Travelling.... one of the favourite past times of people who live in Singapore. Our country is so small that we could get from one end to the other in less than 2 hours by public transport. Most of us who've been living here for the past 20 over years like me would have been bored by this small city.
Another reason for travelling is that we could sort of live like a king in another country. Women like to travel to neighbouring countries for shopping sprees and get their wishlist items at less than half the price. The Singapore dollar is still strong while our neighbouring countries' currencies are weakening. This makes it even more attractive to travel. Let's take a look at some countries which is worthy of travelling now where currencies are dropping.
Most of us would probably already know that the Malaysian Ringgit has dropped significantly over the past few months. Singaporeans have been changing their SGD to Ringgit ever since when it was $1 SGD to $2.60 MYR. Now, $1 SGD is at $2.80 MYR. Who cares when a plate of chicken rice cost $5 MYR there? It is less than $2 for us when we convert it to SGD.
Let's take a look at some of the food prices in Malaysia:
Not too cheap for those working and living in Malaysia but certainly affordable for us working and living in Singapore.
Thailand is a shopping heaven for many ladies and also men out there. The clothes are really cheap there with low cost accommodation too. Good news for those travelling to Thailand soon, the Thai Bhat has actually weakened again as compared to a few months ago. $1 SGD is at $25.11 THB now.
It was also reported by the Bangkok post last week that the Thai Bhat sinks to a 6 year low against the US dollar. You can get clothes from as low as 100 to 300 Bhat in Thailand. That is just $4 to $11 when we covert it back to SGD. Definitely much cheaper than shopping in Singapore. No wonder people always come back with a few luggages of shopping loots from Thailand.
The 1782 grand palace in Bangkok
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/drflint/9152353922
You probably didn't know that the Australian Dollar has been secretly going down against the SGD for the past one year. Just a few days ago, one of my colleagues told me that when he went Australia 20 years ago, the rate was $1.60 SGD to $1 AUD. How about now? SGD and AUD is actually quite close to $1 vs $1 now. It is at $1 SGD to $0.994 AUD. It is probably a good time to plan a trip to Australia this year when the currency is still weak.
Indonesia
The closest Indonesia islands to Singapore are Batam and Bintan where we can just take a 45 Mins ferry ride from Singapore to Batam. I took a walk at the supermarket in Batam before and the groceries are really cheap there. Many Singaporeans do buy some groceries from Batam and bring it over to Singapore when they travel there.
The Rupiah has been dropping against the SGD for quite some time now. It is in fact at a 10 year low. It is $1 SGD to about $9800 IDR now.
Besides Batam and Bintan, we can also travel to other parts of Indonesia such as Jakarta or even the popular Bali beach area. Bali is certainly more pricey now as it becomes a popular tourist destination.
Why not try travelling to Lombok which is a cheaper version of Bali? Lombok is an island east of Bali with virtually untouched beaches There are 3 paradise islands called the Gili islands which we can scuba dive or snorkel around the area.
Credit: http://homeiswhereyourbagis.com/en/15-things-you-should-see-on-lombok/
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trekkingrinjani/7504677940
Besides Batam, Bali and Lombok, another place to visit is Jakarta. It is the capital of Indonesia but trust me, the things there are still quite cheap. You can read more about my travel to Jakarta in December 2014 here. Satay cost just 20 cents a stick and a restaurant meal at just $50 for 10 dishes in Jakarta.
Best thing about Indonesia is we can find the A&W which went missing in Singapore.
Lastly, let's not forget Japan, the land of the rising sun. The JPY has weaken significantly over the past 5-10 years. Travelling to Japan is definitely not as expensive as before now. $1 SGD is at $90.89 JPY now whereas 3 years ago it is at $65 JPY.
It time to plan for a year end winter trip or perhaps an Autumn trip to see the Sakura flowers in Japan?
There you go, 5 countries to consider for your travelling now where their currencies are dropping. Its time to live like a king again in some of the countries or perhaps take a breather out of the small city we live in.
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