6 Things you must prepare pre-trip

It’s the happy time of the year to prepare for vacation again.

If you go on a trip not too often like me, you might have some idea on what to prepare but might be wondering if you are missing anything. Here are some of the essential stuff that you cannot miss out:

Pre-trip Must do

• Visa
  
        Your passport can bring you places but don’t assume that you don’t need a visa.
  
  

• Cash
  
        Exchange a comfortable amount to their local currency according to your budget. See my tip on currency exchange.
  
  

• Weather… and thus type of clothes to bring
  
        Because not every country is sunny all year round like Singapore
  
  

•  Mobile
  
        Where to get a sim-card and at what price –Also check that your mobile is usable in your destination country.
  
  

•  How to get to your hotel from the airport
  
        This would include the address, transportation schedules. I know the feeling that after a long flight, the first thing you want to do is crash into your hotel room. At least know how to get to your hotel where you can get your rest and confirm your itinerary.
  
  

• Travel Insurance
  
        Especially to the more uncertain countries
  
  

• Think
  
        You will be overseas for a considerable amount of time. Have you settled your domestic affairs eg.  paid your credit card bills? For SG guys, remember to file notification for your overseas trip.
  
  

On the actual day, make sure

• You brought along your passport, visa, cash, a usable credit card
• Flight status confirmed
• Check-in early

Yes, that’s basically it, don’t worry too much if you have prepared well pre-trip. Anything you have forgotten can be solved by purchasing on the trip, so no worries!

Some tips for packing

• What do you not need?
  
        Keep away cards in your wallet that you do not need overseas eg.Identification card, some credit cards, membership cards.

• Pack your carry-on with the worst-case mentality that for some reason you might not retrieve your luggage. Luggage mix-ups are not uncommon, and in the event that you did not get your luggage at your destination, at least you have your warm clothes and essentials with you.
• Liquid into luggage. Well-travelled you might be, but sometimes it would slip your mind that you can’t bring more than 100ml on board the plane (I lost my cologne that way, sigh). Always remember to pack any gel/perfume/liquid into your luggage if it’s more than 100ml.

Handy Numbers in Singapore to have in your phone

For the Singaporean or the tourist in Singapore (Welcome!), there are some numbers that you should keep in your phonebook for the occasional need or sometimes, the unforeseen situations.

The below list is created with the assumption that you are already aware of the must-know numbers like 999 for the cops and 995 for fire and ambulance. Check out my post on information to have in case of emergency here.

For non emergencies:

Non-emergency ambulance :1777

Police hotline: 1800 225 0000

Traffic police: 6547 0000

Your preferred doctor for health advice

Taxi!!

Comfort and Citycab (Largest operator in SG): 6552 1111

Transcab : 6555 3333

Mobile operator:

Call these self help hotline for a range of services from checking your remaining credits to finding out about latest mobile promotions.

SingTel: Call 1626

M1: Call 1627

StarHub: Call 1633

List of bank hotlines in case of lost Credit Card (Touch wood~)

DBS: 18001111111

Citibank: 6225 5225

OCBC: 18003633333 ( Since i'm here i'll like to commend OCBC exemplary customer service!)

UOB: 1800 222 2121

Standard Chartered : 1800 747 7000

Essential Services

Some numbers that you just won't realise until you really need it...

• Your preferred Locksmith
• Your preferred Tow car company
• Your Car Insurance company
• Water and power contractor
• Pest control
• FOOD Delivery!!
• Macdonalds: 6777 3777

Anything I'm missing? Ping me!

As always, hope this was useful to you!

EUFASS

10 new things you can learn within a day

“I want to learn new things”, “I need to learn new things” are some of the common urges motivated people feel along their life journey.

And then there’s the adventurous type who can’t stop trying new things. They are addicted to the excitement in uncovering something new.

Lastly we have the relaxed where life is starting to get boring, or they just want a change.

That said, the fast pace of the urban lifestyle doesn’t allow many to have the luxury of time to take a long time off to get into really serious topics.  And I always thought to learn new things, you need that significant amount of time… turns out that I was wrong.

There are actually quite a number of things you can learn within a day, and even some within an hour. I have actually found some options where even the normal amateur can easily accomplish. You may not see the need for some of them now, but who knows…

1. Learn how to solve the Rubik’s cube
   
   
   You can easily learn the how by watching youtube videos that teach you the algorithms behind solving the rubik’s cube. It’s pretty cool, not to mention the number of friends you can impress with this.
   
   
2. Learn to code
   
   If you’re versatile with the web you should know there are a lot of websites teaching you how to code on this one. Think code academy.
   
   
3. Learn welding/machining
   
   This is going to be my top recommendation, being an engineer. Did you know you can obtain a certificate endorsing your ability to weld? Well you need to pay a small sum for this one, which is highly subsidized! 1 day courses are available at NTUC learninghub. Machining courses are available too, but they take more than a day.
   
   
4. Learn a musical instrument
   
   Well there’s the piano, guitar, ukulele, etc. My personal take will be the piano, and you just need to memorize the keys for a particular pop song, play it well and you will sound like you DO know how to play the piano.
   
   
5. Learn the military alphabet code
   
   No, f is not for facebook. OK, facebook starts with the letter f, but… Learn the Alpha Beta Charlie of the military alphabet. There’s even a kids friendly version here.
   
   
6. Learn survival phrases in a new language
   
   Can you say the 3 basic sentences “Whats your name”, “How are you”, “nice to meet you” in Japanese? Well, it won’t take much of your time to learn the crucial sentences, especially to interact more with the exchange student you just met.
   
   
7. Learn origami
   
   Fold cranes, roses, and other interesting origami as a gift to appreciate the ones you love. There’s nothing more satisfying then showing your loved ones that you think about themJ
   
   
8. Learn a new board game
   
   Get your friends, go to settlers café or your neighbourhood board games café and learn a new board game. You’ll enjoy the bonding session too. I still remember I learnt how to play settlers of Catan 2 years ago.. It was awesome.
   
   
9. Learn geography
   
   
   No, Singapore is not near China nor part of China. I get surprised when my American friends tell me that. Surf the google maps and know where the countries are. For an even fun experience, try GeoGuessr (probably the best game ever!!)
   
   
10. Learn “useless” talents…
    
    Reddit, the best place of ideas from awesome people. Be amazed… Check out their useless talents thread here 

Remember, in the pursuit of knowledge, acquiring the knowledge is one thing, but the crux is to organize this knowledge, practice over and over again such that you become good at it.

Hope this was useful to you!

EUFASS