My passport was getting its first stamp and this time my pocket was not worried about the expenses..!
You may think !! How ? Why ?
Lets tell you , how !!
I have completed my degree and as I have already told in my earlier posts that I was a Tourism and Travel Management student.
Now I am doing a job in the same field and this was my first tour as a tour manager and the destination was Singapore.
Preparations: The preparations start with gathering our data for the traveling client database. We had to work on travel ,accommodation and sightseeing etc for around 150 guests.
1. Flights done (Singapore Airlines)
2. Hotel done (Mandarin Orchard Singapore,5*)
3. Transport bookings done (Our Local Transport Provider in Singapore)
4. Sightseeing bookings done (Sightseeing Bookings Through Local Service provider)
5. Visa (Now Lets Come to Visa)
Singapore Visa : Singapore provides E-visa to Indian Passport holders.
Procedure :
a. Collect all your requisite documents
. Original Passport with at least 6 months validity and minimum 3 blank pages + all old passports if any;
. Visa Application form (Hand written filled);
. 2 Recent Colour Photographs (35*45 mm)
. Personal Covering Letter (For Employed - Plain paper and For Self-Employed – on Company Letterhead)
. Original Updated Bank Statement (last 6 months, with stamp from bank branch)
. Confirmed Return Flight Tickets
. Hotel Confirmation Voucher in Singapore
b. Document submission : After collection of all above documents, the documents need to be submitted for e visa through a verified travel agent assigned for Singapore visa.(Don't pay charges more than INR 2200 excluding courier charges). It takes standard time of upto 3 days for E-visa and it may range for a validity of 1 momth to 2 years depending upon the Embassy discretion.
Some of the best visa companies are (Udaan ,Jetsave, Akbar Travel etc)
Having done all the necessary preparations to take the group along , we sent across all the passports to the Group Travelers and I had 50 Passports of the Travelers from my airport (ie : I was carrying the visa copies and passports of all the guests for whom I was the tour manager)
My Responsibilites as Tour Manager :
1. AIRPORT ASSISTANCE
2. GROUP COORDINATION
3.DOCUMENT CHECK AT AIRPORT (TICKET,VISA,MEDICAL INSURANCE,PASSPORT,ITENARY,HOTEL CONFIRMATION VOUCHER,TRAVEL DETAILS DOCUMENT, DO'S AND DONTS FOR TRAVELERS)
4.GROUP CHECK-IN AT AIRLINE COUNTER
5.GUIDING AT THE AIRPORT AND BRIEFING BEFORE IMMIGRATION CHECK
6.TAKING COUNT AT FLIGHT BOARDING TIME
7.CONFIRMATION FROM AIRLINE FOR ALL CHECK-INS AND BOARDING
8.MAKING SURE ALL MY PASSENGERS ARE COMFORTABLE ON FLIGHT
9.GUIDING IN CLEARING IMMIGRATION AT DESTINATION AIRPORT
10.COORDINATION WITH LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDER AND GUIDES
11.HOTEL CHECK-IN AND PROPER ROOM ALLOCATION
12.AND MANY MORE JOBS WE HAVE TO PERFORM !!
FIRST DAY :
Singapore airline was excellent , Indian food was served and It was the best in-flight meal i ever have had. We landed in the morning and I took my group to the exit where the guides and our service provider received us.
Check-in Done (City is around 40 minute distance from Changi Airport)
Hotel was at Orchard Road.
There are many Hotels in the city area.
Malls and Malls are all over the city area.
Freshened Up and It was time for getting to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
NOTE : Universal Studios is a full day activity so start your day early and reach there by 10:00 Am.
Located on Sentosa Island,a bit away from the Singapore mainland, it can be called an island of Amusements.
Full of Adventure and Excitement.
Major Attractions :
1 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (Full of Activities)
2 SEA AQUARIUM (Just Near Universal Studios)
3 CABLE CAR RIDE (From Sentosa Island)
4 CASINOS (Near the Universal Studios)
We had tickets already purchased for all and it was time to enter and explore.
Photos clicked at the Universal Studios Globe (What an amazing feeling it is Maza AA Jata Hai Wahan Pe Photo Lete Hue)
You have so many activities for all age groups and based upon your likes. No one will get bored there.
