller blinds. Very rustic. By then it is too dark but I can see that the beach is well maintained. After dinner, a drive back along the winding roads with very little or no lighting. Awesome experience but to hit the speeds I did in the day would be foolish. I stuck to the 80-90 speed limit. The return After breakfast, left the resort at 0900. Reached Mersing at 1200. Thanks to my stupidity to go back via JB because I live in Woodlands, the jam was horrendous. Reached back to Woodlands by 1630. Next time, I will leave via JB and come back via 2nd Link. I don't feel tired and felt invigorated by the drive. The next year, I will try going to Trengannu. Tanjong Jara would be good. See the turtles and then hop back to Cherating, then Rompin then back.