Work and sleep, on repeat. Today, many of us face the stress of the fast-paced lifestyle that we have to inevitably get accustomed to. The hustle and bustle of city life may take up the bulk of our time, but we all know that although this lifestyle is needed to make ends meet, this isn’t the ideal way to spend our time.

Sometimes, all we need is a short getaway to get a breather from the strenuous amount of stress we have to leave us feeling pumped up, refreshed and more energetic than before.

Every second is important—and that is why we have compiled a list of beach destinations you can get to from Singapore within 3 hours, perfect for a short weekend retreat from the taxing and frenetic way of life.

Photo Credit: eatosphere

#1 SUGI ISLAND

WHERE IT IS: Situated just 50km away from the Lion City, Sugi Island is part of the Riau islands in Indonesia and remains as one of the hotspots for a short beach vacation today.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: Just a 50-minute ferry ride from Singapore to Batam, followed by a 90-minute boat ride from Batam will bring you to Sugi Islands. If you have extra time on your hands, Telunas Beach Resort is just a stone’s throw away!

Photo Credit: esendy

#2 NONGSA

WHERE IT IS: Nongsa is part of the Riau Islands in Indonesia and it is home to a myriad of luxurious beachfront villas.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: Believe it or not, Nongsa Beach Resort is only 35-minutes away by ferry from Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, making it an ideal destination be it for a weekend escape or an extended vacation.

Photo Credit: ngetrip_karimunjawa

#3 KARIMUN ISLANDS

WHERE IT IS: Just like Sugi Island and Nongsa, Karimun Island is part of the Riau Archipelago in Indonesia and it is situated just 37km southwest from Singapore. It lies between Singapore and Batam.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: A 90-minute ferry ride from Harbourfront terminal will bring you to Karimun Islands. With 4 ferry crossings daily on weekdays and 6 ferry crossings daily on weekends, there is no reason for you to miss out on an opportunity like this!

Photo Credit: discoverunseen

#4 PULAU TIGA

WHERE IT IS: This secret island is dubbed as the Maldives of Malaysia and it is located just off the western coast of Sabah, Malaysia.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: Take a 2h 30minute flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu before a 30-minute boat ride to Tiga Islands. Fans of diving and snorkelling will be pleased to hear that Tiga Islands had plenty of fringing coral reefs with beautiful colours and sea creatures.

Photo Credit: martin.puhm

#5 MANUKAN ISLAND

WHERE IT IS: Manukan Island is also part of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and it is Malaysia’s first Marine Park.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: A 2.5-hour flight from Singapore is needed to get to Kota Kinabalu and just a short 10-minute car ride will get you to Manukan Island. Snorkel in the ocean and you’ll be amazed by the fishes that will surround you—with plenty of resorts around this island, Manukan is also a popular destination for a short day trip!

Photo Credit: joe_bighead

#6 KO SAMUI

WHERE IT IS: It is Thailand’s second largest island and it is particularly renowned for its palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves and lush greenery surrounding it.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: There are direct flights from Singapore to Ko Samui that take just 1 hour and 50 minutes. With resorts and beachside villas ranging from budget to luxury, Ko Samui is perfect for anyone and everyone seeking a retreat from city life.

Photo Credit: wissaww

#7 KO PHA NGAN

WHERE IT IS: Ko Pha Ngan is situated just north of Ko Samui—It is the secret of Thailand as it is home to unrivalled beaches with white sands and clear water under cobalt-blue skies.

GETTING THERE FROM SINGAPORE: Ko Pha Ngan does not have an airport, and it is less commercialised as compared to Ko Samui. Thus, getting there will likely require ferries from mainland Thailand and Koh Samui.

When going on an overseas or interstate vacation, the bulk of your money would usually be allocated to lodging. But did you know that with the right hacks, you can actually save a significant amount? Having said that, do also bear in mind that a cheaper rate also means the need to compromise certain traits. For instance, do not expect to stay in a 5-star hotel for free.

Some of us do not mind staying at a simple place so we can better spend our money for entertainment, food and other experiences that we otherwise do not get to see in our country.

For budget travellers who are thinking of ways to cut down on accommodation costs, we came up with a guide to help you score cheaper accommodation for your next holiday. You are very welcome!

#1 BE FLEXIBLE AND CONSIDER A DATE CHANGE

Certain hotel rates are cheaper on selected days and that is primarily due to the lack of demand. Do expect a surge in prices during peak travel periods. Some hotels do provide an overall view of the different daily rates and you will realise that weekdays are typically cheaper. Most hotels also offer early bird rates—so do be flexible about changing dates!