The key to save time and get the most of it is to take a note of which activities are must do inside the park.My recommendations are as below :
1. Lights Camera Action
2. Transformers-The Ride
3. The Mummy Ride
4. Jurrasic Park
5. CYLON Ride
6. HUMAN Ride
The lunch we did at an Indian restaurant inside the Studio premises.There is only one Indian restaurant in the Studio premises.
There are Plenty of other options where you can pay on spot or redeem your 10 Dollar meal coupon.(One can purchase ticket with meal coupon, which can be used in any restaurant in the premises)
Went to hotel.
Refreshed and Relaxed.
All day long enjoyment ends with a delicious dinner at an Indian Restaurant outside near Little India area.
SECOND DAY :
We dropped our guests at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre for a conference and moved on to explore the ,markets and malls.
For electronic gadgets etc we went to the Sim Lim Square Mall where there was a lots of unique gadgets. I bought some mobile phone USB fans for gifting to my cousins.And the whole mall is filled with such unique and useful gadgets like computers,phones,lighting,cameras, lenses,earphones,etc etc etc.
After that we went to the Bugis Local Market for some souvenir shopping.
Grab a meal at Burger King/Mc Donalds/Seven 11 nearby and lunch is done.
Bugis street market is best for cheap shopping like T shirts,Fashion accessories,Spas and beauty parlours etc. (I bought some beautiful mugs with Singapore logos and also some beautiful Singapore fridge magnets)
On the opposite side of the road is Bugis Junction Mall which is full of premium brands where you can. For fashion accessories one can visit there, it is the best for such shopping.
IMPORTANT TIP : If you shop at malls in Singapore , keep the bills if your bills are over 100 SGD. You can get the refund of GST at the airport. Ask the billing counter to update your passport details with the billing.
The bills will be required to get the cash refund at time of returning at the Singapore airport.
There is a GST refund kiosk at Singapore airport where you update your passport and get the refund from the counter if the above condition is valid.
Enjoyed the dinner at an Indian restaurant in Little India.
Moving around in Singapore :
1. Taxi stands are there at small distances. Taxis start with a minimum bill of around 3.5 SGD and for a distance of around 5-10 KM the charge may be around 12-18 SGD depending upon traffic.
2. One can also use GRAB Taxi , which is like Ola or Uber in India which can be slightly cheaper.
THIRD DAY :
It was the city tour day.
Our buses arrived at the hotel and we took the guests for a city tour which included the Singapore flyer also.
The bus moved around the city's major attractions like Espalande Centre, Merlion Park, Riverside, Stock Exchange etc followed by a visit to the Chocolate outlet, where our guests did a lot of local made chocolate and souvenirs shopping.
It was lunch time and we then reached the Singapore flyer. There is an Indian restaurant in the flyer complex, we had the lunch there and then moved up to have the flyer experience.
Its Very High (Darr Bhi Lagta Hai) !!!
It gives 360 degree view of the whole Singapore (we can see Changi area, Singapore Sports Complex, Cruise Terminal, Merlion Park, The sea, Sands Hotel and Convention Center, and Gardens by The Bay, Sentosa Island , Port area etc)
It is an amazing experience (a must do activity in my view).
In the evening one can explore the nightlife and bars and clubs.
Tip : Clarke Quay is the spot where you need to go for clubbing and bars.
Going to the Night Safari is an option to visit as well.
FOURTH DAY :
Today was the departure day and we checked out from the hotel at 11 Am. The whole day was idle as our flight was in late night so we had kept the day for exploring on own and we also had to take care of shopping and exploring the culture.
Took a walk around the roads and streets to see how people live and how they move around for their day to day lives.
The bus transportation for locals is very convenient and accessible.
One can also use the Metro for moving.
For shopping we chose the Mustafa Center which is near Little India. Lots of people from Indian origin work there and own businesses there.It feels like shopping in an Indian Mall. (I bought chocolates in bulk and some decorative items for my house)
MUSTAFA Centre is a once stop location where all the locals also go for shopping. Plenty of Indian shops are there nearby.
After the shopping was done our dinner was arranged at Riverwalk Tandoori restaurant near Mustafa Center.
Note : Copper Chimney restaurant at Little India is a good place where you can enjoy a quality Indian food.
Having done the dinner , we left for the airport to catch our flight back home.
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