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Tips & Advice

How to Plan the Perfect Surprise Trip for Your Partner Without Giving It Away

Planning a surprise trip for your partner can feel like juggling secrets, logistics, and love letters all at once. It’s equal parts thrilling and nerve-wracking — one wrong move and the surprise is toast. But when done right, the moment of reveal becomes a shared memory that lives longer than the vacation itself. The key? Foresight, empathy, and a stealth-level planning game. It’s not just about booking flights and picking hotels — it’s about anticipating reactions, dodging spoilers, and crafting a mini-experience before the actual journey begins. Here’s how to pull off a romantic getaway they’ll never see coming.

Tips & Advice

From Office Chair to Open Skies: Build a Location-Free Life That Works

You’ve stared at the office wall one too many times. Same desk, same Slack pings, same stale coffee. But what if you could break the loop—without breaking your career? Becoming a digital nomad isn’t a fantasy. It’s a systems upgrade. With the right structure, you can live anywhere, work everywhere, and still hit your deadlines. This guide shows you how.

Tips & Advice

Smart Travel Tips for Seniors: Comfort, Safety and Confidence on the Go

Travel can be one of life’s greatest pleasures at any age—but for seniors, it takes a little more intention. The small things that used to be second nature (packing, navigating crowds, or adjusting to new environments) can introduce new challenges as we age. But that doesn’t mean travel has to become intimidating or out of reach. It just means you travel smarter. Whether you’re heading to a family reunion across the country or ticking a bucket list city off the map, here’s how to do it on your terms.

Air Travel / Opinion

Plus Size People on a Plane

Every now and then a post or video crops up on social media, whether parody or serious, about being large bodied or overweight and how this affects them (and to a lesser extent others) while flying in Economy Class. There’s a recent video I happen to catch on X of a woman having a whinge. Hard to say if she was serious or it was tongue in cheek. A mild mannered one anyhow. She goes on, “I’m plus-size and on a plane”…then demonstrates the difficulties she has to face starting with the tray table saying, “of course I can’t put the tray table down”. Then goes on about having to have the smallest member of her family (little boy) sit adjacent in the middle...

Airports / Opinion

24 Hours In Changi Not A Problem But How About 96 Hours?

This crazy idea came to me when I was thinking about my up-and-coming four day trip to Singapore. Could I perhaps forego the reason why I’m travelling there and spend that time inside the terminals at Changi Airport instead? We know there are some long layovers at airports, but for some Australian travellers, in particular those travelling to and from Adelaide with Singapore Airlines, like me, this happens quite a lot. Especially the all-day layover when arriving early morning in Singapore from Europe and then departing (on the same day) at 23:35 on flight SQ279. This can entail layovers of approximately 18 hours either spent at the airport or a quick trip to a city hotel. We know Changi is a great airport for...

Apartments / Opinion / Vacation Rentals

Clean Rentals Make For Better Vacations

If you are looking for a holiday rental (or as the Americans call them, vacation rentals) in the USA and cleanliness is your main concern then renting from a select list of properties managed by a professional cleaning company is the way to go. Many properties run by Airbnb and HomesToGo are cleaned professionally by MaidThis, a company that specialises in cleaning holiday rentals. The company employs vetted professional cleaners and applies its process meticulously from a pre-determined checklist that is strictly adhered to ensuring tasks are organised, cleaners stay on track and nothing is overlooked. Knowing hotel accommodation is cleaned on a regular basis, rooms cleaned and linen changed every day, you’d expect holiday rentals be given the same treatment. Of course this...

Opinion

ITB Asia 2024

ITB Asia is Asia’s largest business to business travel show where many deals are initiated and signed between buyers and sellers of travel related services and products. Tourism authorities, destination management companies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, travel technology companies all attend. It will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre in Singapore in late October. I’m hoping to attend this year’s event, my first since 2019, again as a member of the media. My interest in the trade show lies mainly with the individual national tourism boards and with some of the DMCs. Especially if there are any new destinations, products and services that need media attention. Anything the travel consumer would find appealing and tour operators and travel agents would snap...

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Anti-Bacterial Wipes a Necessity in the Cabin, Definitely

Some will be thinking, “I won’t be taking any wipes with me and do the cleaning others should have done for me”. I’ll guarantee you, you will get strange looks from other passengers if you start doing the wiping and cleaning after sitting down in your seat. They do it to make you feel out of place as most won’t bother. But there is no dodging this fact; airline pilots and cabin crew recommend antibacterial wipes. Why? Because they know their workplace and know what goes on. Do I agree with them? Wholeheartedly even though I haven’t asked them specifically. I have always suspected the airplane cabin to be a place that harboured bacteria. I can tell you this through observation. Others should do...

Apartments

An airbnb Alternative in Hong Kong: Weave Living

Since the permanent closure of the Rosedale Hotel Kowloon, a hotel I have stayed in twice and reviewed here, this hotel has been transformed into small apartments for short to long term use. The room sizes have remained the same as before with the only difference being the remodelling that’s added new fixtures, furniture and revitalised the decor. In the past when this property was a hotel it enjoyed good patronage and was very popular especially with mainland Chinese and SE Asian clientele. Those prosperous times ended when the political and social unrests of 2019 and COVID-19 in early 2020, in particular, hit the hotel hard. The property was put on the market and was acquired by investors and since has been remodelled into...

* Review / Tips & Advice / Trains / Transport

Leonardo Express

Another short review about the best way to travel between Rome’s airport at Fiumicino and central Rome at the Roma Termini railway station. I have used this service virtually every time I am in Rome and I cannot fault it. It’s not cheaper than catching one of the bus services that run the same route to Roma Termini. If time is important the Leonardo Express is the best solution as the buses take about twice as long to get to Fiumicino and traffic can be a problem depending on the time of day. Also the buses do not run as frequent. Taxis are expensive and Ubers although more competitive are still prone by those road issues. If your destination is not central Rome or...

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

The Risks FAs Take on The Job Deserves Respect

The recent events of severe turbulence on two flights Singapore Airlines SQ 321 (London to Singapore) on the 21st of May and Qatar Airways QR017 (Doha to Dublin) on the 26th of May, has highlighted the dangers of being a Flight Attendant (FA). Yes, passengers did get hurt some severely with one elderly person dying from a heart attack, but cabin crew do this everyday with higher probability of getting injured while making sure passengers are safe. Their job is not all rosy and glamorous as some may think. They work very hard. Passengers need to understand this. Next time you fly please spare a thought for the FAs and what they have to endure while doing their job and the risks they take...

Loyalty / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Hotel Memberships and Newsletters; Their Value

Just recently one of the hotel chains based in South East Asia, Far East Hospitality, sent me an email with a discount voucher. It was a nice surprise. They valued me as a member, even though I haven’t been that loyal. My last stay with them was many years ago. It’s not because of their product, which is good, it’s just that I’ve stayed elsewhere during this time. Just after that stay I signed up to their loyalty programme and newsletter which I receive regularly and keeps me informed of their products, services, promotions and new hotels. This particular email was sent to all their members celebrating “Members’ Day”. A promotion they do every year during the month of May. A nice gesture for...