Travel Made Different has really made our travels different. Are you tired of skimming through lengthy online travel reviews to pick out the best recommendations there are to check out? Do you find yourself scrolling through Instagram and/or Pinterest to gain inspiration for your next vacation?

With the launch of NTUC Income’s new online platform, Travel Made Different, travellers can now plan their upcoming holidays in Pinterest style and export their visual itineraries to their smartphones.

These days, travellers are no longer satisfied with mundane touristy activities. Instead, they are looking for local experiences and hidden gems during their travels. More than these, planning the itinerary is part of the fun of the holiday itself.

And that is why Travel Made Different embraces this trend, and should be everyone’s go-to platform when we plan our itineraries.

WHAT IS TRAVEL MADE DIFFERENT ABOUT – THE NEW AGE WAY OF PLANNING YOUR ITINERARIES

We are not going to complicate things. Just think of Travel Made Different as a fine hybrid of Instagram and Pinterest.

Travel Made Different’s comprehensive hub of photos reduces the hassle of planning and enables travellers to effectively explore the road less travelled. And the platform is super easy to use! Have a try – hop over to www.travelmadedifferent.com, key in some searches and gather inspiration from people who have already been to your destination(s) of choice.

The exposure to a daily bombardment of advertisements has drastically reduced the attention span of modern age civilians. The preference for visuals over words is evident with the rise of pictorial apps Instagram and Pinterest. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words!

Travel Made Different is all about stirring your inner wanderlust. Make an itinerary for your next trip on Travel Made Different. We love looking at all the photos of everyone’s favourite eating places and hidden gems around the world.

AND WHO ARE BELIEVERS OF TRAVEL MADE DIFFERENT?

The community is a large group of like-minded individuals who are passionate travellers. These tech-savvy cultured holidaymakers are always on the lookout for intriguing experiences, and are ever eager to share their voyages on Instagram with the hashtag #TravelMadeDifferent.

Be inspired by fellow travellers; explore underrated places and appreciate the local way of life. Those who have had recent first-hand experiences are always generous with sharing their respective escapades and travel moments with all on the Travel Made Different portal.

LET’S GET STARTED

Whatever you want to research for your travels, simply search based on the hashtag (e.g. #, #, # ) and all the relevant and tagged photos will appear for your browsing.

Browse through travellers’ recommendations based on activities, cities, food, travellers’ recommendations and other interesting themes (e.g. #BucketList, #BeOurGuide, #SSBD). The images are updated in real-time and you will always be updated by the most recent travel discoveries.

It is a piece of cake – simply create a travel log at www.travelmadedifferent.com and accumulate valuable travel resources from a series of curated Instagram images.

A most beneficial feature of Travel Made Different would be the ability to effortlessly create your own personalised itineraries and exporting them into pdf files. And these logs can be easily accessed from your mobile for references during your travels; gone are the days when we find ourselves lost in a street and not knowing what to do next.

WALK THE PATH WE HAVE TAKEN

Last month, we took a trip to New York City and spent two weeks exploring the amazing Big Apple. Despite the 23-hour flight, New York City is slowly becoming a favourite destination among Asian travellers. There is so much to discover in that concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

We promised to showcase the highlights of our trip, and so, we tagged our Instagram photos with the ‘Must Sees’, ‘Must Dos’ and ‘Must Eats’ of New York City coupled with #TravelMadeDifferent. It made sharing our travel log with our friends so much easier!

Tag #TravelMadeDifferent on your Instagram photos and share them with us. And follow Travel Made Different on Instagram for more travel inspirations.

This post is brought to you by NTUC Income.

So many places to visit, so little time. Ugh, we feel you. First world problems, right? The world’s your pearly little oyster and you feel your wanderlust starting to tickle, but you have absolutely no idea where to next.

Should you fly halfway across the globe to immerse yourself in the bright lights of glittering cities? Or put on your adventure cap for a nearby journey to see some of nature’s finest?

You could just make a list of your top few destinations and then narrow them down from there… But what should you take into consideration? Which elements carry more weight than others? We’ve got tips at hand for you to zero in from endless possibilities to the one.

#1 IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ARE TRAVELLING WITH

Firstly, ask yourself: who are you travelling with? Your companions can and will make things more complicated – someone might love winter activities, while the other hates piling on the layers; one person might abhor anything more strenuous than walking (or shopping), while the other is the epitome of an adrenaline junkie.

The more people you travel with, the tougher it is to make a decision, so pick and choose your travel buddies wisely. You’ll want to explore the globe with someone who has similar interests and habits, so you can agree on a destination without conflict.

#2 DO YOU GO BACK TO YOUR FAVOURITE CITY OR DO YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT A NEW AREA?

Are you the type who likes scouting out new areas or do you prefer to acquaint yourself intimately with your favourite destination? Bali may be your second home, but why not broaden your options and try someplace further away and perhaps more exotic?

Cheesy as it sounds, follow where you heart wants to tread – if you’re a culture vulture, seek out areas that are chock full of museums, galleries and fascinating architecture; if you’re more of the laze-on-the-beach-and-do-naught type, find yourself the most pristine stretch of sand with crystal clear waters and settle on that.

#3 SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN AND WANT TO SPEND

Budget woes will always have a say in your holiday choices, unless you’re one of those billionaires with five private jets. So before you start getting excited, sit down and figure out how much you can and want to spend.

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.

Factor in everything – from transportation and accommodation to meals, shopping and activities – and if the price is way over budget (because it usually is), try to slash expenses by choosing cheaper places to stay or flying at non-peak periods.

#4 HOW MANY DAYS ARE YOU PLANNING TO GO?

How much time you’re allotting yourself for the vacation can also play a part in the decision. If it’s only a 4-day long weekend trip, don’t waste half of it on the plane. There’s nothing worse than arriving home after a holiday even more exhausted than you were when you left.

#5 CHECK AND SEE IF YOU’VE GOT ANY FRIENDS LIVING OVERSEAS

Flick through your list of Facebook friends (or your email contacts) to see if you’ve got any long-lost pals living overseas. What better way to get to know a country than with a guided tour by someone in the know? Plus there’s the added bonus of reconnecting with old friends and perhaps even free room and board.

#6 DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFOREHAND

Make sure you’re well informed about the weather situation before you book those tickets. You don’t want to be stuck in the room at Boracay during monsoon season, watching the rain wash away all your beach-y dreams; neither do you want to be in Disneyland during the school holiday period, swarmed by shrieking, unruly kids.

However, the best weather usually means peak period and high prices – so if you don’t mind taking the risk of the odd bad weather day, try visiting at other times.

A trip to Europe is always an exciting one to look forward to. Make your trip a fruitful one with these 10 things to note before travelling to Europe.

#7 LOOK OUT FOR EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

Some people plan their trips based on when their fav festival rolls into town, so check the calendar of that particular place you’ve been eyeing to see if there’s anything interesting or big happening in the year. And depending on your disdain or love for crowds, decide when is the best time for you to visit.

#8 THINK ABOUT WHAT EXPERIENCES YOU’D LOVE TO HAVE

If you’re on the quest to learn something new every time you get on a plane, think about what experiences you’d most love to have, then locate the countries best known for them. Maybe you’d like to try your hand at surfing? You could probably do that in Australia or California. Or perhaps you always wanted to speak French. Well then, that narrows things down for you.

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.