#2 COMPARE PRICES ACROSS WEBSITES

The general rule of thumb is to NEVER settle for the first rate you are offered. Do compare your prices across various online booking platforms such as Agoda, Booking.com and the hotel’s official website. Tally the total prices—inclusive of taxes—and you will be surprised. Some differences could be negligible or significant.

#3 OR TAKE A GAMBLE AND BOOK IT LATE

Here’s the interesting thing—certain hotels do offer slashed rates when you make a last-minute booking. For instance, mobile application HotelQuickly allows hotels to push out unoccupied rooms at discounted prices. Some discounts are massive and can be up to 40%! Of course, you would probably have to compromise on the room of your choice.

#4 OPT FOR HOME RENTAL SITES

If a particular city’s hotel rate is way over your budget, then consider home rental sites such as AirBnb where you can book an entire place, a private room or even a shared room! Prices on AirBnb are usually cheaper and what you get in return is a much more spacious area. Yes, AirBnb lodging gives you more bang for the buck—especially when travelling in a group.

#5 BUY OVER SOMEONE ELSE’S BOOKING

Travel mishaps are bound to happen and sometimes travellers book accommodations that cannot be refunded. This is when Roomer and Cancelon come in handy. These platforms allow travellers to post listings of their booked hotel rooms and the public can buy these bookings off them at discounted rates. Talk about a win-win situation!

#6 STAY IN LESS FANCY HOTELS NEXT DOOR

Reputable global hotel brands are usually located right smack in the city centre. The location is ace but the price tag can be scary. Instead of resigning to fate, this is what you can do—consider the less fancy hotel next door which will offer you an equally superb location but less glamorous amenities. It’s all about a case of compromising.

#7 JOIN MEMBERSHIPS TO ENJOY PERKS

Certain hotels give you special discounts if you sign up for their newsletters or join their membership programmes. However, note that the latter usually involves a fee which might or might not work in your favour in the long run. However, registering as a user with Agoda and Booking.com is completely free and gives you access to exclusive special daily rates. What are you waiting for?

Traveling is exciting and fun – you get to discover a whole new world out there – but it’s also costly and can burn a hole in your pocket pretty fast. Plane tickets, accommodation, transport and food are just the tip of the iceberg – pile on exploratory activities and shopping sprees, and you’ll be watching your savings dwindle away in no time. So if you want to fulfil your globetrotting dreams without breaking the bank, read on for the top 20 tips on how to travel on a budget.

1. PLAN YOUR TRIPS IN ADVANCE

Plan your trips in advance (but not too far ahead – supposedly, the best window of time to book flights is about 45-60 days beforehand) and diligently scour the web for discounts and deals. The best days to book air tickets online are on Mondays or Tuesdays, and avoid weekends at all costs – that’s when prices skyrocket.

2. BE FLEXIBLE WITH DATES AND LOCATIONS

Be flexible with dates and locations, and try to travel off-season if you can. Tuesdays to Thursdays are usually the cheapest days to fly, and if you add more connecting stops to your itinerary, ticket prices will drop.

3. CHOOSE FEWER DESTINATIONS AND SPEND MORE TIME IN EACH.

This way, you’ll have time to appreciate each destination instead of going on a whirlwind trip where you barely scratch the surface anywhere. Besides, the more stops you have on your itinerary, the more time and money you’ll spend traveling and finding a place to stay.

4. DO YOUR RESEARCH

Heed the advice of travel tips and click on blogs and articles to read others’ past experiences, so you know what to expect and what to avoid – steer clear of the common mistakes made by those who have gone before you.

5. BUDGET YOUR MONEY

Be organised and disciplined – figure out how much you want to spend and allocate accordingly for your daily use. All this has to be done in advance, or you’ll be living large the first few days and surviving on nothing but cheap instant noodles towards the end.

6. TRAVEL LIGHT

Pack light, because you’ll probably have to pay extra for luggage – especially on domestic flights within countries that only allow you to check in one bag. Just bring basic necessities and simple outfits that you can mix and match to make it look like you’re wearing a different outfit each day.

7. RESEARCH ON AFFORDABLE RESTAURANTS

Map out your meals and look around to find affordable restaurants nearby, so as to avoid making a desperate, last minute decision to satisfy your hunger pangs. Avoid hotel breakfasts if you can, because cafes nearby are probably more value-for-money; when in doubt, remember that vegetarian dishes are always the cheapest. Alternatively, if you’re staying at a place that allows you use of the kitchen, grab a bunch of groceries and cook your own meals – especially for dinner, since it’s usually more expensive.

8. MULTI-TRIP PASSES OR TRAVEL AT NIGHT

If you’re traveling within a particular country, keep an eye out for multi-trip passes or travel at night so you can sleep while on the go and save on accommodation. Public transportation is your best friend, but if you need to rent a car, choose one that lasts longer on lesser petrol (you can also try hitchhiking if you’re brave enough). For nearby destinations, walking is a great way to take in the sights and avoid piling on the vacation weight.

