Kaizen

PSA to everyone intending to travel to Singapore for any event!! 🇸🇬 - FOOD IS CHEAP IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO GO Please go to hawker centres and food courts!! You can very easily get a good meal for under USD $10–15 and usually MUCH less. - OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS REALLY GOOD The MRT and buses will get you basically everywhere and they're affordable, clean and pretty easy to figure out. - SINGAPORE IS VERY SMALL You DO NOT need to book the hotel directly beside the convention centre. Being a few MRT stops away is completely fine. Even getting from one side of Singapore to the other isn't the grand cross-country expedition you might think it is. - THE HOTEL IS PROBABLY GOING TO HURT YOUR WALLET THE MOST Food? Cheap. MRT? Cheap. Hotel? Absolutely not If you're trying to save money, find a cheaper hotel that's reasonably close to an MRT station rather than paying a massive premium to stay right beside the event. ⚠️ ⚠️⚠️BUT PLEASE RESEARCH YOUR BUDGET HOTEL BEFORE BOOKING IT In particular, I personally would NOT recommend automatically booking places like Hotel 81 or ibis budget just because they're some of the cheapest options you see. These are very budget oriented hotels, and some locations have historically had more of a short-stay/"love hotel" reputation locally. That doesn't mean every branch is terrible or unsafe but the experience and room quality may be VERY different from what an overseas tourist is expecting when they see "cheap hotel in Singapore." Please read reviews for the SPECIFIC branch you're considering before booking because location matters a lot!! (Specifically within the Geylang area!!!) Saving money is good. Accidentally booking your Singapore convention vacation somewhere you're uncomfortable staying isn't. - YOU ARE GOING TO SWEAT Singapore is hot. Singapore is humid. The weather's a little gross. Dress for the weather, drink lots of water and PLEASE wear sunscreen. - BUT THE INDOORS CAN BE FREEZING Singaporeans have collectively decided that the appropriate response to living on the equator is setting every shopping mall and convention hall to Antarctica like actually. Bringing a little cardigan or jacket is genuinely a good idea. - OH ALSO PLEASE KEEP AN UMBRELLA IN YOUR BAG!!! Do not look at the beautiful sunny sky and think "Oh yeah it won't rain today." That sky is a liar, liar pants on fire. Tropical rain can come out of nowhere and when it rains it can absolutely pour!!! - CARDS ARE WIDELY ACCEPTED BUT KEEP SOME CASH ON YOU Singapore is very card/contactless payment friendly, but some smaller hawker stalls and shops may still be easier to deal with using cash, especially as a tourist without our local payment apps! - IF YOU'RE TOO TIRED FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT, WE HAVE GRAB Grab is basically our Uber. Very useful when you've been at a convention for 12 hours, your social battery has died and the idea of navigating an MRT station suddenly feels like a Dark Souls boss. Uber does not work in Singapore! Basically: Singapore CAN be expensive, but visiting Singapore doesn't inherently have to be expensive. Eat local food. Take public transport. Stay near an MRT station. RESEARCH YOUR HOTEL. Bring an umbrella. Drink water. And PLEASE explore outside of the convention while you're here!! Singapore is tiny and getting around is easy! So take the opportunity to go eat good food and see the country!! 🇸🇬💕