Singapore and Kuala Lumpur Budget DIY Tour
I would like to share our Singapore and Kuala Lumpur Budget DIY Tour because do-it-yourself travels are always cheaper and more liberating. I have separate detailed posts for Singapore Trip, Kuala Lumpur Trip, and our review for the hostel we checked in to in Singapore. So, this post summarizes our itinerary, personal experience, and travel information.
Our Singapore-Kuala Lumpur trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision just because we were brave like that. LOL. Also, it was the first time for us to go abroad because, again, we were fearless like that! 😛
Few weeks after I and Criz agreed on the date of our travel, I was already able to book our plane tickets via Cebu Pacific Air and I was already reading related blogs. I really made sure that I have covered everything because though I kept on saying that we’re brave, I have a confession to make: I had terrible pre-flight jitters, people! 😛
Read on.
PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATION
Here are some of the stuff I brought:
- Comfortable clothes for 4 days
- A pair of sneakers
- A lock (for my locker in the hostel)
- A pen and needed documents for the trip and for the Philippine Immigration (i.e. passport, print-out of boarding pass, hotel booking confirmation, itinerary, company ID, government-issued IDs, print-out of leave approval, credit cards, and ATM cards)
- Sunblock and other liquid kikay stuff not more than 100 ml.
- Powerbank
We already checked in online and printed our boarding passes two days before our scheduled flight. Cebu Pacific Air sent me a reminder email beforehand so you really don’t have to worry as long as you check your email.
PRE-FLIGHT PROCEDURES
The schedule of our flight to Singapore was at 5:40 am but we arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 hours before the time of our departure. We paid P1,620.00 for our travel tax (showed a boarding pass and passport). When we already paid the tax, we immediately proceeded to the check-in counter (showed travel tax receipt and the print-outs of boarding passes) and got our tickets. And afterward, we queued at the Philippine Immigration.
PHILIPPINE IMMIGRATION
This was really the main reason for my pre-flight jitters. I became too nervous weeks before our trip but I was constantly brushing it off. When we’re queuing, we kept on changing lines because we were figuring out the kindest Immigration officer. LOL.
When it was my turn, I kept my cool. First, I submitted the requirements asked by the officer: passport, the plane ticket to Singapore, hotel booking confirmation, boarding pass from Kuala Lumpur to Manila, and company ID). She requested supporting documents like the credit card I used in booking our tickets and the print-out of my leave approval. (Thankfully, I did my assignment weeks before our flight so I really brought a lot of documents.) She asked me questions like how long have I been employed, with whom am I traveling, how many days are we staying in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and where are we gonna stay. I just really had to answer her questions truthfully and shut my mouth when it is not needed. So I felt like a rock weight off my shoulders when she finally stamped my passport! LOL.
TRAVEL EXPENSES AND ITINERARY
(Note: This is a very specific itinerary and it’s adjusted according to our schedule and budget. You may just use this as a basis. Some of the prices are in range as I wasn’t able to jot it all down)
Manila-Singapore ticket via Cebu Pacific – P2, 688.00/ pax
Kuala Lumpur-Manila ticket via Cebu Pacific – 3, 101.575/ pax
One of my takeaways: The immigration officers of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are so much kinder and laxer than the ones we have in NAIA 😀 😛
May you enjoy Singapore and Kuala Lumpur! 🙂 If there’s anything that I missed or miswrote in this Singapore and Kuala Lumpur Budget DIY tour post, please let me know. 🙂