9. CHOOSE A DESTINATION WHERE THE CURRENCY IS WEAKER AS COMPARED TO YOUR COUNTRY’S CURRENCY

If you’ve got no particular preference for your destination, pick one where the currency is weaker for better buying power and suss out where to find moneychangers that give you the best exchange rates.

10. STAY IN HOSTELS, HOME EXCHANGES, B&BS OR HOME STAYS

Instead of heading to your favourite hotel chain, why not try hostels, home exchanges, B&Bs or home stays? Start by searching for apartments on Airbnb.com. This enables you to meet the locals and pick their brains for insider tips on the area; you’ll also come across fellow backpackers whom you can join forces with to snap up group discounts.

11. GO LOCAL AND ENJOY AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE FOR LESS

Head for street stalls, outdoor markets, family-run businesses or neighbourhood eateries filled with locals (and non-English menus) to enjoy an authentic experience for less.

12. SIGN UP FOR REWARD OR MEMBER PROGRAMS

Be ‘kiasu’ and sign up for reward or member programs. They’re usually free anyway, and you never know what you might get out of them.

13. STAY UPDATED ABOUT THE LATEST DEALS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Follow major airlines and ticketing sites on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to mailing lists of travel deal sites – they regularly share discounts, sales and promo codes that you can take advantage of.

14. SUSS OUT GOOD DEALS ON THE PHONE

Negotiate on the phone – especially with hotels – to get the best deals and to find out about promos not posted online.

15. STAY AWAY FROM TOURIST TRAPS

Stay away from tourist traps (they’re such a rip-off) and go off the beaten track. Sure, you can take in recommendations from your guidebook, but some of the best finds are hole-in-the-wall places or ones in side streets that visitors don’t know about. Why not veer off course and see what you stumble upon?

16. BARGAIN, BARGAIN, AND BARGAIN

Learn the fine art of haggling. Bargain whenever you can, whether you’re at markets, shops or even in taxis. As long as you’re not rude or demanding, there’s no harm in doing it, since they probably hike up prices for tourists anyway.

17. TRY YOUR LUCK AND ASK FOR UPGRADES

Ask for upgrades. What’s the worst that could happen? A curt ‘no’? Big deal! Just toughen up and raise the question – you could receive extra goodies without paying a single cent.

18. ASK FOR TIPS FROM FRIENDS

Get a little help from your friends – they might know people living abroad whom they can connect you with, and that could save you from paying for accommodation and gain you a knowledgeable tour guide.

19. LOOK OUT FOR FREEBIES

Keep an eye out for freebies. Some places offer free museum tours, or even free entry on selected days and times; plus, festivals, events and nature activities like hikes or walks along scenic routes are usually without charge – because the best things in life are free.

20. MAKE FRIENDS WITH LOCALS

Just have fun and be open to making new friends. You never know when you could meet a friendly local keen to show you around the ins and outs of the country.

About the writer:
Alicia Lee is a dessert junkie with a serious (and probably incurable) case of wanderlust. Never one to pass up on retail therapy, she loves a great bargain and can usually be spotted on weekends browsing through quirky shops or chillaxing at a quiet cafe.

What do you think of when you travel? Whether air tickets are within your budget, or if taxis are exorbitant to hire? What about accommodation? What are your thoughts when it comes to your bed (and breakfast)?

There is no lack of properties to put up at wherever you travel to, because tourism has evolved and the world is definitely chalking up on the supply to meet the demands. And if you ask us, accommodation attributes largely to your overall experience – whatever kind of holiday you take.

While we love our huge beds and fluffy sheets of commercialised hotels, we enjoy blending in to local cultures and truly experience living like a local. Which is why we have been such believers of Airbnb. In our recent trip to Italy, all our accommodations were booked via Airbnb and we could not be more pleased with the experience.

For the uninitiated, Airbnb www.airbnb.com.sg is a booking website that offers accommodations all over the world and they are uniquely localized – think staying in a local’s summer house, with the entire apartment to yourself. You have the whole master bedroom to yourself, you can watch TV in the living room, you can cook breakfast, you can do your laundry…

Today, we share with you 10 reasons why we love Airbnb so much, and as we wrote this post, we were already counting down to our next Airbnb experience!

1. FIND UNIQUE ACCOMMODATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD THAT YOU CAN’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE

The main reason why we love Airbnb is because it offers unique, local accommodation on any budget, anywhere in the world. From a seashell house in Mexico, to windmill in Greece, and castle in historic Scotland, there are so many special places that you can stay in.

Airbnb has curated a list of the top 40 accommodations around the globe.

2. MORE THAN 600,000 SPACES AROUND THE WORLD TO CHOOSE FROM

Besides the fact that you can get quirky and fun places to stay in, there are more than 600,000 listings (in over 34,000 cities and 192 countries) on Airbnb to choose from – surely something that suits every one!

3. VARIETY OF CHOICES AT ANY BUDGET

As much as we would love to, not every one could afford staying in a luxurious 5-star hotel for every holiday. Airbnb’s listings cater to different budgets, and you can get accommodation for as low as S$100. We recently chanced upon this modern studio in Taipei and it is only S$68/night! And this alone had us harbouring thoughts of flying to Taipei for a getaway!

On the flip side, if you are willing to splurge, there are also amazing apartments like a penthouse on 5th Avenue in New York, or a luxurious apartment that is right beside Eiffel Tower.

4. INTERACT WITH LOCALS WHO KNOW THE CITY BEST

You get to interact with locals who know the city best, and they will be able to give you the best tips that are better than any travel guides. Our hosts in Rome and Venice gave us great tips on the best places to dine at – the restaurants where only locals know, and you won’t find any tourists – as well as the attractions that we must go to. Sometimes if you are lucky, they introduce you to the local merchants so that you get discounts when you get your wines and whatnot, too!

5. STAY WHERE THE LOCALS STAY

When we were planning our trip to Rome, we wanted to put up at Old Rome – the Renaissance-era centre of the city, where you can find beautiful squares like Piazza Navona and campo de’ fiori, cathedrals, and of course, the Pantheon. And there are not that many hotels in that part of the city, because it is where the locals call ‘home’ and tourists usually do not stay there. This is the charm of Airbnb. We found so many suitable places that we had difficulty trying to decide on one place.

The apartment that we stayed in Venice was perfect, too. Stable wifi connection, clean and cozy space, a well-equipped kitchen with all the necessities that we need to cook, a heater in the entire apartment, a library of encyclopedias and guide books, a cloth warmer in the toilet to dry our laundry, and best of all, it has an excellent location (2 minutes to Rialto Bridge, and 15 minutes to San Marco). We really felt like we were living and breathing Venice like locals, and we actually looked forward to returning home every night!

6. EXPERIENCE LIVING IN THE CITY

“Be a traveller, not a tourist” is one of our favourite travel quotes and we constantly remind ourselves to try new things, meet new people and explore the city like a traveller and not a tourist.

Staying at a local’s apartment gives you a unique perspective into the locals’ lives. Don’t be a tourist who is more concerned with visiting all the popular destinations; be a traveller and stay in a local neighbourhood, and discover things that you would otherwise miss or not know of.

7. HAVING THE FLEXIBILITY TO COOK

One of the plus points of staying in an apartment is having the flexibility to cook. Some of the apartments listed on Airbnb have kitchens that are fully equipped. Not only do you get to save money (from dining out), you also get to buy fresh local produce and whip up a hearty meal for your loved ones.

When we were in Venice, we bought seafood from the famous Rialto Seafood Market (which is just 3-minute walk from the apartment), and cooked almost every night.

8. STAYING IN AIRBNB IS SAFE, FUSS-FREE AND CONVENIENT

Airbnb has several verifications for hosts who list their space on the website. So you can rest assure that it is safe and you won’t have to worry that you will get a dodgy place.

Moreover, there are reviews – written by people like you and me who have stayed at the place before – that will give you a better understanding on the things to look out for. Small little details like whether there is hot shower, wifi, and a working lift in the building. It is vital to read through all the reviews before committing to a place that you are comfortable with.

Also, most hosts reply extremely fast, making it a fuss-free and convenient affair to book your accommodation.

9. THE AIRBNB MOBILE APP HELPS YOU TO BOOK A PLACE ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Searching for your dream accommodation on-the-go can never be easier with the Airbnb mobile app (available on iOS & Android). Download the Airbnb app now and look for a space for your next holiday!

10. THERE ARE MANY ENTICING ON-GOING PROMOTIONS FOR THE AIRBNB COMMUNITY

Airbnb cares about the community. They are always actively planning something for users, and it is great to know that. Go to www.airbnb.com.sg to book unique accommodation for your next holiday now!

Airbnb is offering all ladyironchef readers US$25 travel coupon to book your next holiday accommodation. Simply click on this link, sign up and get US$25 on your first booking on Airbnb. Share with us your dream destinations! Travelling does wonders to your soul, so save up, plan your next holiday and book your accommodations on Airbnb!

Follow Airbnb on twitter and facebook to find out more about the latest listings.

This post is brought to you by Airbnb Singapore.